Sandhya Edupuganty.

• Position: MEMBER PROFILE

Many of us don't like change. Sandhya Edupuganty embraces it. "I recognize the importance of and enjoy change, which is why I specialized in tax and have had the benefit of seeing what works and what can be improved. I believe it is important for tax departments to streamline and automate processes as a means for mitigating tax risk and to focus on value add tax initiatives. Over the years, I've developed the ability to see the big picture and to identify opportunities to minimize manual inputs," she explains.

Early on, varying roles at National Medical Care Inc., KPMG Peat Marwick, Ernst & Young LLP, and as a self-employed consultant enabled Edupuganty to achieve a breadth of tax experience. As a tax supervisor at DSC Communications Corp., she helped structure and implement a Texas limited partnership that generated annual franchise tax savings of $3 million to $6 million. As federal tax manager at Alcatel USA/DSC Communications Corp., she was responsible for tax compliance and planning for the consolidated federal income tax area of a billion-dollar company and spearheaded a multiyear research and development tax credit study in conjunction with Ernst & Young, supporting and sustaining the multimillion-dollar credit as part of the IRS audit.

The next stop in the journey: Aerus LLC (formerly Electrolux LLC), where, as director of tax, she structured an intangible asset sale of $50 million, which resulted in "a zero tax distribution consequence through the permanent and temporary deferral of income taxes." At her last destination before landing at Texas Instruments--Flowserve Corp.--she served as director of tax compliance and then director of tax reporting. In the latter role, she was involved in the customization and coordination of the rapid implementation of a foreign income tax package module across seventy major foreign jurisdictions. An exposure to myriad tax and process issues at this multinational organization and being part of a seasoned and tight-knit team that addressed these issues led to invaluable and formative experience. "I experienced first-hand the importance of tax controls and the benefits a tax department can reap from great processes."

At Texas Instruments, Edupuganty has expanded her income tax role to include the tax technology function and oversight for the department. Specifically, she has sought automation opportunities to enable transparency among the various groups within the tax department "to minimize risk...