KPMG International has announced that John Q. McGowan has been appointed to the new role of Chief Information Officer, Global Tax.
McGowan is a 19-year veteran of KPMG and previously served as leader of the Tax Technology practice for KPMG LLP, the U.S. audit, tax and advisory firm. He brings to his new role extensive knowledge of tax technology as well as in-depth experience with KPMG’s network of member firms — in particular, the firm’s U.S. Tax practice, where he served for many years as a client-facing Tax professional before focusing on the use of technology to help drive efficiency in tax processes.
McGowan’s chief responsibility will be to help ensure that KPMG addresses the varied tax needs of its member firms’ clients using the latest technology.
“John understands the needs of our clients, having worked with some of the largest organizations around the world,” said Rick Smith, head of Global Delivery for KPMG International. “He knows how complex tax is and that it is getting more so each day. It’s great to have John on the team, helping our clients cut through that complexity, using technology to meet their needs in the most efficient and effective way.”
In recognition of KPMG’s Tax technology advances, KPMG’s International Executive Services practice was recently awarded “Most Innovative Use of Technology in Global Mobility” (Program Management) and “Highly Commended Best Vendor Partnership” at the Expatriate Management and Mobility Awards (EMMAs).
“These awards underscore that our firm’s technology is highly regarded by industry professionals and clients,” said McGowan. “In my new global role, I look forward to continuing to work with my KPMG colleagues to advance innovation in our Tax technology tools around the world that can deliver strategic value for our multinational clients.”
McGowan has been with KPMG LLP since 1993 and has led the U.S. firm’s Tax Technology practice since 2004. He is a certified public accountant licensed in the District of Columbia and North Carolina, and a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA). He holds both a master of accounting degree and bachelor of science degree in business administration from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Avalara, a leader in sales tax automation for small to mid-sized businesses, announces the appointment of Jeffrey M. Cohen as vice president of Compliance.
Cohen joins Avalara with more than 20 years accounting and finance experience with the last 14 years dedicated to indirect tax technology and operational management. Most recently Cohen worked for KPMG where he served as a senior manager in its US Indirect Tax and National Transaction Tax Systems practices. His primary roles at KMPG were to establish business processes related to the automation of the tax function and assist in the project management of tax integration projects.
Prior to joining KPMG, Cohen held leadership roles with several tax technology consulting practices for both national and regional firms. He provided tax technology services to a wide range of clients in the Telecommunications, Power and Utilities, Software and Manufacturing areas.
Additionally, Cohen has large tax organizational management experience with Thomson Reuters Tax & Accounting. As the director of Tax Content, he managed a team of over 35 professionals on two continents to maintain all jurisdictional boundary, tax rate, tax form and product/service applicability rules for both their licensed software and managed service offerings. During this time, his department maintained proper controls to ensure SAS70 Type II certification for all tax content
Cohen is a certified public accountant in the state of Georgia. He has a B.S. in Accounting and Masters of Tax from the University of Alabama.
About Avalara
Avalara is the leader and visionary in sales tax automation for small to mid-sized businesses. It simplifies the complexity associated with sales and use tax and – in the process – makes compliance achievable by all.
Avalara’s industry-leading, web-based offering provides the most complete set of sales tax compliance solutions available, including tax calculation, exemption certificate management and returns processing. Additionally, Avalara offers automated 1099 filing and reporting.
Avalara serves thousands of customers worldwide, files and remits more than $10 billion in sales and use tax collections per year, and delivers more than 750 million transactions annually.
