iscover
Nika Widanage | Award-Winning FCPA Focusing on Cross-Border Tax Complexity
In an exclusive interview with Accounting Times, Nika Widanage, FCPA, Managing Partner of AIMS Australia and newly crowned Financial Controller of the Year at the 2025 Corporate Accountant Awards, shares the human-centric vision and deep technical strategy that empowers clients navigating the world of advanced cross-border tax.
How did you start down this career path?
My career has always been driven by two essential elements: the clear-cut structure of numbers and the human nuance of words. I believe they are not opposites, but two parts of a whole in tax accounting. While the "numbers" require deep technical skill to navigate incredibly complex tax legislation, the "words" make the difference. They are how we bring clarity and confidence to a client, translating complexity into a clear, strategic, and defensible path forward for a high-stakes clientele. This unique dual passion allows me both to solve complex problems and to express my analytical insights through writing technical journals on advanced taxation.
This commitment to research and publication is more than a passion; it is a core part of my professional identity.
After my Bachelor's and Master's degrees from Monash University and working in several reputable tax accounting firms, I knew I had to make a change.
The entrepreneurial leap to form AIMS Australia in 2012 wasn’t just about starting a business;
it was about addressing an unmet client demand for highly specialised cross-border tax expertise that the generalist accounting model often overlooked.
As an FCPA—a designation that recognises not just deep professional experience but also a commitment to advancing the industry—and as a Registered Tax Agent with the Tax Practitioners Board (TPB)—which is a prerequisite to practise tax in Australia—I wanted to create a fully-qualified firm dedicated to providing a focussed, high-touch advisory service.
My focus was on the complex cross-border tax issues faced by expatriate clients.
I saw that these clients were navigating challenges that the traditional, reactive accounting model simply wasn't equipped to handle.
My goal was to build a firm that did things differently.
What inspires you in your role/industry? Why?
I’m fundamentally inspired by the dynamic, living nature of this profession, especially in the international tax world.
Tax law is never static. For expatriate clients, that dynamism is amplified, and their situation is often incredibly complex.
My inspiration comes from navigating the 'grey'—the areas where the laws of one country intersect, and often conflict, with another.
It all starts with one fundamental question: a client's tax residency status.
That single determination has massive "flow on effects" for their entire financial world, from their companies to their family trusts.
What truly motivates me is being that trusted adviser for clients in the midst of this complexity.
We're not just reporting numbers; we're helping them navigate Australia's Double Tax Agreements, structure complex employee share schemes, and manage global investments for our expatriate clientele.
These situations can be incredibly stressful for clients who are facing very real risks.
Giving them a genuine sense of clarity and direction by finding a structured, compliant, and defensible outcome—that is the most rewarding part of what I do. Seeing that confidence return to our clients as we secure their financial future is the ultimate inspiration.
What's your approach to customer service that separates you from the rest?
Our entire service model was deliberately built to be a proactive, bespoke advisory relationship. This bespoke model provides a proactive, year-round strategic partnership—a significant departure from the traditional, compliance-focussed approach.
The traditional accounting model is historical; it’s about documenting what’s already happened, usually at year-end.
We believe our clients deserve more than that. Their needs are immediate and forward-looking.
Because our expertise is laser-focussed on the cross-border tax issues facing expatriate individuals, we have a deep, practical understanding of their unique challenges.
This isn't just theory; it's hands-on experience in managing assets, income, and residency issues across multiple countries at once.
We don't just file a tax return; we provide holistic, year-round strategic advice.
We're there to anticipate issues before they become problems. For example, a client planning to move back to Australia needs our advice months, or even years, before the move, not after.
This high-touch, forward-thinking partnership means we’re integrated into their decision-making, sitting alongside their legal and financial planners.
The most gratifying part of this approach is seeing it validated directly by our clients.
It’s this model that led to AIMS Australia winning multiple Client Choice Awards for Best Tax Firm and Best Accounting & Consulting Services Firm in 2021—validated purely by client feedback—and our recognition with the Quality Business Awards for achieving a 95% or higher customer quality score. It’s a direct affirmation that this human-centric, proactive approach is what clients truly value.
How do you innovate and stay ahead of industry trends?
For us, 'innovation' isn't just a buzzword; it's about two very human things: mastery and connection.
First, innovation for our firm is, at its core, technical.
My passion for research and writing in technical journals is our R&D.
It's the mechanism that forces me to engage with emerging tax issues at the deepest level, and that work translates directly into forward-looking, technically-sound strategies for our clients.
