Explore how tax management is evolving through technology and strategic innovation to become a key driver of business efficiency and insight.

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Join Michael Bernard from Vertex as he unpacks the latest SAP Insider Benchmark Research on global tax management, revealing how tax departments navigate a rapidly changing landscape. From complex regulatory environments, such as fragmented e-invoicing standards in Europe, to critical pain points like automating tax control frameworks, this episode offers a rich exploration of what’s top of mind for CFOs and CIOs. Learn how granular tax data is becoming a strategic asset for sales and marketing, the growing role of managed services amidst workforce shortages, and why the adoption of AI-driven tax automation is still in early stages despite its promising potential. Michael shares memorable stats, including the impact of retirements on CPA talent pools and strategies companies use to overcome compliance time constraints. Perfect for business leaders seeking practical insights on optimizing ERP environments for tax operations with future-ready technology. Listen, learn, and lead the transformation today.

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Guest: Michael Bernard, Chief Tax Officer of Transaction Tax at Vertex

Michael Bernard is the Chief Tax Officer of Transaction Tax. In his role, he provides insight and thought leadership around tax department operations, U.S. indirect tax, tax risk management, and tax policy, as well as emerging tax trends. He is also responsible for influencing emerging technologies which meet the continuing regulatory changes of the corporate tax community. He is an executive-level tax attorney with a diverse portfolio of experience in corporate tax, administration, and finance, including a substantive knowledge of U.S. and international tax laws.

Prior to joining Vertex, Michael was in various tax leadership roles at Microsoft Corporation for 28 years, the most recent being General Manager & U.S. Tax Counsel. He led teams in the following functional areas: direct and indirect tax controversy, sales and use, business license, property, tax IT, SOX, and telecommunications. He also co-led a corporate taxpayer advocacy group with the Washington Department of Revenue and was a Director on the Board of the Washington Research Council. He has also testified before administrative and lawmakers at both the federal and state level.

Michael earned both a J.D. and a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from Creighton University. He is a part-time lecturer of Law in the LLM program at the University of Washington School of Law. He also served on the board of directors, executive committee, and chaired committees for The Tax Executives Institute (TEI) for nearly 25 years.

Host 1: Richard Howells, SAP

Richard Howells has been working in the Supply Chain Management and Manufacturing space for over 30 years. He is responsible for driving the thought leadership and awareness of SAP’s ERP, Finance, and Supply Chain solutions and is an active writer, podcaster, and thought leader on the topics of supply chain, Industry 4.0, digitization, and sustainability.

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Key Topics: Tax management, ERP, Tax control framework, Automation, Regulatory compliance, Managed services, Workforce skill gap, AI adoption, E-invoicing, Tax analytics

Cloud ERP and AI are transforming professional services by tackling lean teams, complex billing, and forecasting pressures. Could these tools be your business's next competitive edge?

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Professional services firms face intense pressures like razor-thin benches, skyrocketing forecasting demands, and shifts from time-and-materials to outcome-based pricing with AI agents and software assets. IBM's Mark Hammack debunks cloud ERP myths around customization loss or security risks, explaining how SaaS slashes hardware costs, enables real-time insights through integrated project systems, and frees cash for growth. AI delivers in use cases like automating billing and RFP responses, accelerating month-end closes, and enhancing customer support, often driven bottom-up by creative teams. Ethical AI orchestration powers tools like "Ask HR" for faster resolutions, paving the way for agile, modular cloud ERP with natural language tools like Joule and Copilot for predictive analysis.

Want to learn more? Come join us and explore how these innovations can propel your operations forward.

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Guest: Mark J. Hammack, Delivery Partner at IBM Consulting

Mark J. Hammack is a Financial & Supply Chain Transformation Partner at IBM, specializing in driving business transformation and optimizing supply chain performance. They bring extensive experience in enhancing financial operations and delivering strategic business solutions.
Within IBM's consulting environment, Mark progressed from Senior Managing Consultant to Associate Partner, demonstrating leadership competencies and a focus on delivering value to clients. Their tenure at IBM reflects a commitment to providing advisory services and implementing effective business strategies.
Prior to IBM, Mark led order management initiatives and drove eCommerce strategies as the Order Management and eCommerce Track Lead at International Paper. Their work history also includes a role as Senior Manager at Grant Thornton, where they applied knowledge of accounting principles and financial management practices.

Host 1: Richard Howells, SAP

Richard Howells has been working in the Supply Chain Management and Manufacturing space for over 30 years. He is responsible for driving the thought leadership and awareness of SAP’s ERP, Finance, and Supply Chain solutions and is an active writer, podcaster, and thought leader on the topics of supply chain, Industry 4.0, digitization, and sustainability.

Follow Richard Howell on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠X⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

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Key Topics: cloud ERP, professional services, AI use cases, billing automation, resource planning, revenue recognition, ERP myths, ethical AI, Watson orchestration, predictive analysis