KPMG in Romania is pleased to announce a trio of new appointments with effect from 1 October 2016, as René Schӧb joins the firm as Partner and Tracey Walker and Ionut Mastacaneanu are promoted to Directors.
René Schӧb, Partner, Taxation Services
With more than 17 years’ experience, out of which nine as Managing Partner of other international consultancy firms in Romania, René joins the KPMG’s tax practice as a partner specialized in providing coordinated assistance to clients, with a focus on large and medium privately owned businesses. In his new role, one of his objectives would be leading and developing the KPMG German desk capabilities.
As René comments: “The presence of German-speaking investors is significant in Romania and I am glad to add my contribution in advising such clients in various fields of KPMG’s services. The German desk’s deep understanding of the regulatory background of foreign businesses will have a significant contribution in providing our clients with integrated advice in a globalized environment.”
Șerban Toader, Senior Partner at KPMG in Romania, adds: “I’m pleased to welcome René to the Partnership, who brings added value to our firm through his experience and identifies strongly with KPMG values. The new appointments reflect the hard-work, passion and accomplishments of our people, but also our commitment to further invest in becoming the clear choice for our clients.”
René said on his appointment: “It’s an honor to rejoin KPMG, the firm I started my career with in Switzerland, and which I have ever since admired for its high professional and ethical standards. I’m optimistic when I look at KPMG’s results which are steadily growing year by year. This shows that the company adapts its services to meet its clients’ requirements as economic circumstances change. I’m looking forward to be part of our vision to be the clear choice in the market!”
Tracey Walker, Director, Forensic Services
Tracey is a South African with more than a decade of forensic experience obtained whilst working across the globe, including in Romania, Hungary , Germany, Slovenia, South Africa, and the United States. Tracey's expertise covers both local and global markets, having worked in Central and Eastern Europe for a number of years.
Tracey has managed and carried out investigations into bribery and corruption, as well as fraud and misconduct, in both private and public sectors, also helping clients with Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) reviews, proactive Anti-Bribery and Corruption Compliance and implementing Fraud Prevention measures. As a former senior manager in South Africa's Anti-Corruption Directorate, and a consultant to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, Tracey is a specialist in Anti-bribery and Corruption. With 18 years of experience across various accounting, auditing, tax and academic environments, a chartered accountant and a published Author and Editor in these fields, Tracey has specialist knowledge of Fraud Investigation and Fraud Risk Management.
As Director, Tracey will continue to develop KPMG's Forensic services and assist clients to proactively manage their risks and to make informed decisions as they respond to challenges and pursue new opportunities. "I am fortunate to work with a specialized team in Romania, closely connected with KPMG's CEE and global teams. A very big part of our work is to understand our client's challenges so that we provide specialized advice that is relevant, practical and cost effective. Catching the fraudster, or helping a client to navigate these challenges is very rewarding work."
Ionuț Măstăcăneanu, Director, Tax Services
Ionuț began his career in KPMG 12 years ago and he leads the firm’s financial services tax practice, working with a group of more than 15 professionals, specializing in fiscal aspects of financial transactions.
Ionuț’s team recognizes his dedication to people development and his passion for work combined with the great devotion to his clients’ success.
The Financial services sector will continue to be impacted by the latest technology-based changes and thus Ionuț will continue to lead the team towards developing innovative and practical solutions for our clients.
Commenting on his appointment, Ionuț said: “I have been specializing in providing assistance to clients in the financial services sector ever since the beginning of my career, when I joined KPMG. What attracted me then to this industry and continues to drive me are the challenges generated by the ever-evolving environment, in which flexibility and swift reaction to change become of utmost importance. I am happy to be part of a highly-skilled team and I am looking forward to further supporting our clients in achieving their business goals. In this respect, we aim being at the forefront of identifying such evolutions, in order to be able to translate change into opportunities.”
About KPMG
KPMG is a global network of professional firms providing Audit, Tax and Advisory services. We operate in 155 countries and have 174,000 professionals working in member firms around the world. The independent member firms of the KPMG network are affiliated with KPMG International Cooperative (“KPMG International”), a Swiss entity. Each KPMG firm is a legally distinct and separate entity and describes itself as such.
KPMG in Romania and Moldova operates from six offices located in Bucharest, Cluj-Napoca, Constanta, Iasi, Timisoara and Chisinau.
