Smitha Bhat
Bengaluru
Summary
Dedicated and results-driven senior professional with over 18 years of experience leading strategic initiatives and fostering strong relationships with internal stakeholders. Seeking a dynamic and challenging leadership role to make a significant impact. Proven track record of driving stakeholder engagement and collaborating with cross-functional teams to deliver impactful outcomes. Exceptional interpersonal and communication skills to foster strong relationships with stakeholders at all levels, including executives, clients, and team members. Promotes open dialogue, active listening, and a customer-centric mindset to build trust and drive successful partnerships.
Overview
26
26
years of professional experience
1
1
Certification
Work History
ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR AND COO - UK AND CANADA TAX
KPMG Global Services Pvt Ltd
03.2024 - Current
- As Chief Operating officer for UK and Canada Tax teams, oversee the day-to-day business operations within the Canada and UK Tax teams including expense management, cost and delivery of projects from the teams, etc.
- I have a team of 7 reporting to me and support over 800 professionals in UK & Canada teams
- Engaging with UK and Canada stakeholders, providing regular updates on Service Line performance and strategic direction, ensuring various processes from recruitment to onboarding is going according to plan and other updates
- Responsible for managing budget Vs actuals relating to financial plan including chargeable hours, utilization and ensuring timely report outs to the stakeholders via dashboards and MIS reports
- Collaborating with HR to recruit high-caliber professionals in a timely manner to ensure sufficient lead time for training and deployment
- Organize and lead actions on key initiatives for the COO group including Manager group discussions to enhance operational efficiencies, increase Global People Survey scores for the teams, etc
ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR - STAKEHOLDER MANAGEMENT LEAD
ERNST & YOUNG (Global Business Services)
11.2021 - 02.2024
- Led the Internal Stakeholder Management function within the Ops Enablement team of a global business services organization as part of the Operations Enablement team, supporting the Chief of Staff in the COO's office
- Spearheaded initiatives that enhance stakeholder and employee engagement including creating engaging workshops and training programs for employees at various levels in the organization
- Mentored and coached team members, fostering a collaborative and high-performing culture focused on stakeholder-centricity and professional growth
- Collaborated with cross-functional teams and senior leaders to align stakeholder priorities with business objectives, ensuring a unified approach towards achieving organizational goals
- Implemented stakeholder engagement plans, including regular communication channels, to foster positive relationships and provide stakeholders with timely updates on key initiatives and changes
- Developed and tracked stakeholder satisfaction metrics, utilizing feedback to continuously improve stakeholder experiences and drive operational excellence
SENIOR MANAGER - GDS APAC TP & PROGRAM LEADER
ERNST & YOUNG (Global Delivery Services)
09.2017 - 11.2021
- Senior Manager and business/ program lead in the Transfer Pricing team
- Led the APAC team of 70 professionals, and was responsible for overall service delivered to EY clients and managing relationships in APAC region in addition to delivering on TP technical documentation projects:
- Led APAC transformation program for EY GDS TP team and supported senior leadership across countries to execute strategic initiatives/ transformation
- Led workforce planning efforts to ensure talent alignment with strategic business priorities
- Grew the APAC aligned team from 35 to 70+ and provided direction and coaching to direct reports through team and one-on-one meetings
- Developed detailed industry analysis and market reports for companies in various industries as part of TP Documentation requirements
- Onboarded 3 new countries from the APAC region while supporting other existing user countries from APAC, to use the EY GDS services and established teams to support the requirements of these new countries
- Increased the GDS usage by APAC by 33% by working with senior leaders in the various offices in the region and developed short- and long-term strategic plans based on operational knowledge and data analysis to further company vision for the team
- Initiated and implemented ideas to improve services and business development efforts
- For example set up calls with supportive stakeholders to understand their experiences and leverage the learnings to other regions
- Adept at developing and mentoring high-performing teams, ensuring delivery of technical aspects of projects
- Acted as an escalation point for client issues and risks, collaborating with internal teams to drive and resolve incidents promptly
- Removed impediments and streamlined processes to optimize productivity and enhance team performance
MANAGER
BMR & ASSOCIATES LLP
11.2014 - 09.2017
- Managing a small team and supervision in preparation of transfer pricing report, based on the Functional, Assets and Risk analysis performed by client teams and undertaking comparability analysis by using various benchmarking methods to establish the arm's length nature of transactions
- Review transactions by using various benchmarking models to validate/support arm's length nature of transactions
- Industry and company analysis with detailed research being performed to support company margins
- Trained employees on additional job positions to maintain coverage of roles
ANALYST TO MANAGER
ERNST & YOUNG LLP
12.2004 - 11.2014
- Started my professional career in Transfer Pricing at Ernst & Young Global Talent Hub in Dec 2004 as an Associate (part of pilot group) and moved up the ladder from Analyst to Manager
- As a Manager, led and managed Transfer Pricing engagements including Global Doc engagements for 10 plus countries including US, China and Taiwan
- Led the talent engagement (recruitment) for the TP team and liaised with HR for the same and handled training sessions on EY strategy for seniors and managers
- As a Senior, selected for a rotation and worked for 3 months at EY Atlanta TP practice as part of the rotational assignment
CA ARTICLESHIP TRAINING
Ernst & Young
03.1999 - 05.2001
- Conducted audits in coordination with senior team members, verified adherence to audit scope and timelines and performed analytical audit reviews to confirm accuracy
- Prepared audit reports and financial statements to present findings and recommend corrective actions
Education
Advanced Program in Strategic Management for Business Excellence -
Indian Institute of Management (IIM)
03.2025
MBA - Business Administration
ICFAI University
07.2018
Bachelors of Commerce -
Bangalore University
06.2001
CA Intermediate - Financial Accounting
Institute of Chartered Accountants of India
05.2001
Skills
- Strategic Planning
- Leadership & Team Management
- Coaching & Mentoring
- Workforce Planning
- Relationship Management
- Project Management
- Cross-Functional Collaboration & Communication
- Team Leadership
- Project Planning & Program Management
Certification
- Bronze Badge in Design Thinking
- Learning Badge in Consumer Sector
- Nominated for a training program aimed at developing high performing women candidates at EY GDS
Key Skillsets
- Strategic Planning
- Leadership & Team Management
- Coaching & Mentoring
- Workforce Planning
- Relationship Management
- Project Management
- Cross-Functional Collaboration & Communication
- Team Leadership
- Project Planning & Program Management
Timeline
ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR AND COO - UK AND CANADA TAX
KPMG Global Services Pvt Ltd
03.2024 - Current
ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR - STAKEHOLDER MANAGEMENT LEAD
ERNST & YOUNG (Global Business Services)
11.2021 - 02.2024
SENIOR MANAGER - GDS APAC TP & PROGRAM LEADER
ERNST & YOUNG (Global Delivery Services)
09.2017 - 11.2021
MANAGER
BMR & ASSOCIATES LLP
11.2014 - 09.2017
ANALYST TO MANAGER
ERNST & YOUNG LLP
12.2004 - 11.2014
CA ARTICLESHIP TRAINING
Ernst & Young
03.1999 - 05.2001
MBA - Business Administration
ICFAI University
Bachelors of Commerce -
Bangalore University
CA Intermediate - Financial Accounting
Institute of Chartered Accountants of India
- Bronze Badge in Design Thinking
- Learning Badge in Consumer Sector
- Nominated for a training program aimed at developing high performing women candidates at EY GDS
Advanced Program in Strategic Management for Business Excellence -
Indian Institute of Management (IIM)
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