Michael Bernard is the VP Tax Content & Chief Tax Officer of Transaction Tax at Vertex, Inc. In his role, he provides insight and thought leadership around tax department operations, U.S. indirect tax, tax risk management, tax policy, and emerging tax trends. He is an executive-level tax attorney with a diverse portfolio of experience in corporate tax, administration, and finance, including a substantive knowledge of U.S. and international tax laws.

Before joining Vertex, Michael was in various tax leadership roles at Microsoft Corporation for 28 years, the most recent being General Manager and United States Tax Counsel. Michael led teams in the following functional areas: direct and indirect tax controversy, sales and use, business license, property, tax IT, SOX, and telecommunications. He also co-led a corporate taxpayer advocacy group with the Washington Department of Revenue and was a Director on the Board of the Washington Research Council. Michael has also testified before administrative and lawmakers at both the federal and state levels.

Michael earned both a J.D. and a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from Creighton University. He is a part-time lecturer of Law in the LLM program at the University of Washington School of Law. Michael also served on the board of directors, and executive committee, and chaired committees for The Tax Executives Institute (TEI) for nearly 25 years.

About Us: The rapid changes taking place in today’s global business, technology, and regulatory environments are having a compounding effect on the complexity of indirect tax management and putting more pressure on the corporate tax function than ever before. This complexity demands intelligent solutions that enable businesses to satisfy tax obligations and support growth opportunities.

The Trusted Leader in Tax Technology

We're Vertex (VERX). A pioneer in tax automation for more than 40 years. We proudly serve over 4,000 customers worldwide with distinction and provide comprehensive tax solutions that enable global businesses to transact, comply and grow with confidence.

Our software, content and services address the increasing complexities of global commerce and compliance by reducing friction, enhancing transparency and enabling greater confidence in meeting indirect tax obligations. As a result, our software is ubiquitous within our customers’ business systems, touching nearly every line item of every transaction that an enterprise can conduct. Our software is fueled by over 300 million data-driven effective tax rules and supports indirect tax compliance in more than 19,000 jurisdictions worldwide.