Deloitte has appointed international tax specialist Heather Devine as a director within its business model optimisation team, part of the transfer pricing group.
Heather has over 20 years experience in tax and was formerly an international tax partner at Ernst & Young, where she established a successful tax efficient supply chain practice alongside Owen Crassweller, who joined Deloitte as a partner in 2006. She went on to become head of tax at Hanson and then Barclays and subsequently also worked at HSBC.
David Cobb, head of the London transfer pricing group at Deloitte, said: “The tax landscape is changing with fewer opportunities for planning and businesses are increasingly interested in optimising their business models for tax efficiency. By bringing Heather Devine into our expanding transfer pricing business model optimisation team, led by Owen Crassweller, we are confident that Deloitte can offer a service in this area which is second to none.”
The Tax & Accounting business of Thomson Reuters has announced the formation of its Asia Pacific Income Tax business unit, and in support, has now opened its regional headquarters in Singapore. In addition, Tax & Accounting executive Charlotte Rushton has been named Senior Vice President and Managing Director of the unit, and will be based there. The business will include operating responsibility for the existing Tax & Accounting businesses in Australia and New Zealand, and will focus on expansion into strategic markets across the region, including India, Japan and China. Ms. Rushton will report to Brian Peccarelli, president of the Workflow & Service Solutions unit within Tax & Accounting.
Before joining Thomson Reuters in 2007, Ms. Rushton was a Partner and leader of the
business strategy capability for Computer Sciences Corporation (CSC), based in New York.
While there, she was responsible for business development and project leadership for
business and IT strategy and planning for both Fortune 500 and start-up clients. She
holds both Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Engineering from the University of
Cambridge in the United Kingdom.
True Partners Consulting LLC today announced that Robert M. Gordon, 57, has joined as a managing director in its Chicago office.
Gordon possesses more than 25 years of experience in the Federal corporate income tax sector, including structuring and implementing a range of transactions such as mergers and acquisitions.
“We are pleased to have Bob join the Chicago team and be able to offer his deep expertise on all aspects of domestic and international corporate and partnership matters to our clients,” said Cary McMillan, chief executive officer of True Partners. “At True Partners, we place a high level of importance on experience and talent, and Bob will undoubtedly be a significant leader and valued consultant across a number of our practices.”
As a managing director, Gordon’s consulting responsibilities will center on domestic and international corporate and partnership matters, including corporate simplification, tax risk assessments, transfer pricing, tax planning for environmental spending, captive insurance and taxation of alternative energy, oil and gas. He also will provide guidance related to mergers and acquisitions, including post-merger integration and restructuring, and structuring complex joint venture transactions to optimize tax results.
Prior to joining True Partners, Gordon spent 20 years in various in-house tax counsel roles at BP America, formerly Amoco Corporation, ultimately holding the role of assistant general tax counsel and head of tax for the United States-based manufacturing and retail division.
“I love helping companies navigate our country’s complex tax environment. My experience allows me to add real value partnering with tax directors and CFOs,” Gordon said. “I am excited to be joining True Partners and am pleased to be able to bring additional perspective and knowledge to the company to help better serve the firm’s impressive client roster.”
Gordon graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Illinois at Chicago and received a Juris Doctorate degree from Northwestern University School of Law. Gordon also serves as an officer of the Corporate Tax Committee and as a past-chair of the Energy and Environmental Taxes Committee at the American Bar Association Tax Section and is also a member of the Illinois State and Chicago Bar Associations.
Taxand, the world’s largest global organisation of tax advisors to multinational businesses, today welcomes Taxand Austria to its fold. The addition of Taxand Austria means that Taxand is now represented in 48 countries, reinforcing the organisation’s strength in offering a truly independent global tax advisory service.
With increasing numbers of Austrian companies investing abroad, particularly in Central and Eastern European (CEE) countries, and hundreds of companies from the CEE operating their headquarters in Vienna, there is a growing need for robust and global cross-border tax advice delivered by an independent and international organisation of tax professionals.
Vienna and its surrounds are expected to grow as a business centre as the Austrian government seeks to promote cross-border activities to counter the relatively small size of its domestic market. Austrian tax law is complicated and unsystematic following decades of influence from commercial chambers and trade unions, compounding the need for comprehensive and quality tax advice.
Taxand Austria was founded as a spin-off from one of the Big 4 and through its 11 tax advisors, led by Herta Vanas, provides multi-disciplinary tax and legal services to multinationals and local clients across a wide spectrum of industry sectors including banking, private equity, production, real estate and tourism.
The addition of Taxand Austria follows Taxand’s further expansion into Central and Eastern Europe earlier this year with Taxand Hungary. With its current footprint, Taxand is even better placed to provide a comprehensive service for multinationals operating in CEE.
