This past October, we took the opportunity to recognize a significant milestone in TEI’s history—our 75th Anniversary Celebration—and we’re excited to dedicate this special issue of Tax Executive to share the occasion with all of our members.
Those of you who joined us at the Annual Conference shared how special this meeting was and how fantastic it was to be meeting in New York City, where TEI was founded, especially after we had to defer our celebration from October 2020 during the pandemic.
You gave undeniably positive reviews of our numerous plenary and breakout education sessions, which reflected on the past, present, and future of the tax profession. I hope you enjoy highlights from four of those sessions shared in this edition of Tax Executive:
- State Tax Policy, in which panelists discussed the status of state and local tax at a time of burgeoning deficits;
- New Era of Transparency, where game-changing trends and innovative strategies are not just nice to have but also increasingly necessary;
- Global Tax Policy and Controversy, in which panelists took a deep dive into Pillar One and Pillar Two; and
- Tax Department of the Future, where the role of technology took center stage.
We honored our past at the Annual Conference by welcoming nineteen past international presidents (we call them PIPs) and their families to the event and by bestowing awards to Mark Silbiger, Rich Wireman, and Rita Makaris. And we embraced our future by welcoming student members and holding our Student Committee’s first meet-and-greet session.
Most importantly, I would like to thank everyone who traveled to NYC, with special gratitude to the superb speakers and moderators at these sessions. And how about the TEI staff—we’re really so fortunate to have such professionalism from such dedicated team members from all departments, many of whom have been working at TEI for just a short time. The energy of the city and of the event was infectious, and it showed in the engagement and enthusiasm everyone brought to the event.
I also want to thank Pilar Mata, our tireless executive director, for her terrific implementation of this diamond milestone, and two former executive directors, Eli Dicker and Timothy McCormally, for providing the blueprint and regaling the staff with accounts of the workings of TEI from years gone by. Their efforts contributed to a successful 75th Anniversary Celebration.
October’s 75th Anniversary Celebration was a chance for me to reflect and has made me even more confident about TEI’s future than ever before. Here are a few reasons:
- We are perfectly positioned to represent and advocate for in-house tax professionals at government agencies, both here and abroad, including at the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. The respect we garner from government agencies has been earned through years of measured hard work. When we come to the table, they want to hear what we have to say.
- We have a rich and diverse membership and leadership.
- We appeal to members and students in a manner that speaks to them.
- We provide opportunities for professional growth, such as our Leadership Lab on mentoring. We encourage our members to come forward with ideas and opportunities for areas of growth and development that often are unique to tax. We are in a highly technical area subject to change in every jurisdiction our companies operate, but one where we also have to partner with peers and communicate clearly and concisely the importance of a given issue to the business.
- We are developing closer relationships with our wonderful sponsors, who showed up in record numbers for this meeting and in a manner that made it memorable for our attendees.
We are seeing in real time the value of our fifty-six chapters providing educational and networking opportunities for our members.
The future is bright for TEI; let us all participate in its growth and bask in its success. Happy New Year!
Sincerely,
Sandhya Edupuganty
TEI International President
