Press Room

Ryan Promotes Three New Principals to Leadership Team

Press Release Nov 11, 2010

Dallas, Texas – Ryan, the leading tax services firm in North America, with the largest transaction tax practice in the United States and Canada, today announced that Susan Bittick, Sean Kiley, and Grant Smith have been promoted to Principal. The addition of these three seasoned tax professionals to Ryan’s leadership team represents another milestone in the Firm’s continued growth.

Susan Bittick is a key executive in Ryan’s Public Affairs practice based in the Austin, Texas office and specializes in state tax legislative and regulatory analysis, public affairs strategies, and advocacy services. Ms. Bittick joined the Firm in November 2006 and has been instrumental in the growth of the Firm’s Public Affairs practice, which was ranked the 5th most influential corporate lobby team in Texas, according to the Capitol Inside 2009 Texas Lobby Power Ranking. Ms. Bittick has in-depth political, legal, and press experience. She has worked on political campaigns, served as in-house counsel and Vice President of Government Affairs for a major retail department store chain, and was a reporter and editor for one of the nation’s largest newspaper chains for more than 15 years. Ms. Bittick holds a Juris Doctor degree from Saint Louis University School of Law, a Master of Law degree in Taxation from the University of Houston Law Center, and a Bachelor of Arts degree from Louisiana Tech University.

Sean Kiley is based in the Dallas, Texas office and specializes in providing multi-jurisdictional transaction tax services to clients in the oil and gas industries. Mr. Kiley joined the Firm in September 1996 and has been very influential in the ongoing development of Ryan’s industry-leading tax professionals, sharing his knowledge and expertise through the development and administration of internal technical training courses to ensure Ryan professionals continue to lead the industry in tax knowledge and innovation. Mr. Kiley is a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) licensed in Texas and is a member of the Institute for Professionals in Taxation (IPT), the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, and the Texas Society of Certified Public Accountants. He holds a Bachelor of Business Administration degree in Accounting from Texas A&M University.

Grant Smith is a member of the Tax Technology leadership team and is based in the Atlanta, Georgia office. Mr. Smith has been a top-performing business development executive, articulating the Ryan vision and value proposition to global corporations across North America and Europe. Since joining the Firm in May 2007, he has helped clients evaluate and enhance their current processes and systems to optimize the management of global indirect taxes. Mr. Smith is a frequent speaker at tax technology forums worldwide and is a member of the Institute for Professionals in Taxation (IPT) and the Association of Computers in Taxation. He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics from Colorado State University.

"Our aggressive growth and geographic expansion across North America and Europe have provided our tax professionals opportunities for advancement that are unmatched in the tax services industry today," said G. Brint Ryan, CEO and Managing Principal of Ryan. "We are proud to reward these seasoned professionals for the superior results that they have delivered to our clients and their outstanding contributions to our continued growth and success."

About Ryan

Ryan, an award-winning global tax services and software provider, is the largest Firm in the world dedicated exclusively to business taxes. With global headquarters in Dallas, Texas, the Firm provides an integrated suite of federal, state, local, and international tax services on a multijurisdictional basis, including tax recovery, consulting, advocacy, compliance, and technology services. Ryan is an 11-time recipient of the International Service Excellence Award from the Customer Service Institute of America (CSIA) for its commitment to world-class client service. Empowered by the dynamic myRyan work environment, which is widely recognized as the most innovative in the tax services industry, Ryan’s multidisciplinary team of more than 4,800 professionals and associates serves over 30,000 clients in more than 80 countries, including many of the world’s most prominent Global 5000 companies. More information about Ryan can be found at ryan.com.

MEDIA CONTACT

Melodie Elliott
Director, Content and Communications Marketing
Ryan
972.934.0022
melodie.elliott@ryan.com