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Commonwealth Association of Tax Administrators (CATA) Senior Leadership Programme 2022

Updated 29 April 2022

CATA Senior Leadership Programme 2022

Each year HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) delivers a senior-level leadership development programme on behalf of the Commonwealth Association of Tax Administrators (CATA).

The CATA Senior Leadership Programme (CATA SLP) is a unique opportunity for senior leaders in tax administrations to develop the leadership skills required to navigate their organisations in a dynamic and complex landscape.

In 2022, the CATA SLP combines residential phases in India and the UK, virtual sessions, and work within your tax administration.

Today’s tax administrations face unprecedented challenges and opportunities. Good leadership is essential to delivering results whilst securing transformational change.

The CATA SLP offers a multi-disciplinary approach to learning in a highly interactive and engaging environment. Led by experts in leadership development, the programme will include input from senior leaders and subject-matter experts from HMRC and other organisations. The programme is further enriched by delegates contributing their diverse experience and expertise. Delegates will have the opportunity to build their network and continue sharing knowledge and best practice after the programme through the CATA SLP.

Programme objectives

The CATA Senior Leadership Programme will focus on 4 key themes:

Leading self

• reflect on your purpose and values as a leader and how this connects with your organisation’s purpose and values
• learn to develop self-awareness and explore strategies for increasing personal effectiveness
• assess your strengths and opportunities for development
• develop your leadership skills, such as problem solving and decision making that are key to operating successfully at a senior level
• build resilience and strengthen your capacity to lead through challenges and uncertainty

Leading others

• develop leadership skills such as negotiation, emotional intelligence, communication and influencing
• learn about key leadership models and explore your own leadership style within the context of your organisation
• learn about the relevant techniques you can use for maximising the performance and effectiveness of the teams that you lead and work in
• examine strategies you can use for effectively engaging with staff and manage relationships with your colleagues at all levels

Leading organisations

• reflect on your role as a leader and explore approaches for leading more strategically across your organisation.
• learn strategies for implementing and embedding change and innovation within your organisation
• explore ways to further your impact beyond your team into the wider organisation including how to lead with inspiration and influence
• examine how to lead the organisation of today whilst developing the organisation of tomorrow through enterprise and systems leadership

Leading in current and future tax administrations

• explore strategies for leading into the future and solving complex leadership challenges
• improve strategic awareness of a range of key issues in the current and future tax landscape, including leading through post-pandemic economic recovery
• build relationships with a diverse group of peers who provide insight into wide-ranging experiences of senior leadership across Commonwealth tax administrations and beyond
• access to cutting edge thinking, latest subject matter experts and executive-level leaders across the tax profession

Programme structure

The programme is composed of residential and virtual elements outlined below:

Preliminary phase

This phase is self-directed and will be completed in your home country. During this phase you will complete essential preparation tasks ahead of the programme.

As part of this you will be asked to provide a personal profile and reflect on your aims and expectations for the programme. You will begin thinking about challenges you are experiencing in your organisation that would benefit from your leadership development and participation on the programme.

You will be guided through this by the CATA SLP team in HMRC.

Phase 1 – Nagpur, India (5 to 16 September 2022)

This phase takes place in Nagpur, India and is hosted by the National Academy of Direct Taxes (NADT) and the Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT).

We will focus on leadership development as part of the Leading Self and Leading Others themes. You will have opportunities to reflect on your own leadership strengths and goals and share your experiences of being a leader. You will work as a cohort, in smaller groups and individually in interactive and engaging sessions.

You will be introduced to the concept of Action Learning and start working on your Reflective Journals, where you will identify goals and reflect on how you will apply learning from the programme within your organisation.

Phase 2 – Virtual (October 2022 to January 2023)

This phase takes place after you return to your home country and forms a crucial part of the programme.

You will work on consolidating and implementing the ideas and learning from the first residential stage in your home working environment. Specifically, you will work on your Reflective Journals, attend several virtual sessions and participate in your Action Learning Sets.

You will have regular contact with the CATA SLP team, who will be available to guide and support you.

Phase 3 – UK (6 to 17 March 2023)

Hosted by HMRC and delivered in the UK, this phase will concentrate on your leadership development as part of the Leading Organisations and Leading in the Current and Future Tax Landscape themes. This will include inputs from CATA senior leaders, subject-matter experts and external speakers.

You will feedback and reflect on the virtual phase of the programme. You will continue to work with your Action Learning Sets and use your Reflective Journals to make a personal plan to apply learning from the programme.

Phase 3 will culminate in an event at Marlborough House, the headquarters of CATA in London.

Post programme delivery

This phase involves further home country-based work where you will continue to apply and embed the learning and ideas gained during the programme. You will finalise work on your Reflective Journals, as well as feedback on the programme to submit to the CATA SLP team.

These activities ensure you, your immediate working team colleagues, and your organisation back home reap direct and long-term benefits from your participation in the programme.

You and your organisation will also be contacted periodically after this time for programme evaluation purposes.

CATA SLP Alumni Network

After the end of the programme, you will be contacted from time to time to request an update on your progress on future iterations of the CATA SLP and join virtual events with the Alumni Network to continue the relationships built on the programme.

