Personal Profiles

John Heffernan
Tax Partner – Limerick

1. What are your main responsibilities?
As well as looking after our Limerick clients I also have additional responsibilities as Head of Regional Tax.

2. What is the most interesting thing about your job?
Delivering high level tax solutions to complex, business, investment or family issues for our high net worth clients.

3. What most prepared you for your current role?
Getting to know our clients, what their key issues are. These are not always business issues, very often tax planning is driven by personal of family issues.

4. What is the current most interesting thing happening in your field?
With the success many of our clients have experienced in the Celtic Tiger years, many of our clients now want to protect that wealth. That might mean diversifying their investments through, for example, foreign property investments, or extracting non core assets from their trading company.

5. What was your best subject in school?
English and History were my favourite. Ironically, I never was that keen on Accounting.

6. What's your favourite saying/quotation?
The best things in life are free.

7. How long do you spend commuting each day?
30 minutes (read it and weep).

8. What is your favourite form of relaxation?
Walking, jogging and reading (but not at the same time).

9. What is the best book you have ever read?
There are so many, but On Green Dolphin Street by Sebastian Faulks is a recent stand-out, as is The Pursuit of Happiness by Douglas Kennedy.

10. What's your favourite film?
When Harry met Sally and As Good as it Gets are up there. More recently, I really liked Sideways.

11. What's your favourite sporting moment?
What else, Munster beating the All Blacks in Thomond Park

12. What is your pet hate?
Pessimism

13. What's your ideal holiday?
Soaking up the sun in good company.

14. If you could go back in time, what year would you go back to and why?
1956 to see Elvis, Little Richard, Chuck Berry et al when Rock n Roll burst onto the stage.

15. If you could meet anyone in the world from any era who would it be? And why? See answer 14 above

16. What has been your proudest moment?
Seeing my children make the most of life.

17. If you were not doing what you are doing now, what other job would you be in? Teacher.

18. What would you like your legacy to be?
To be remembered as a good father.