ISTAT Jetrader - Winter 2020 - 46

AT A GLANCE

Peter Hopkins
Tax Manager at Castlelake

Jetrader: What do you like most
about the aviation industry?
Peter Hopkins (PH): I love the variety
this industry offers. In my time
working in aviation, a year has not
passed without an opportunity to learn
something new. At times that has been
daunting, particularly when faced with
an unusual issue combined with a tight
deadline, but I think that is part of the
excitement of working in this industry.
In addition, I particularly enjoy the
opportunity the industry presents to
work with people from a variety of
backgrounds and areas of speciality.
Working beside a variety of aviation
industry individuals with a whole
range of skill sets that are different
from my own has been an incredibly
important element of my own
professional development.
Jetrader: What is the most
challenging part of your profession?
PH: In my view, the most challenging
part of my profession is keeping up
to date with the constantly evolving
international tax landscape and its
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Jetrader: Who has had the greatest
influence on your career?
PH: Having a mentor who will provide
honest feedback and challenge
your thinking is invaluable, and I
have been lucky to have more than
one. I have been fortunate to work
with and develop great friendships
with a number of brilliant people in
the aviation industry. Picking one
individual in particular is impossible.
As my career has evolved, I
have sought counsel from a variety
of aviation professionals who were
instrumental in helping me shift
my career from more general tax
practice to specializing in the aviation
industry. It is clear to me that
networking plays a very important
role in aviation, and many aviation
professionals whom I have met
see the value in sharing their own

Working beside a variety of aviation industry
individuals with a whole range of skill sets that are
different from my own has been an incredibly important
element of my own professional development.
impact on aviation. As a global, mobile,
highly dynamic industry, aviation is
far from immune to the breadth of
changes that have been proposed
and implemented by the OECD, the
European Commission and a variety
of governments. I believe the trend
toward increased tax complexity and
compliance requirements that have
emerged over the past decade are likely
to continue.
In a time of change and dislocation
in the aviation industry, there is also
increased pressure on tax analysis,
as there is less margin for error
in broader transaction economics.
Keeping on top of and complying with
the range of new tax developments is
absolutely imperative.

professional contacts; it always pays
dividends in due course.
Jetrader: What was your first job?
PH: I took a unique path to reach
my current role. I initially studied
physiotherapy in university and worked
in a number of hospitals in Dublin for
some time before deciding to change
careers. My brief time working in
health care, however, influenced two
priorities for me: constantly challenging
myself and seeking out opportunities to
work with similarly ambitious people. I
studied accountancy after work in the
evenings and subsequently joined the
tax practice at PwC, ultimately joining
their aviation finance group. The rest,
as they say, is history.
ISTAT Jetrader - Winter 2020

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