TTPP128: Advice from Two Tolley’s Taxation’s Rising Stars: How to Win and Excel in Your Early Career with Charlie Friend Artwork

The Tax Professionals Podcast

This podcast helps tax professionals, typically by helping you become a better tax professional, helping you pass the ATT and CTA exams, or helping you decide what you want to do with your tax career.

Episodes are released bi-weekly, released on Mondays, and include a mix of solo and guest episodes.

Jack Bonehill, CTA, hosts the podcast. He's an employment tax specialist, working in the area since 2015, and won Tolley's Taxation's Rising Star award in 2023.

Website: https://www.thetaxprofessionalspodcast.com/

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Sub Series: Tax Career Success Secrets, sharing the secrets behind tax-career success, and Tax Role Insights, giving you an insider's view into the different available tax roles.

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The Tax Professionals Podcast

TTPP128: Advice from Two Tolley’s Taxation’s Rising Stars: How to Win and Excel in Your Early Career with Charlie Friend

January 26, 2026

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In this episode, Jack Bonehill (2023 Taxation’s Rising Star winner) is joined by Charlie Friend (2025 Taxation’s Rising Star winner) to share their advice on how to excel early in your tax career, progress quickly, and create an award-winning Rising Star application.

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Episode show notes

The Tax Lab: free webinars to improve your tax skills. Real scenarios, tackled live. Includes past recordings.

Masterclasses for Tax Professionals: Tax Advice Masterclass and Tax Research Masterclass.

Timings

[00:01:53] Charlie introduction
[00:03:35] Introducing the topic: Journey to Winning Tolley's Taxation's Rising Star
[00:04:15] What Charlie did to make PwC tax manager at 24
[00:08:18] How Charlie got her tax career off to quick and successful progression and promotion in the early stages
[00:12:05] Key advice: Focus on what you can control with your tax career & mindset
[00:13:49] Jack's advice for excelling early in your career
[00:15:12] Why Charlie decided to apply for Taxation's Rising Star & why she didn't apply earlier
[00:21:00] Advice to create a winning Tolley's Taxation Awards application (Taxation's Rising Star in particular)
[00:34:51] The Night Charlie Won
[00:38:41] What does Charlie think led to her winning over other people?
[00:42:22] What's next for Charlie & Jack?
[00:44:58] How Charlie knows that she doesn't want to become a tax partner
[00:49:18] Charlie & Jack's advice for early stages of your tax career if you want to excel