by Tax Executive Staff and Jordan Kell
May 28, 2015
Members and nonmembers attended more than thirty education sessions—and several enjoyable receptions—at TEI’s 65th Midyear Conference at the Grand Hyatt in Washington, D.C., March 22–25. If you missed this opportunity, mark your calendar now for the 70th Annual Conference, October 18–21, in Dallas, Texas.
TEI International President (right) Mark Silbiger (Lubrizol Corp.) and Senior Vice President C.N. (Sandy) Macfarlane (left, Chevron Corp.), enjoy speaking with Grace Perez-Navarro (OECD). The three enjoyed lunch together on Monday before Perez-Navarro shared her thoughts on the OECD’s BEPS initiative.
“Doing less with less” was the common thread in IRS Commissioner John Koskinen’s comments at the Tuesday luncheon. Commissioner Koskinen acknowledged the challenges the IRS continues to face with less money and fewer resources, but also how the IRS workforce’s dedication and commitment allow the agency to be successful.
Kris Rogers (Love’s Travel Stops & Country Stores Inc.) joined Emily Whittenburg (not pictured, Shell Oil Company), Ricardo Samaniego (not pictured, Samsung), and Katrina Welch (not pictured, Texas Instruments Inc.) to lead a lively conversation about managing flexible work arrangements—what works, what doesn’t, and how to successfully implement flexible work programs.
Back row, left to right: Dr. Lluis Fargas Mas (Alcoa Europe, S.A.); Lee Gillespie-White (TEI); Gary Steinberg, (Level 3 Communications); David Stevens (Cook Inlet Region Inc.); Benjamin Shrek (TEI); Patrick Evans (TEI); Paul Magrath (AstraZeneca Canada Inc.); Don Rath (Symantec Corporation); Pilar Mata (TEI); Eli Dicker (TEI). Front row, left to right: Susan Musch (Sasol North America); Robert Howren (BlueLinx Corp.); C.N. (Sandy) Macfarlane (Chevron Corp.); Grace Perez-Navarro (OECD); Mark Silbiger (Lubrizol Corp.); Janice Lucchesi; and Karen Miller (FusionStorm).
Nathan Andrews, partner and national practice leader for Deloitte’s Tax Management Consulting practice, moderated “Using Tax Technology for Multiple Tax Types in a Global Environment.” The session covered trending topics in tax analytics, and featured speakers from Corptax; Longview Solutions; Vertex Inc.; and Thomson Reuters.
The theme for the Tuesday evening reception was “Tastes Around the World,” and was hosted by TEI. Food stations from Spain, Morroco, France, and Italy—and of course, dessert from the USA!—offered up a wide variety of culinary treats. From left to right: Mickey Culpepper (Baker Hughes Inc.), Mark Gilmour (Morton Salt Inc.), Louis Mestier (Hanger Inc.), and Diane Tinney (Bloomberg BNA) found some comfortable chairs to relax in while enjoying the festivities.
TEI’s International President, Mark Silbiger (Lubrizol Corp.), offered comments throughout the Midyear Conference, covering many topics including the 30th anniversary of TEI’s Director of Conference Planning Deborah Gaffney; a “year in review” of TEI’s advocacy, educational, and networking successes; and recognition of our sponsors.