Second, we integrate strategic technology as an enabler of high-value advisory.
The baseline for this is, of course, best-in-class cloud architecture and secure data management.
For a client base that is, by definition, globally mobile—whether they're in Melbourne, London, Singapore, or Dubai—this is non-negotiable.
We leverage best-in-class, secure technology to enhance our advisory capability.
This includes automating workflows so our advisers can be freed up to focus on high-level strategic analysis rather than routine compliance.
It all culminates in the client experience. We utilise secure online forms for client document collection, that's accessible on web or mobile, providing a 'seamless, secure, and efficient service'.
This technology is the platform that allows us to stay connected, offer timely insights, and build the digital trust that underpins a modern advisory relationship.
What is the toughest challenge you've faced in your role? How did you overcome it?
The most significant challenge was establishing and scaling a focussed public practice in such a demonstrably complex area: the cross-border tax affairs of expatriate clients.
There's a critical trap in scaling advisory services. It’s easy for growth to become completely reliant on the senior partners' time, which is inherently unscalable.
When AIMS Australia was established, the goal was never to be a generalist firm.
We strategically chose to be a "consultancy with a deep focus" that "redefines success" not by the volume of our client list, but by the impact of our work.
Building a reputation for genuine expertise in this high-stakes field was incredibly demanding.
We overcame it by being relentless in our commitment to technical proficiency.
Our growth didn't come from a big marketing budget; it came from the quality of our work.
This led to a steady, sustainable stream of referrals from clients, lawyers, and financial planners who trusted us with their most complex cases.
That referral network is the ultimate validation. It’s what has led to our firm being repeatedly nominated as a finalist for the Australian Accounting Awards. When other trusted professionals confidently refer their expatriate clients to us, it confirms the deep, mutual trust built on technical competence, solidifying our reputation as a firm frequently entrusted by our referral network as an "adviser’s adviser."
What are some of your goals for the next 5 years?
Over the next five years, my primary goal is to deepen our firm's footprint as a leading advisory practice for expatriate clients, leveraging our proven experience in their complex cross-border tax issues.
This involves a logical and strategic expansion of our services into the next phase of our clients' life cycle.
We are actively expanding our advisory capacity in the complex area of cross-border wealth transfer. This service expansion will focus exclusively on the tax structuring and compliance implications of cross-border wealth transfer, working in strict coordination with licensed legal and financial planners to address issues such as foreign forced heirship principles and mitigating the double tax risks of foreign inheritance taxes co-existing with Australian Capital Gains Tax.
This is a natural adjacency for us. Our expatriate clients, whose annual tax affairs we manage, inevitably face the challenge of generational wealth transfer.
This is a high-stakes field defined by "conflicts of laws" as family members and assets are spread across the globe.
We want to be there to guide clients as they navigate foreign legal systems, such as "forced heirship" principles, and mitigate the "double tax risk" of foreign inheritance taxes co-existing with Australian Capital Gains Tax.
This is how we move further up the value chain—from managing a client's annual income to helping them steward their family's legacy.
On a personal level, my commitment extends beyond just mentoring the next generation.
My goal is to take a more active role in shaping the profession's future.
This includes increasing my technical analysis on the complex interplay of new global tax measures—such as the BEPS 2.0 / Pillar Two reforms—and their practical application to private client and family wealth structures.
I also aim to contribute more directly to policy development by seeking a position on a national technical committee, such as those at The Tax Institute, to provide expert guidance on international tax or the taxation of individuals.
This is a legacy strategy. The tax landscape is evolving rapidly, and by helping to shape policy and train the next generation of specialists, I am ensuring our firm—and the profession—is equipped to deliver the highest level of advice.
AIM S Australia is an award-winning CPA public practice that serves as a specialised advisory authority in complex cross-border tax issues. Moving beyond traditional, reactive compliance models, the firm provides proactive, year-round strategic counsel, particularly for expatriate clients navigating complex cross-border tax issues. Their team of qualified professionals specialises in high-stakes areas like determining tax residency and navigating Double Tax Agreements, advising on the Australian tax treatment of global investment income to secure optimal Australian tax compliance and foster genuine client confidence.
To learn more, visit any of the following:
https://www.aimsaustralia.com.au
https://www.linkedin.com/company/aimsaustralia/mycompany/
https://www.facebook.com/share/1EeEE415FF/?mibextid=wwXIfr
https://share.google/zeDVz8t6HtmZnKV6G
