Today, Prof. Piergiorgio Valente – President of CFE Tax Advisers Europe and Chairman of GTAP Global Tax Advisers Platform – delivered the lectio magistralis at the 4th Distinguished Personality Lecture organised by the Society of Women in Taxation (SWIT), held in Abuja, Nigeria, in honour of Dame Gladys Olajumoke Simplice, FCTI, 14th President of CITN and SWIT Life Patron.

The address explored the relationship between taxation, sovereignty, and institutional trust – and the decisive role that professional communities of women can play in shaping tax governance, building public legitimacy, and projecting regional expertise onto the international stage.

At the heart of the lecture was a single, essential argument: the word “beyond” is not about geography. It is about ambition. About transforming local and regional excellence into a contribution of broader, lasting significance.

Prof. Valente also expressed his appreciation for the collaboration of WAUTI within GTAP – a partnership that embodies precisely this spirit: technical competence, professional solidarity, and the capacity to build institutional value across borders.

It was an honour to contribute to this important occasion and to celebrate the extraordinary legacy of Dame Gladys Olajumoke Simplice.