Kenneth Murwanto

Partner, Armanino Advisory LLC

No matter what life throws, always smile and stay positive!

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Bio

Meet Kenneth

Kenneth is a licensed CPA and provides global tax planning and compliance services to U.S. and foreign multinational businesses with cross-border business operations and investments. In addition to his expertise in U.S. tax laws, Kenneth is well-versed in Asia Pacific tax laws and practice thanks to his prior work experience and education in Singapore. With the support of his team at Armanino and Moore Global's network, Kenneth has assisted multinational, middle-market clients in achieving global tax efficiency while meeting their business objectives and goals.

Kenneth advises clients on complex international tax issues, including base erosion and anti-abuse tax (BEAT) mitigation, global intangible low-taxed income (GILTI) and subpart F planning, foreign-derived intangible income (FDII) optimization, FTC planning, supply chain management, funding and repatriation strategies, post-M&A integration, corporate inversions and transfer pricing.

While Kenneth works with a variety of multinational companies in various industries, he focuses on working with clients primarily in the technology, media and telecommunications (TMT), manufacturing and consumer business.

Contact Kenneth Murwanto

Experience

Professional History

Associations

  • American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA))
  • Association for Corporate Growth (ACG)

Community

  • Saddleback Church

Education

  • Singapore Management University
  • University of Denver

Experience

  • RSM
  • Deloitte
  • KPMG – US and Singapore

Q&A

Q. What was it that drew you to Armanino?
We don’t view ourselves as an accounting firm! Armanino is a disruptor in the industry, and we function more like a tech firm, in how we thrive on collaboration across different service lines and always looking for the next big thing. This work culture really helps us bring a holistic view and generate creative solutions to help our clients.
Q. What do you predict the future will look like for clients in the industries you serve?
The need to globalize. Working with other countries can pose challenges, but there are incredible opportunities if done right. For example, your customers might all be in America right now, but you may have to work with vendors or target customers in other countries. If you want to step up and grow your business exponentially, you have to think globally.
Q. Without naming names, tell us about your favorite client and why you enjoyed working with them.
I enjoyed working with a global technology company that had significant operations in the U.K., U.S. and Canada. My team was one of the main tax providers for this client and ended up pretty much becoming their outsourced tax department. When they needed help with planning solutions or compliance needs, they’d bring it to us. Then we’d get on a drawing board and propose solutions, which generated a lot of great ideas. Because we had a close relationship with the key decision-makers, the client truly trusted our advice and almost always implemented our strategy. That level of trust and follow-through isn’t always the norm, so it was made this relationship especially rewarding.
Q. Who is (or was) the most influential person in your life?
My late grandfather. He became a preacher in the later years of his life, a shift representing how he became a completely changed man after a rough start in life. He was orphaned at five years old and went through a lot. He taught me that no matter what happens, whether you’re up or down in life, it doesn’t cost a penny to put a smile on your face. Being upset and stressed doesn’t eliminate your problem. I’ve always been a big believer that no matter the circumstances, you definitely have control over how you respond to life’s challenges.
Q. If you could pass on a nugget of wisdom to aspiring accountants or consultants, what would that be?
No matter how mechanical our work gets, always strive to be as creative as you can. Be curious about client issues, work processes and internal problems that have room for improvement. Always stretch your imagination to think outside the box and come up with creative solutions, no matter how “silly” they may sound to you. Being siloed to our routine mechanical work is easy, but being creative and thinking outside the box leads to success.
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