Meet Joseph

My Career

Please tell us about your career since graduating:

After graduation in 2015 I returned to my family home in Northern NJ, about an hour outside NYC. I was still not sure what career path I wanted to go into, but my father recommended a company to me called GlobeTax.

GlobeTax, in a nutshell, handles international tax relief on cross-border dividend payments, leveraging international double tax treaties, among other legal mechanisms. I was still a bit unsure of what career path I wanted to pursue at this stage, and was never really attracted to the financial services industry, but being that it was a major industry in my area and the fact that it aligned with my international background (i.e., raised in the US to British parents, attended Newcastle University and Sciences Po Lyon), I applied.

I subsequently got the interview and eventually the position at the end of 2015. GlobeTax gave me a great start in the industry, giving me insights into some of the key players in my corner of the financial services and withholding tax sphere.

I rose to the rank of manager by 2021 before my departure in 2023. I learned many skills there, not just how international withholding tax works, but also how to manage a team, work with others within and between teams, product management and relationship management, among many more. In 2023 I moved over to EY to gain more experience at a larger firm and to go more into the world of international tax, where I remain today.

Student life at Newcastle

Why did you choose to study at Newcastle?

To experience higher education in another country. However, the move was not too massive of an adjustment since my family is from the region.

How did your course and experience at Newcastle University prepare you for your current role?

My time at Newcastle, including and especially my year abroad in Lyon, France (as part of my Politics and French combined degree), taught me the values of an international perspective, how to forge relationships across cultures and languages, how to rely on myself to achieve goals, among many other life lessons.

I had a higher degree of confidence post-graduation, and I think a lot of it had to do with challenging myself by going abroad to university, going abroad a second time to France, and subsequently returning and having to reinvent my social circle upon return as many of my former friends in 3-year courses had already graduated by then.

Having to adapt to those situations provided me with the flexibility to continue to adjust to new and unfamiliar circumstances. 

Could you also tell us a bit more about your experience living and studying in Newcastle as an international student? We’d love to include your perspective as part of the student journey.

I really enjoyed my time at Newcastle as an international student. The uni gave me good opportunities to make many friends by hosting an international student's week, which set me up well with other friends in similar circumstances.

The various societies were also fundamental to my success as a student by providing a social circle which also functioned as a support group. I even joined the Combined Honours trip to Prague during my year abroad, despite not having many friends in the society at the time.

I would recommend any student, current or prospective, to get involved in student groups such as the societies, challenge yourself by studying abroad or with some type of equivalent and to think about what their post-graduation plans may entail as it's always a bit precarious and daunting to graduate without a plan or an area of interest (like I did at the time!). 

How has your degree helped you outside of your job, in your personal life or other pursuits?

Made me even more interested in art, more analytical and curious.

What advice would you give to students starting to explore the next steps after graduating?

Try everything out, because you might not know what you want to do until you try it!