Baker Tilly further expands partnership with 13 new partners

Baker Tilly is starting the new year with 13 new partners – nine of them from within its own ranks: Tax Advisor Dr. Florian Berndt, Tax Advisor Kai Helesch, Tax Advisor/German CPA Caroline Herzog-Romagna, German CPA Sandra Köhler, German CPA/Tax Advisor Nick Krey, Santo Pane, Tax Advisor Dr. Michel Roes, Tax Advisor Ulrike Thomas and Attorney-at-Law/Tax Advisor Enno Thönnes have been appointed partners. Following the integration of the tax law firm WW+KN, Tax Advisor Matthias Winkler, Tax Advisor Kerstin Winkler and Tax Advisor Marcel Radke also joined Baker Tilly as new partners at the beginning of the year. In addition, Baker Tilly welcomes German CPA Rembert Knappe, most recently with Ernst & Young, to the partnership.

The Baker Tilly Management Board is delighted with the successful start to the new year: “We congratulate our new partners and, together with them, continue to set the course for further growth,” explains Dr. Thomas Gemmeke, Managing Partner Legal at Baker Tilly. Ralf Gröning, Managing Partner at Baker Tilly, adds: “The promotion of talent is a central component of our Baker Tilly culture and contributes significantly to our firm’s development.” “Nine internal partner appointments show the level of commitment and expertise in our company. At the same time, we are very much looking forward to working with our new colleagues and using their expertise and know-how to sustainably expand our services,” emphasizes Oliver Hubertus, Managing Partner Tax at Baker Tilly. Prof. Dr. Thomas Edenhofer, Managing Partner Audit & Advisory at Baker Tilly, agrees: “We are proud to expand the Baker Tilly partnership to this extent. Thus, we are creating the best conditions for continuing to support our clients with individual solutions and professional expertise in the future.”

Legal and Tax division welcomes nine new partners

Tax advisor Dr. Florian Berndt has been part of the Düsseldorf Baker Tilly team since November 2022 and focuses on providing tax advice to industrial companies, companies in the food industry, distribution and service companies as well as financial companies. As a partner at the Düsseldorf office, he will be responsible for corporate tax together with partner Andreas Griesbach, thus enabling the expansion of existing clients and winning new clients with a focus on North Rhine-Westphalia.

Since 2011, Tax Advisor Kai Helesch has been working at Baker Tilly’s Dortmund office in the area of tax consulting, with a focus on accounting and outsourcing services. His industry focus is on the real estate sector – Kai Helesch’s focus as a partner will be on expanding the aforementioned areas.

Tax Advisor and German CPA Caroline Herzog-Romagna has been working at the Munich office since 2010. She specializes in advising companies in the health care sector as well as medium-sized production, trading and service companies and has particular expertise in the areas of tax declaration, corporate tax law and structuring advice. As a partner, Caroline Herzog-Romagna will further strengthen the areas of corporate tax and tax compliance – also in cooperation with her colleagues from the Legal and Auditing departments. Caroline Herzog-Romagna’s broad experience both in providing ongoing tax advice to medium-sized corporate groups and in the implementation of special projects makes her a versatile member of the Baker Tilly network.

Tax Advisor Dr. Michel Roes focuses on mergers and acquisitions, corporate real estate and private equity. With his real estate expertise, Dr. Michel Roes will expand the real estate tax portfolio as a partner. With his international focus and experience in cross-border transactions, Dr. Michel Roes will strengthen the expansion and cooperation of the international Baker Tilly network.

Tax Advisor Ulrike Thomas has been part of the Munich Baker Tilly team since 2020. Her main focus is on secondments, payroll tax, payroll accounting and income tax advice for private individuals with a focus on financial services, service companies, industrial companies as well as trading and consumer goods companies. As a partner, Ulrike Thomas will drive forward these key areas with her rapidly growing team and advise in particular on current issues such as workation and complex cross-border matters. Another focus will be the use of personnel management systems in payroll accounting and the automation of payroll accounting services.

Attorney-at-Law and Tax Advisor Enno Thönnes has been part of Baker Tilly since 2019. In the Public Sector and Energy & Utilities Industry Groups, he focuses on tax project advice and legal advice in the area of public commercial law. As a partner, Enno Thönnes will in particular consolidate Baker Tilly’s leading position in the south-west of Germany in the public sector and expand it across all offices.

At the turn of the year 2023/24, WW+KN, a renowned Regensburg tax law firm, also joined Baker Tilly. With these new colleagues, Baker Tilly welcomes, among others, three new partners: Tax Advisor Matthias Winkler specializes in corporate tax law and international tax law. He is also a member of the supervisory board and chairman of the audit and risk management committee of Krones AG, an MDAX-listed global market leader for filling and packaging technology. Tax Advisor Kerstin Winkler specializes in corporate tax law, consolidation and the preparation of annual financial statements, while tax consultant Marcel Radke advises his clients on the preparation of annual financial statements, consolidation and payroll tax law.

Three new partners in the Audit & Advisory division

German CPA Sandra Köhler has been part of the Baker Tilly Financial Services team in Frankfurt since 2021. In addition to audits of annual and consolidated financial statements of credit institutions and FinTechs, she has been responsible for projects in audit-related consulting. Her professional focus is on banking regulation, supervisory law and risk management. In addition to her expertise with multi- and international institutions such as the European Central Bank and the United Nations, her client and industry focus is primarily on private banks, some development institutions and new digital business models in the financial sector, including the crypto business. In her new role as partner, Sandra Köhler will continue to focus on the expansion of bank audits and audit-related advice in the financial services sector at the Frankfurt and Berlin offices.

German CPA and Tax Advisor Nick Krey has also been strengthening the Audit & Advisory division at the Düsseldorf office since 2021. The financial services specialist primarily audits clients in the areas of leasing and factoring, FinTechs and credit institutions. As a partner, Nick Krey will continue to drive forward the auditing and consultancy of regulated financial service providers, both in accordance with IFRS and German HGB, for national and international banks within the Baker Tilly network. 

Rembert Knappe, most recently with Ernst & Young, joined Baker Tilly’s Frankfurt office on January 1. The experienced German CPA has longstanding expertise in the coordination and auditing of international and cross-location audit engagements, including US GAAP, IFRS and German HGB. He focuses on auditing companies in the construction and accessories industry, the automotive industry, consumer products, software development and telecommunications, among others. As a partner at Baker Tilly, Rembert Knappe will use his comprehensive expertise and broad network in order to strengthen Baker Tilly’s auditing and advisory services in Frankfurt and throughout Germany in the long term.

Partner appointment in the area of internal services

With Santo Pane, Baker Tilly has appointed a head of internal services to the partnership in Germany. The qualified banker and business economist heads the Market Services division at Baker Tilly. Santo Pane’s start with Baker Tilly in October 2022, a renowned expert in the fields of marketing, sales, communications and business development, has helped Baker Tilly to further expand its sales activities. As a partner, Santo Pane will drive the strategic development of the Market Services division into a strongly acquisition-oriented, data- and digital-based unit.