Deloitte, KPMG, DLA Piper and Eversheds Sutherland all scooped big wins at the 2026 ITR Europe Awards, which were held last night, September 17.
Eversheds Sutherland picked up Tax Law Firm of the Year, while Deloitte won the Tax Advisory Firm of the Year award, meaning both firms repeated their wins from last year.
Meanwhile, KPMG won the award for Transfer Pricing Advisory Firm of the Year, while DLA Piper won Transfer Pricing Law Firm of the Year.
The ITR Europe Tax Awards were established in 2005 to reward excellence in advisory, law firm, and in-house tax practices across the region.
This year’s ceremony took place at The Londoner in Leicester Square, London, and represented the 22nd annual awards. Guests were treated to a live band, magic tricks, and even an ITR-purple confetti cannon at the end of proceedings.
The awards sought to highlight the most distinguished tax and transfer pricing (TP) teams across 32 jurisdictions over a 12-month timescale.
Recognition was also given to tax technology innovation and compliance, alongside diversity, equity and inclusion.
ITR also debuted a corporate incentives category to recognise feats in that pivotal area and inducted the first honourees into ITR's Women in Tax Leaders' Hall of Fame.
‘A great recognition’
In total, 548 firms made award submissions, with 349 being shortlisted.
There were also eight practice leader winners selected from more than 2,500 nominees, while the same number of rising star winners were chosen from more than 1,100 nominees.
Firms with the largest number of award wins during the evening were Deloitte (29), KPMG (21), EY (19) and Baker McKenzie (13).
Randall Fox, global co-chair for TP and valuation at DLA Piper, told ITR the Transfer Pricing Law Firm of the Year honour represented “a great recognition” of the work his team delivers every day for clients around the world.
“Our practice has always been focused on the most strategic TP matters, whether that is supporting global growth, managing controversy, or helping clients navigate significant business change.
“We are particularly excited about the continued expansion of our team in Europe and beyond, including the recent appointment of Craig Silverwood to lead our Asia-Pacific TP practice,” he added.
Former Australian Taxation Office economist Silverwood spoke to ITR earlier in September after moving from MinterEllison in August. He argued that several factors have led to a steady transition of TP work away from traditional advisers and towards full-service law firms.
DLA Piper’s TP award win reflects its high achievements within ITR’s World Tax rankings.
The firm is ranked as a Tier 1 TP firm in the UK and as a Tier 2 TP firm in Germany, Italy, Norway and Spain.
Meanwhile, Ben Jones, partner and co-head of global tax at Eversheds Sutherland, told ITR the firm was “thrilled” to be named as Tax Law Firm of the Year.
“Advising many of the world's leading organisations on some of their most notable matters is a privilege,” Jones said.
“This award reflects not only the confidence our clients place in us to support them, but also the talent across our team and the strength of our international platform that underpins everything we do.”
Eversheds Sutherland’s Tax Law Firm of the Year victory represents a clear sign of consistent performance for a firm ranked by World Tax in nine different European jurisdictions across general corporate tax, indirect tax, tax controversy and more.
The award also caps several years of rankings progress for Eversheds Sutherland, including sustained tier rises in the UK and five new Tier 2 entries in Germany in the 2026 World Tax guide.
Michael Freudenberg, tax partner and head of global transfer pricing services at KPMG, said the firm was delighted to be recognised as the TP advisory firm of the year.
The achievement reflects the exceptional expertise, collaboration and commitment of the firm’s teams across the region, he said.
It also reflects the trust clients place in KPMG to help them navigate an increasingly complex international tax environment, he added.
“We thank our clients and colleagues whose continued support made this recognition possible,” Freudenberg said.
KPMG’s win also reflects its level of accomplishment within ITR’s World Tax rankings, where it is listed as a Tier 1 TP firm in the UK, the Czech Republic and a Tier 2 TP firm in Germany and Ireland.
Meanwhile, Rich Hyman, Deloitte’s global international tax leader, expressed his firm’s delight at being recognised as Tax Advisory Firm of the Year yet again.
“Deloitte’s tax teams focus on helping clients navigate an increasingly complex tax environment and make informed decisions with confidence,” he said.
“We're proud to support so many organisations across Europe as they address some of their most important tax challenges.”
Deloitte’s strength in the European market is self-evident. The firm has Tier 1 ITR World Tax placements in a range of practice areas in several jurisdictions across the region, including the Czech Republic, Germany, Italy, Poland, Sweden and Ukraine.
Robert-Jan Brethouwer, an indirect tax partner at Grant Thornton, spoke to ITR after his firm picked up the Netherlands Indirect Tax Advisory Firm of the Year award.
Winning was a “very big honour again”, he said, and noted that the firm had been nominated for the award four times and won it twice in four years.
He also took time to provide words of advice to aspiring tax leaders. Junior professionals should try to do business a little better each day and have fun with their clients, Brethouwer said.
You can see the research methodology here and the shortlists here, while the full list of winners can be found here.
Photos from last night's awards ceremony can be found here.
You can read more about the ITR Awards here.
