Welcome to the first instalment of the ITR Award Winner Series, where we delve into the stories behind some of our headline winners from the 2025 ITR Awards.
In this edition, we speak to Nitin Agarwal, director for indirect tax operations at shopping mall operator Majid Al Futtaim in the United Arab Emirates, and 2025’s ITR EMEA In-House Indirect Tax Leader of the Year.
What does it mean for you to win this award?
It’s not just a personal milestone – it reflects the trust of our leadership, the resilience of our teams, and the evolving importance of tax in today’s business world. For me, it is recognition of the many colleagues across countries, business verticals, and shared service centres who have embraced change and helped shape our exciting transformation journey.
Indirect tax transformation is never about one individual; it is about building systems and cultures that endure. This award is therefore a moment of gratitude, pride, and responsibility, and a sign to continue contributing with humility, innovation, and a shared vision for the future.
What makes an exceptional in-house indirect tax leader?
An outstanding leader is not defined by deep technical knowledge alone, but by the ability to move across different dimensions – sometimes operating at a strategic altitude, at other times engaging in execution detail – depending on what the business requires at that moment.
Over the last two and a half decades, I have been fortunate to learn that leadership in this field rests on certain principles. It is about trust and empathy, where teams and business leaders feel you are walking alongside them rather than handing down mandates.
It is about vision, not in the abstract sense of prediction, but in the practical ability to prepare for regulatory, talent, and technology shifts and to shape them into opportunities for the business.
It is about execution, ensuring that governance, compliance, and transformation programmes actually deliver measurable outcomes rather than remain on paper.
And it is about courage – the readiness to make hard calls when data, operating models, or future skill investments demand it.
Ultimately, the role of an exceptional in-house indirect tax leader is to act as a bridge: connecting tax with business, policy with practice, and technology with people.
How do you ensure that you are providing value to your company?
For me, the question of value is never abstract; it begins with asking where tax fits in the overall proposition of the business and for whom that value is being created. Once I have clarity on that, my strategies and operations naturally align within those boundaries.
It also gives me a compass for guiding my teams, because when the “why” is clear, the “how” becomes much easier.
In practice, value has different layers. At the foundation, it is about compliance excellence – keeping the company audit-ready, penalty-free, and resilient in the face of regulatory scrutiny.
Beyond that, it comes from operational efficiency, where automation, data governance, and smart outsourcing models free our teams from repetitive work and create measurable cost and time savings.
And at its most strategic, value is about foresight – using technology mandates like e-invoicing, or opportunities in analytics and digital reporting, not just to comply but to contribute to broader business outcomes. This includes strengthening working capital, shaping business models, and even enhancing our reputation with tax authorities and regulators.
When viewed this way, indirect tax is not a narrow cost centre. It becomes a function that protects, enables, and in many cases, generates value for the enterprise.
What are some of the most interesting developments currently happening in indirect tax?
Indirect tax today stands at a fascinating inflection point where regulation, technology, and business are converging.
Governments are rolling out e-invoicing mandates and real-time reporting frameworks at an unprecedented pace. These are not merely compliance changes; they are reshaping the way companies transact, how data flows, and how organisations engage with regulators. The emergence of continuous transaction controls means that transparency and audit readiness are no longer retrospective exercises but real-time expectations.
Alongside regulation, technology is redefining the profession. Cloud enterprise resource planning systems, tax engines, and application planning interfaces are no longer peripheral tools; they are becoming the default language of tax. Increasingly, tax professionals will need to “speak technology” to remain relevant.
Equally important is the rise of new skills. We now stand at the intersection of law, technology, and data science, and tax professionals are evolving into what many call fusion leaders – people who can bridge disciplines and orchestrate teams, processes, and systems.
What does the future hold for you?
For me, the future is about scaling impact rather than changing direction. Professionally, that means continuing to build tax teams that are not only future-ready but also deeply integrated with business strategy – teams that understand technology, data, and governance as fluently as they understand tax law.
I see the role of tax itself expanding in the years ahead, becoming a strategic partner in business transformation rather than being viewed only through the lens of compliance.
On a more personal level, the future is also about giving back – sharing insights with the profession through thought leadership, my forthcoming book, Extinction of Tax as We Know It, and by mentoring the next generation of tax leaders. My own journey has been shaped by the generosity of mentors, colleagues, and peers, and I feel a responsibility to carry that forward.
Ultimately, I see the future not only as an opportunity to shape my employer’s tax journey but also to contribute to the broader transformation of the profession. If the last two decades were about learning and applying, the coming years, for me, are about enabling, guiding, and leaving behind a foundation on which others can build.
