Kullen Birkeland

Executive summary

Kullen Birkeland serves as the office managing partner for Grant Thornton's California market territory, where he oversees the growth and operations of the Los Angeles, Irvine and San Diego offices.

With more than 25 years of public accounting experience at Grant Thornton, his prior leadership positions include West region Tax Services practice leader, Tax Services practice leader in both Southern California and Minneapolis, and national Manufacturing Tax practice leader. In these roles, Birkeland provided strategic direction with respect to expanding the firm’s client base, nurturing talent and establishing best practices to enhance client service.

Birkeland has significant experience in tax compliance and consulting, state tax and foreign tax planning, and optimizing structures for mergers and acquisitions. An additional area of specialization is accounting methods. Birkeland has worked with a wide range of public and private companies that represent industries including retail, manufacturing, distribution and technology. He frequently speaks on manufacturing and tax inventory topics, and has represented manufacturers on Capitol Hill with the National Association of Manufacturers.

Professional qualifications and memberships

• CPA — California, Minnesota
• California Society of Certified Public Accountants
• Minnesota Society of Certified Public Accountants
• AICPA

Community involvement

• Town Hall Los Angeles, Board Member
• American Red Cross — Los Angeles Region, Board Member

Presentations and publications

• Co-author, International taxation for manufacturing: A comparative review, 2011.
• Co-author, A well-oiled machine: Maximizing machinery and equipment opportunities, minimizing risks, 2011.
  

Education

• Master of Taxation, University of Minnesota
• BS, University of Minnesota