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Partner, Katz Sapper & Miller
Achievements: Katherine Malarsky is primarily responsible for the technical aspects of tax filings related to international tax, but within the adviser, tax and audit firm itself, she is helping to reshape KSM for the future. She has led the firm’s DEI initiative for five years and is helping to launch apprenticeship programs with area high schools and Ivy Tech Community College to reach students the firm typically hasn’t reached before. “Many of these students have little knowledge of public accounting as a career,” she said, “and this type of outreach helps to break down barriers and enables us to tap into new pools of talent.” She also is helping to revamp the hiring process to ensure it is open and equitable, and this fall the firm will publish its fifth annual DEI report, which candidly reports where the firm has succeeded and where improvement still needs to be made. And she has helped revamp the firm’s Tax Academy, which focuses on continuing education within KSM. “Tax Academy is something that sets KSM apart from other firms in our market,” she said, “and I’m really proud to lead it on the technical side.”
Career track: She spent the first eight years of her career at the Big Four accounting firm Deloitte as part of a national group focused on international tax matters. “I eventually decided I wanted to stop the incessant travel,” she said, “and I was able to do that by joining KSM.”
Giving back: She is board chair and treasurer for not-for-profit Child Advocates.
Mentors and mentoring: She said Ryan Miller, a partner at KSM, helped her realize what mentoring really was. “He has always supported me. He has invested in me. He lets me ask a million questions and never complains,” she said. As a mentor herself, she seeks to help people overcome communication struggles. “I try to help people come up with communication strategies and ideas for how to approach tough conversations,” she said.
Work/life balance: She said achieving balance is unrealistic. Rather, focus on integrating your personal life and work life together. “Sometimes that means more focus on work, and sometimes that means more focus on personal,” she said. “Balance is impossible. We need to figure out what integrated mix we can live with.”•
Check out more Women of Influence honorees.
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