Michelle Choy is a professional tax consultant and a participant of the 2021 cohort of the Executive Diploma on International Negotiation and Policy-Making. Juanita Uribe García, Learning Manager, has asked her 3 questions to learn more on her professional background and her motivation to follow an Executive Programme.

Tell us about your professional background

I’m a professional tax consultant with a C.P.A (certified professional accountant) designation from the U.S. and Canada. I’ve worked in both public accounting and the investment banking industry for the last 13 years and specialise in corporate and flow-through tax structuring for clients in the asset management and blockchain/crypto industry. Keeping abreast of tax legislations and interpreting domestic and foreign tax law is part of my daily job.

What attracted you to Executive Education at the Graduate Institute?

I was interested in the International Negotiation and Policy-Making programme to expand my knowledge of how policy-making is developed at the international level. Reviewing federal and state tax policy at the U.S. domestic level and corresponding international tax treaties is already quite complex, and I was curious to learn how legislative policy is developed and agreed upon by all parties at the global level. 

What are you gaining from the International Negotiation and Policy-Making course and what have you found of particular interest?

I’ve gained a better understanding of how negotiations and policy-making decisions transpire at the international level. This was a whole new concept to me when I first started the programme. However, the structured layout of the first few modules really gave a good overview of the general concepts of policy-making and governance in the global public sector. Having only worked in the private sector my entire career, it was eye-opening to see how business meetings are conducted and policy decisions are made when the end goal is not necessarily profit driven. The course provides an in-depth learning experience into real life situations while providing the necessary tools to help us improve in our communication and negotiation skills, both written and oral. I really appreciate that the course work can be tailored to my particular interest and work expertise. The intimate class settings with professors and colleagues have also been really educational and intellectually stimulating. Great programme so far!

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Want to learn more about the Executive Diploma on International Negotiation & Policy-Making? Visit the programme page.