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When Amy O’Brien moved from the tax side of Apex Tool Group to the accounting department, her boss was honest with her.
“I had gone from tax to accounting, which is a little rare for tax people,” O’Brien explains. “They typically stay in tax, and he told me he wasn’t sure I would be able to make the transition. I was up and running in about two weeks.”
It’s not a boast; it’s who O’Brien has always been. The current vice president, corporate controller, and treasurer at the Charlotte, North Carolina-based hand-and-power-tool company has been promoted seven times since joining the organization in 2010.
O’Brien has an undeniable curiosity and is determined to find answers, sometimes to her own detriment.
The Right Mentors
O’Brien met her longtime mentor, friend, and workmate of twenty years, Apex Tool group’s director of tax compliance, Vicki Smith, because O’Brien is pretty sure she drove her previous boss “absolutely nuts” with questions. She was so eager to learn and grow that she was passed off to Smith. The two would move organizations twice and continue to work together until Smith retired in 2022.
Dogs and Downtime
Amy O’Brien makes it clear to her people that their jobs should facilitate living life to the fullest when they’re off the clock. The VP is a proud and avid supporter of her local ASPCA. If a dog isn’t involved, she can likely be found on a beach with a book. “Work is a way of surviving,” O’Brien says. “Your work is what you do to support your life. I’m just fortunate that our team at Apex Tool Group is just as much a part of my family as my life outside of work.”
The VP has built an incredible career, but what is telling is how much time she devotes to her appreciation and gratitude for Smith’s mentorship over the years.
“She’s the one who has influenced me more than anyone else throughout my career,” O’Brien says. “She never got upset. She dealt with stress in a way that didn’t make stressful situations any more so than they already were. She turned every mistake into a learning tool. We probably laughed more than two people at work should ever laugh.”
O’Brien says Smith also taught her how to manage people effectively. She learned by trial and error, turning around projects that had gone sideways, and placing value and consideration for how a person’s life outside of work affects their day-to-day work.
Making the Leap
Creating that kind of culture has become even more important for the VP as she’s moved up the ranks and led her own teams, including her jump to the accounting side of Apex Tool Group. But why the jump?
“Leaving tax was a leap of faith; I had spent so much time trying to figure out what was going on in the accounting side, I realized that I had been doing double the work,” O’Brien says. “It was my first time not working for Vicki, and it was a big move for me. But as it turns out, you pick up a lot of the accounting side of things from the tax perspective. It helped me see some things that really weren’t working well almost immediately.”
After an assistant controller left the company, O’Brien realized just how difficult the void would be for his people to fill. O’Brien rounded up the corporate accounting team, a team that eventually officially came under her purview, to help lead them through the gradual process and improvement transformation.
It’s in that relationship-building that O’Brien puts so much faith and trust. If you work with the VP, she has probably helped you out of a jam more than a handful of times. In return, she’s earned trust many times, creating lasting relationships across her organization.
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“Something I’m proud of is the tenure of people on my accounting team,” O’Brien says. “If they’ve left, they’ve left for an opportunity that I couldn’t provide them, with my blessing. But you know what? They still come to lunch with us. Almost anyone that has left our group is still part of this family.”
A Loving Title
O’Brien says that she’s earned a nickname over the years. Most people will readily call her a bulldog, and she doesn’t mind the designation because it denotes loyalty, transparency, and communication.
“I’m structured with my people because I want to make sure they understand the importance of why we’re asking for things and how they affect the company,” the VP says. “If they understand, they’re more likely to be honest, they’re more likely to provide the information that I need, even if it’s not information I want to hear. We can’t change anything if they’re not honest with me, and that’s why I spend so much time developing these relationships.”
Apex’s external partners have taken note of O’Brien’s leadership approach. “Amy’s tax expertise provides her with a deep insight into her team’s requirements for success,” says Christine Funkhouser, managing director at Global Tax Management. “Recognizing improvement needs, Amy enlisted our help to offer specialized tax knowledge, process automation, and mentorship.”
At the time of speaking, O’Brien was in the middle of year-end close. The VP oversees external audit for the accounting and tax groups and leads the treasury function. It’s a tremendously busy time of year, but she’s created the kind of environment that she and Smith thrived in for decades. The team is a family, attending each other’s kid’s athletic events and, probably, laughing more than they should.
For nearly three decades, Global Tax Management (GTM) has dedicated itself to helping multinational organizations address complex tax operations. Our relationship with Apex Tool Group, particularly with VP, Corporate Controller, and Treasurer Amy O’Brien, stands as a testament to our commitment. We take pride in easing the tax and finance burdens of our clients, offering comprehensive services such as tax provision, income tax compliance, international tax, transfer pricing, tax automation, tax credits and incentives, and tax consulting. It is our pleasure to continuously support Apex’s growing business needs through our strong, professional partnership.
