Brian Trauman

Brian is KPMG’s first Chief Data Officer (CDO) for Tax, and is responsible for responsibly leveraging available data to drive additional value for KPMG’s clients.  Brian is also a Senior Lead Tax Partner, which involves working empathetically with clients to bring the best resources to meet their needs, and developing other professionals to serve clients similarly.  

Immediately prior to taking the CDO role, Brian was the U.S. National Transfer Pricing Leader for KPMG’s Economic and Valuation Services (EVS) practice, and the National Leader for KPMG’s Transfer Pricing Dispute Resolution practice.  Brian has also served as the Global Leader of the Transfer Pricing Dispute Resolution network, and as the Leader for EVS’s New York practice.

A significant part of Brian’s practice has been helping clients manage and resolve disputes and respond to the challenges that come with transfer pricing controversies, whether domestic or international.

Prior to joining KPMG, Brian was a partner in the tax controversy and transfer pricing practice of a multinational law firm, where he was responsible for assisting multinationals with a wide range of both U.S. and non-U.S. matters, including transfer pricing structures and supply chains, advance pricing agreements, mutual agreement procedures, documentation, intercompany agreements, and audits, appeals, and litigation. Throughout his career, his has provided services to leading companies in the automotive, agricultural, chemical, consumer electronics, entertainment, finance, oil and gas, medical device, shipping, technology, and telecommunications industries...

Brian has responded to information document requests, liaised with  exam teams, drafted protests to notices of proposed adjustments, presented cases to appeals teams, and participated on litigation teams at the state, federal, and foreign jurisdiction levels. In addition, he has interacted with Congress, the IRS, U.S. Treasury, foreign revenue authorities, and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development with respect to changes to transfer pricing regulations and r guidance. Prior to joining KPMG, Brian also served as an attorney-advisor with the U.S. Tax Court.

Brian is a frequent speaker and writer on a wide range of transfer pricing and controversy topics, including IRS exam and appeals, advance rulings, competent authority, litigation, choice of administrative and judicial forum, privilege and work product, business restructurings, the IRS’s Schedule for Uncertain Tax Positions, implementing the U.S. services regulations, and valuation of intangibles., He has presented and/or written for such organizations as American Bar Association, Bureau of National Affairs, Tax Executives Institute, Organization for International Investment, International Bureau of Fiscal Documentation, the U.S. Tax Court, and other events.

Brian was an adjunct professor at New York University’s LLM program (course in International Transfer Pricing), and has discussed and/or lectured on transfer pricing practices and policies with France’s Ministry of Finance, India’s Chief Commissioners on Income Tax, and the Republic of Colombia’s international tax examiners, as well as the U.S.’s Internal Revenue Service and Department of the Treasury. Brian has been recognized in Euromoney’s 2013 Guide to the World’s Leading Transfer Pricing Advisors.