ATO Executive
The Commissioner is supported by an executive team, with each member having responsibility for key aspects of the ATO’s performance.
The ATO Executive ensures that the ATO meets its commitments to government and the community. It determines priorities, sets direction and monitors progress towards achievement of strategic outcomes. The Executive also provides leadership, driving the client-focused culture of the ATO.
For more details about our senior leaders, see ato.gov.au/about-ato.
The Commissioner of Taxation
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Chris Jordan AO was appointed as the 12th Commissioner of Taxation on 1 January 2013. Chris has broad and lengthy experience in tax policy and law development and implementation, having held influential roles in the private sector and as a government advisor to both Labor and Coalition governments. He was Chair of the Board of Taxation from June 2011 to December 2012 and a member of the Board since its inception in 2000. He also served as Chair of the Business Tax Working Group from 2011 to 2012, and as Chair of the New Tax System Advisory Board (1999 to 2001). He was a member of the Working Group that consulted with the mining industry about the resource rent tax (2011–12). Chris has more than 35 years of experience in the tax and consulting profession. He started his accounting career with Arthur Andersen in 1979, was a senior lecturer in taxation at Sydney’s University of Technology from 1982 to 1985, and then worked at KPMG for over 25 years. From 1995 to 2000, he was Partner in Charge of the NSW Tax and Legal Division of KPMG, and from 2001 to 2012 was Chairman of Partners for KPMG NSW. Until taking up his role as Commissioner of Taxation, Chris was the Chairman of the Committee for Sydney, a Director of the Bell Shakespeare Company and the Sydney Children’s’ Hospital Foundation, as well as a member of the Audit and Risk Committee for the NSW Art Gallery. Chris has a Master of Laws (Sydney University) and Bachelors of Commerce and Law (University of NSW). He is a Fellow of Chartered Accountants Australia and New Zealand and a Chartered Tax Adviser with The Tax Institute. Chris’s term as Commissioner of Taxation and Registrar of the Australian Business Register runs until 29 February 2024. |
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Executive team responsibilities
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Frances Cawthra is the Chief Finance Officer, providing leadership and direction to ATO Finance. ATO Finance has a focus on strong financial and resource management, delivering a balanced budget, ensuring effective procurement and contract management, and providing insight into wise investment, productivity improvements, sustainability and agility. Frances ensures that the ATO’s organisational strategy is informed by a financial perspective. She also leads ATO Finance to ensure the ATO is provided with robust reporting and insightful business intelligence, understands its obligations, and is supported in complying with Commonwealth requirements. |
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Jacqui Curtis, as Chief Operating Officer, is responsible for leading the ATO’s Enterprise Strategy and Corporate Operations Group. The role of Enterprise Strategy and Corporate Operations is to ensure we are well positioned for Australian Public Service (APS)-wide reforms of corporate and shared services, and that our planning, governance, risk and change management are strategic and sensible. Jacqui brings together an integrated picture of people and resource management, ensuring the ATO has the right capability and culture to deliver on our strategic intent. She plays a lead role in managing relationships with key stakeholders including scrutineers. All of these underpin our ability to deliver a better experience for both clients and staff. |
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Jeremy Hirschhorn is the Second Commissioner with overall responsibility for the ATO’s Client Engagement Group, which fosters willing participation in Australia’s tax and super systems through well-designed client experiences. Across all client experiences – from the very largest public and multinational businesses to small businesses and individuals – the Client Engagement Group uses insights from client interactions to help design a tax system that makes it easier to comply, and harder not to. The group supports the integrity of the tax and superannuation systems by addressing non-compliance, and ensures increasing transparency about the operation of the system for taxpayers and key partners. The group also plays an important role in working with the international tax community. Through collaborating with other jurisdictions the Client Engagement Group improves the way tax administrations work together to address arrangements used to evade and avoid tax. |
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Ramez Katf is the Second Commissioner with overall responsibility for the Enterprise Solutions and Technology Group, and the ATO’s Chief Information Officer. Ramez provides leadership and strategic direction to modernising the revenue collection system and contributing to the government’s broader digital agenda. The focus of Enterprise Solutions and Technology is ensuring we are taking advantage of the most innovative trends in technology to improve the experience of ATO staff and the community. This role has become increasingly important in balancing expectations and demand as new technology solutions continue to emerge. |
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Andrew Mills is the Second Commissioner with overall responsibility for the ATO’s law practice, including law interpretation, public advice and guidance, independent dispute prevention and resolution and our role in policy and law design. The Law Design and Practice Group contributes to the administration of the tax and superannuation systems by seeking to make tax fair, simple and understood. We work collaboratively with Treasury and other agencies in supporting government outcomes and leading the ATO’s work on design of new policies and law. Our contribution also includes involvement at the early stages of engagement on advice or review and providing certainty through interpretation of the law and publication of guidance to support our clients in getting it right the first time. We are committed to understanding the drivers of disputes, litigating only the right cases and encouraging prevention and ensuring earlier resolution where disputes happen. |
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Melinda Smith, as Chief Service Delivery Officer, has overall responsibility for the Service Delivery Group. This part of the ATO is responsible for a broad range of the ATO’s foundation services for all segments of the community. These include processing payments, activity statements, income tax returns, superannuation lodgments and other forms, as well as administering the tax file number register, Australian Business Register and registers held on behalf of the superannuation industry. The group focuses on working with ATO clients to understand their needs. It offers a tailored approach to help them meet their obligations as easily as possible through a range of contemporary tools, systems and services. It also engages with clients on a large scale and uses a strategic early intervention approach to educate them and influence willing participation. The group is leading or contributing to a number of transformational initiatives for government. It works closely with other areas of the ATO to improve the experience for clients and drive greater efficiency and quality outcomes through better use of data, digitisation and building a strong service culture so the ATO is well positioned for the future. |
Neil Olesen was the Second Commissioner with overall responsibility for the Client Engagement Group until November 2018.
Visit
https://www.transparency.gov.au/annual-reports/australian-taxation-office/reporting-year/2018-2019-8