DLA Piper has bolstered its tax bench, poaching Craig Silverwood to head up transfer pricing across Asia Pacific.

Silverwood joins the firm’s Melbourne office from MinterEllison, where he spent almost nine years as Partner in Transfer Pricing and International Tax, working across the full value chain.

His career spans more than two decades in the field. Before MinterEllison, Silverwood was Director of Transfer Pricing at EY for 13 years, and prior to that, an economist at the Australian Taxation Office in Melbourne. That ATO stint gives him a rare inside view on audit approaches and policy direction.

His experience is sector-diverse too, having worked across tech (including data centres), automotive, energy and resources, FMCG, financial services, pharma and real estate. He’s also led some of the region’s biggest transfer pricing disputes.

Transfer pricing is one of DLA Piper’s key growth engines, with a strong presence across the US, UK, Europe and Asia. Silverwood joins a global team of more than 50 transfer pricing economists and lawyers, one of the largest dedicated transfer pricing networks within a global law firm.

He won’t be flying solo. Senior associate Cynthia Vasanthanathan joined him on 1 September, with the pair set to build out a dedicated APAC transfer pricing team. More hires are expected.

The move continues a hot streak for DLA’s tax practice, following the recent additions of Angela Wood and Andy Bubb to its Tax Controversy team in Melbourne, and Brendon Lamers to Corporate Tax in Brisbane.

Shane Bilardi, country managing partner said:

“Craig’s appointment builds on the strong growth of our tax team in Australia and reflects the increasing demand we are seeing from clients for transfer pricing support across the region. As businesses navigate heightened tax scrutiny, cross-border change and evolving global rules, Craig’s experience will strengthen the way we support clients in Australia, Asia Pacific and globally.”

Source: DLA Piper