How you will work during the programme

Sessions will be highly interactive and include presentations, case studies and activities. They will require you to fully participate, working as a group, in smaller teams and by yourself.

Time for discussion and reflection will be built into the programme and you will be encouraged to build mutual support networks with other delegates that will continue after the formal programme has ended.

During the home country-based phases of the programme you will be required to complete various assignments including your reflective journals. You will have support and guidance from the CATA SLP team and fellow programme participants.

Your personal commitment

We aim to make the CATA Senior Leadership Programme a useful, rewarding and enjoyable experience. Applicants should be aware that the programme is very demanding and will require your full commitment.

Delegates should be prepared to complete work to a high standard and meet the required deadlines both for completing work and providing feedback.

The face-to-face phases can include some long days and on occasion, you will be required to dedicate time outside of normal working hours. During the non-residential phases, there may be challenges fitting the programme around the demands of your everyday work, family and other commitments.

In addition, HMRC or third-party organisations may contact you or your organisation for feedback to evaluate the short and long-term impacts of the programme.

You are therefore advised to think seriously about whether you and your organisation are able to fully commit to the programme prior to submitting your application.

What previous alumni have said about the SLP:

‘The virtual sessions were intensive and interactive. The senior leaders take time to know each other and share deeply about their lives and professional work. They engaged in conversations with senior tax leaders of UK, Canada, Australia and Mauritius. The programme provided a unique opportunity for senior tax leaders of Commonwealth to present their leadership style and developed skills and capabilities required to meet the challenges of modern leadership’.

CATA SLP 2021 Alumnus, Additional Commissioner Inland Revenue, Federal Board of Revenue, Government of Pakistan

Who should apply?

To be eligible, applicants must:

• be senior leaders (within the top 3 tiers of their organisation’s leadership structure) or will have been identified as expecting to reach those levels within the next 5 years
• work for a tax administration in a country which is a member of the Commonwealth Association of Tax Administrators. Applications from non-Commonwealth and non-CATA member countries will be considered
• secure the approval from their tax administration and be supported to embed change and new ideas
• agree to return to their home country at the end of the period of the programme have a good command of the English language, as the programme is delivered in English
• agree to adhere to all relevant guidelines and expectations of the programme

How to apply

Please email cata.slp@hmrc.gov.uk to request an application form.

The closing date for applications is Friday 20 May 2022.

Your application must be supported and approved by your tax administration. Places on the programme are limited and CATA member countries will be prioritised, however, we strongly encourage other Official Development Assistance (ODA) eligible countries to apply.

The CATA SLP team aim to confirm the outcome of applications by Tuesday 31 May 2022.

Once you have accepted your offer, you will be asked to sign a personal learning contract which will be approved by your tax administration. This will confirm your commitment and outline what we expect from you on the programme.

Fees and funding

Course fees are £5,500 per delegate.

Fees include the costs of tuition, course materials, meals and accommodation in India and the UK. Fees do not include flights, visas, Covid-19 tests or travel insurance costs.

Please note that once you have submitted your signed personal learning contract you confirm your commitment to the programme including the payment of course fees, even if you can no longer attend.

Financial Support

Delegates may be eligible for financial support to cover the costs of course fees and a contribution towards the costs of flights to India and the UK. This contribution is based on HMRC’s estimate of the cheapest widely available flight, with reasonable flight times and may not cover the full cost of your flight. Costs of obtaining visas (and other personal costs such as travel insurance, medical costs or Covid-19 tests) will not be covered by HMRC.

A list of CATA member countries indicating which countries would be eligible for financial assistance is included in the appendix.

Applicants must confirm in their application either that they are being funded by their own tax administration, that they are receiving funding from another identified source, or that they will be applying for financial support via the programme organisers.

For more information about the programme or financial support, please contact cata.slp@hmrc.gov.uk.

Appendix: List of CATA member countries indicating those countries eligible for financial support

This following list of countries that are eligible for financial support is for CATA members only. For non-CATA members, please see the Development Assistance Committee (DAC) list of ODA recipients to assess your eligibility for financial support. To be eligible, countries must either be in the Least Developed Countries or Lower-Middle Income Countries categories.

CATA member country	Eligible for financial support
Australia	–
Bahamas	–
Bangladesh	Yes
Barbados	–
Belize	Yes
Botswana	–
Brunei Darussalam	–
Cameroon	Yes
Canada	–
Cyprus	–
Eswatini	Yes
Fiji	–
The Gambia	Yes
Ghana	Yes
Grenada	–
Guyana	–
India	Yes
Isle of Man	–
Jamaica	–
Kenya	Yes
Kiribati	Yes
Lesotho	Yes
Malawi	Yes
Malaysia	–
Malta	–
Mauritius	–
Namibia	–
New Zealand	–
Nigeria	Yes
Pakistan	Yes
Papua New Guinea	Yes
Rwanda	Yes
Saint Kitts and Nevis	–
Saint Lucia	–
Samoa	Yes
Seychelles	–
Sierra Leone	Yes
Singapore	–
Sri Lanka	Yes
Tanzania	Yes
Tonga	–
Trinidad and Tobago	–
Tuvalu	Yes
Uganda	Yes
United Kingdom	–
Zambia	Yes