Frédéric Donnedieu de Vabres, Chairman of Taxand, said:
“We are delighted to welcome Taxand Austria to our expanding organisation. As Austria develops as a hub for multinational companies operating in CEE, there is clearly client demand for independent cross-border tax advice. The skill and knowledge of our new Austrian Taxanders fits well with our culture of providing the highest quality service to our clients.”
Herta Vanas, Partner, Taxand Austria, said:
“Joining Taxand means we will be able to meet demand for cross-border advice to Austrian companies and foreign investors operating in the region. As our tax law favours cross-border investments, many CEE headquarters are located in Austria. We have a very attractive group tax regime enabling the offset of foreign losses against Austrian profits. Moreover legislation for Austrian private foundations attracts foreign capital as it enables faster growth of assets through favourable income taxation. We expect even further incentives to be introduced as Austria continues to take centre stage as a business centre in CEE and the Austrian government and Chamber of Commerce promote foreign direct investments.
We are delighted to become part of Taxand as we have worked with many Taxanders in the past and highly rate the organisation and its people. With Taxand our clients will have access to leading tax advisors worldwide and Taxand Austria will have another positive differentiation from our competition in the region.”
To view the latest Tax Vacancies at Taxand please click on this link: Tax Jobs at Alvarez & Marsal Taxand
Miller & Chevalier Chartered has announced that Christopher E. Condeluci has joined the firm’s Employee Benefits and Tax Policy practices as Counsel. He served as Tax and Benefits Counsel for the U.S. Senate Finance Committee since April 2007.
Condeluci brings a wealth of valuable experience to the firm, particularly in the area of health care reform. He is one of the few senior Congressional staffers who actively participated in the health reform debate to join the private sector since the enactment of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act earlier this year. Because of his “behind the scenes” role in the development of this significant legislation, he is uniquely positioned not only to help clients comply with the new health care law, but also to shape implementing regulations through representation of clients before the relevant Federal agencies — the Department of Health and Human Services, the Department of the Treasury, and the Department of Labor. In addition, he is well-situated to shape future health care-related legislative initiatives that impact client interests.
In addition to health care reform, Condeluci’s practice at the firm will focus on a variety of employee benefits legislative and regulatory matters, with particular emphasis in the areas of retirement and compensation policy. Condeluci has a great deal of technical experience in the retirement plan area, especially tax-qualified retirement plans. Because of his years on Capitol Hill and his developed relationships with Congressional staff and key agencies, he is well equipped to help clients shape retirement policy. Similarly, as Congress and the Administration continue to evaluate ways to regulate compensation pay practices, including executive compensation, he will be able to provide effective advocacy, as well as technical experience and advice, to companies navigating changes in the law. Condeluci’s experience also includes offshore deferred compensation, payroll taxes, education tax incentives (including 529 plans), cafeteria plans and health flexible spending and dependent care arrangements, health savings accounts, fringe benefit programs, and worker classification.
“As Senate Finance Committee Tax and Benefits Counsel, Chris was a key player in the health care reform debate, putting him in a unique position to advise clients about the myriad complex issues associated with compliance with the new law,” said Fred Oliphant, Chair of Miller & Chevalier’s Employee Benefits department. “Chris will be able to advocate on behalf of clients who want to have a say in the regulation writing process and will be able to effectively represent companies in front of the Federal agencies responsible for implementation. His guidance and insight will be of great value.”
“We are very pleased that Chris is joining Miller & Chevalier, bringing with him the substantial benefits and tax legislative experience he gained while at the Senate Finance Committee,” added Marc Gerson, former Majority Tax Counsel to the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Ways & Means and a Member in Miller & Chevalier’s Tax Policy practice. “The addition of Chris reflects our continuing strategy to expand both our technical and bi-partisan public policy capabilities and provide clients with effective advocacy and creative solutions to their benefits and tax policy issues.”
“I am excited about this opportunity,” said Chris Condeluci. “Miller & Chevalier is a first-class law firm with a stellar reputation for its work in the employee benefits and tax areas. I look forward to contributing to the continuing expansion of the firm’s employee benefits and tax policy capabilities and working with clients on technical, legislative and regulatory matters in the areas of health care, retirement, and compensation pay practices.”
About Christopher E. Condeluci
As Tax and Benefits Counsel, Condeluci represented the Senate Finance Committee in negotiating details of legislative policy changes on matters relating to health care, retirement, executive compensation, education tax incentives, payroll taxes, insurance tax, S Corporations, and other tax policy issues with Senate Leadership; the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee; the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Ways and Means; and the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Education and Labor. In addition, he advised and provided technical support to members of the Senate Finance Committee and their staff on tax policy initiatives referred to the Senate Finance Committee. He served as counsel on major benefits and tax legislation enacted during his tenure at the Senate Finance Committee, including the Worker, Retiree, and Employer Recovery Act of 2008; the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act; the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010; and the Preservation of Access to Care for Medicare Beneficiaries and Pension Relief Act of 2010.
