November 7, 2005

Frédéric Donnedieu de Vabres, 49, founding partner of Arsene in France, has become chairman of Taxand, the first global network of independent tax firms extending to nearly 20 countries.

After obtaining a DESS (post-graduate degree) in business law, Frédéric Donnedieu de Vabres began his career as a tax lawyer in 1985 at Arthur Andersen International where he became a partner in 1993. He was the managing partner of Archibald, the legal arm of Andersen, between 1999 and 2003.

In January 2004 he created the firm of Arsene to assist major international groups with their national and international tax strategy. Arsene is particularly active in international tax, finance restructuring, mergers & acquisitions and private equity. It regularly advises major international companies in finance, industry and the retail sector.

Taxand is a global tax network independent from any attest or legal practice and is organized as an alliance of independent tax specialists that brings in other experts when its clients’ needs require them. Taxand includes more than 1,000 tax professionals, with 174 partners in 20 countries. The network has doubled in size six months after its creation in March 2005. This rapid expansion is a result of the growing demand among companies for networks of independent tax professionals who are free from the conflicts of interest that plague traditional major networks.