Jeffrey Owens completed his doctoral work at Cambridge University in the United Kingdom in 1973. now the Director of the WU Global Tax Policy Center at the Institute for Austrian and International Tax Law, WU (Vienna University of Economics and Business), In addition to his academic role Jeffrey is also the Senior Policy Advisor to the Global Vice Chair of Tax at EY, advisor to the World Bank and UNCTAD and a number of regional tax administration organizations. He is also chair of the Singapore Management University – TA Center for Excellence in Taxation Research Committee and involved with a number of other NGOs. He has focused his attention on questions of tax policy and tax administration.
For over 20 years, Jeffrey led the OECD Tax Work, establishing a major taxation program at the OECD and extensively developed the OECD contacts with non-member countries. He also initiated the dialogue with the G20 on taxation and oversaw the G20/OECD initiatives to improve tax transparency, laying the foundation for the Base Erosion Profit Shifting work.
He has made numerous contributions to professional journals, has published a number of books and has been the author of many OECD publications on taxation. Jeffrey's engagement with government, business and academia, and his frequent participation in international conferences, gives him a unique international perspective on tax policy.
Jeffrey has membership of the following professional associations: Institute of Management Accountants, UK; International Institute of Public Finance; a Member of the Editorial Board of the Institut des Finances Publiques; and an Honorary member of the International Fiscal Association. He writes a regular column for Tax Notes International and the IBFD Bulletin, as well as contributing to the popular press.
He has been awarded the International Achievement Award (Lincoln Institute, Cambridge, USA) and been nominated by Time Magazine as one of the “ten top people that shape European business”. Tax Business identified him as “the fourth most influential figure in the tax world” and International tax Review, “as one of the 21st biggest influences in tax today”. For his contributions to the International tax community, in 2013 he was awarded by the Queen of the United Kingdom the “Companion of the Order of Saint Michael and Saint George.”