Following the departure of Ali Noroozi, who recently accepted an appointment to the position of Inspector-General of Taxation, the Institute is delighted to announce his replacement, Yasser El-Ansary, who will be assuming the role of Tax Counsel for the Institute of Chartered Accountants in Australia (the Institute) in January, 2009.  
 
Yasser's experience includes 14 years in business and taxation advisory roles across government, practice and commerce. He is currently Group Tax Manager for Australand Holdings Ltd. He has also held positions at PwC, the Federal Department of the Treasury and Rio Tinto. 
 
"Yasser's experience in influencing government tax policy principles and delivering tax legislative changes will serve him well in the Institute's priority area of reducing red tape and improving Australia's tax system for the benefit of the business community," said General Manager of Standards and Public Affairs, Bill Palmer. 
 
As Tax Counsel, Yasser will take the lead role in furthering the Institute's long-term relationships across all levels of government and the tax profession, and continue to lobby government and represent members on issues affecting the profession.  
 
"I'm excited about the opportunity to play an active role in developing and influencing good tax policy debate in Australia. I think my experience working with small and large businesses will help me understand the different tax issues they face, and how some of those issues can be addressed through improvements in our current tax regime," Mr El-Ansary said.  
 
"I also look forward to the opportunity to participate in Dr Ken Henry's review into the shape of Australia's Future Tax System," he added.  
 
Yasser holds a Bachelor of Commerce from the Australian National University and a Master of Taxation Law from the University of New South Wales.