Prior to joining the Senate Finance Committee, Condeluci practiced in the employee benefits area with a number of law firms and a benefits consulting firm in Washington, D.C. He handled matters in the areas of qualified retirement plans, cafeteria plans, health flexible spending and dependent care arrangements, health savings accounts, nonqualified deferred compensation arrangements, and fringe benefit programs.
Condeluci has written articles on retiree medical benefits and the defined benefit pension plan funding rules prescribed under the Pension Protection Act of 2006. He is the co-author of a chapter on fiduciary issues in welfare plans in an ABA commissioned book entitled ERISA Fiduciary Law and was a significant contributor to the Health Savings Account Answer Book. He is also a frequent speaker and commentator on a wide variety of health care, employee benefits and tax policy topics.
Condeluci earned a B.A. from Pennsylvania State University and a joint J.D./LL.M. in Employee Benefits Law, with honors, from the John Marshall Law School.
Katten Muchin Rosenman LLP is pleased to announce that Zvi Hahn has joined the firm as a New York-based partner in the Tax Planning Practice. Mr. Hahn joins Katten from the New York office of Butzel Long, where he was a shareholder and co-chaired the firm’s Tax Law and Israel Practices.
Mr. Hahn has a broad tax practice covering international tax planning for U.S. and foreign corporations and individuals, international financing and derivative transactions, financial instruments, Subpart F and PFIC issues and U.S. real estate investments. He has advised multinational groups with respect to the structuring and restructuring of their international operations, as well as on their cross-border mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures and financing transactions. Mr. Hahn has also counseled numerous investment funds and hedge funds in connection with various tax matters relating to their formation, operations and investment and trading activities. He has significant experience representing high net worth individuals and families with respect to international tax planning, including issues regarding their immigration to, or expatriation from, the United States.
Mr. Hahn is an adjunct professor of law at the Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law, Yeshiva University, where he has taught a course on International Tax since 2003. He is a member of the New York State Bar Association, the American Bar Association and the New York City Bar Association’s Committee on Taxation of Business Entities.
Mr. Hahn earned his B.A., magna cum laude, from Tel Aviv University School of Social Sciences in Tel Aviv, Israel. He received an LL.B., magna cum laude, from Tel Aviv University School of Law, and both a J.S.D. (Doctor of Juridical Science) and an LL.M. in Taxation from New York University School of Law.
Katten’s tax practice encompasses tax planning in connection with mergers and acquisitions, reorganizations, spin-offs, venture capital and LBO transactions and funds, financings, hedge and other funds, management compensation, real estate transactions, securitizations of debt, equipment leasing and other specialized areas. The firm regularly counsels foreign clients regarding the tax aspects of their U.S. operations and investments and advises U.S. clients on the implications of foreign expansion and activities. Its tax attorneys structure business transactions with careful, creative attention to the resulting tax consequences.
Marks Paneth & Shron LLP (MP&S), a New York area accounting firm, has announced that Jeanne P. Goulet, CPA, a tax specialist and IBM veteran with more than 25 years of experience in industry and public accounting, has joined MP&S as a senior tax consultant to launch the firm’s new Services for Emerging Growth Companies and Entrepreneurs.
Ms. Goulet, who specializes in tax issues related to e-commerce and the Internet including software development, global services and cross-border transactions; as well as international tax matters including worldwide tax planning and transfer pricing, will hold an instrumental role in bringing MP&S’ new Services for Emerging Growth Companies and
Entrepreneurs to market.
Marks Paneth & Shron LLP is an accounting firm with nearly 475 people, of whom 64 are partners and principals. The firm provides businesses with a full range of auditing, accounting, tax, bankruptcy and restructuring services as well as litigation and corporate
financial advisory services to domestic and international clients. The firm also specializes in providing tax advisory and consulting for high-net-worth individuals and their families, as well as a wide range of services for international, real estate, media, entertainment, nonprofit, professional and financial services and energy clients.
Robert Wagner, managing partner of BKD, LLP’s International Tax & Salt Services division, announces the addition of Mike D. Burgess as senior managing consultant in BKD’s Dallas office.
“We are looking forward to adding someone with Mike’s talent and experience to our growing international tax practice”
Burgess has more than 10 years of international tax experience, serving publicly and privately held U.S.-based multinational corporations with global structuring, tax planning, compliance and intellectual property planning.
Burgess received his J.D. from Lewis & Clark Law School, Portland, Oregon in 1999 and a B.A. in international business from Bradley University, Peoria, Illinois in 1994.
“We are looking forward to adding someone with Mike’s talent and experience to our growing international tax practice,” Wagner commented.
About BKD
BKD is the top-tier U.S. CPA and advisory firm that delivers its experience and service with a deep understanding of your business, your needs and what it takes to improve your business performance. BKD’s approximately 2,000 personnel, including approximately 250 partners, are based in 30 offices serving clients in 50 states
