Our People

Marc is the founding partner at Schwartz International and international tax nerd-in-chief. He spends most days working with his clients – U.S. and foreign individuals and businesses – providing practical strategic tax and business advice to help them successfully work across borders and achieve their short- and long-term goals. Additionally, he spends a good deal of time partnering with accounting and law firms in need of international experience and sharing his expertise at conferences and meetings around the world.

Marc has lived and worked in the U.S. and abroad in both governmental and private sector roles. His diverse experience allows him to bring a practical global perspective to the individuals and businesses he serves. He began his career at a Big 6 accounting firm in his hometown of Atlanta, Georgia, where he built a strong foundation in federal, state, local, and international tax. He then transferred to one of the firm’s offices in Latin America where he continued to serve European, Asian, Latin American and U.S. clients.

After 10 years in large, global accounting firms, Marc decided to branch out and start his own firm based on conversations with clients who wanted more flexibility in scope and pricing. He started by working with businesses in the “amorphous middle market” as well as start-ups and their entrepreneurial owners. Those relationships have grown, and the firm now works with clients of all sizes, both public and private, and individuals across the economic spectrum.

A geographically diverse client base has allowed Marc to gain significant experience with tax treaties, outbound/inbound planning, repatriation, foreign tax credits, real estate investments/FIRPTA, branch taxes and audit defense. In addition, Marc is a recognized author who contributes articles on international tax matters and legal issues to several trade publications.

Marc earned his BA from Colgate University, a Master of International Affairs from Columbia University and a law degree from Emory University. He is fluent in Spanish and can speak Italian and Portuguese nearly as well as a 4-year-old native speaker. He continues to practice his language skills on a consistent basis to add value to the firm and its clients, so he is always game to practice different languages over drinks.

A Trinidad native with degrees in applied mathematics and physics, Paul runs intellectual circles around the rest of the Schwartz International team, keeping them constantly on their toes. Don’t let his gentle Caribbean lilt fool you – Paul is an extraordinarily passionate, intelligent and creative international tax nerd.

Having lived and worked in many different countries, Paul brings over four decades of both industry and large public accounting firm experience in global tax planning and strategy to the U.S. and foreign individual and business clients he serves. His experience includes managing the international tax functions of two U.S.-based multinational companies with operations in Europe, the Americas and Asia as well as serving as an inbound and outbound tax planning specialist while a partner in a Big 4 firm.

Paul has a profound technical understanding of U.S./global tax rules and extensive experience in cross-border mergers and acquisitions, reorganizations, corporate structuring, financing, and initial public offerings. He is respected around the world for his expertise in income tax treaties and has consulted with foreign governments on treaty policy and legislation affecting international tax and business issues. In addition, Paul is a frequent speaker at international tax conferences, has authored numerous articles on international tax issues, and is the founder and first president of The American Chamber of Commerce in the Eastern Caribbean. His love and passion lie with his two grandchildren who he teaches to dance with swaying Caribbean and Latin rhythms. His mode of relaxation for holidays is cruising the ocean (love of the sea from his Caribbean roots) with family.

As a native of Germany, Simone brings a unique global perspective and cultural understanding to both the individual and corporate clients she serves. A true international tax nerd, she is able to bridge the gap between the different tax and legal systems and literally and figuratively speak the clients’ language as she is fluent in German, French, and English, and has a working knowledge of Spanish.

She started her career in a large global accounting firm and brings exceptional knowledge about individual and company inbound and outbound international transactions and tax compliance to her clients. She also designs strategies and provides practical advice for companies transferring their employees cross-border, with a focus on income and social security taxes, treaties, and estate tax planning.

Simone moved to the U.S. after growing up in Germany, earning her German law degree, and passing her 2 State Exam (Assessorexamen) in Bavaria. She earned an LLM in Tax from St. Louis University and is a U.S. Certified Public Accountant. Simone and Marc go back a long way – they worked together at Coopers & Lybrand (now PwC) in 1996 as budding international tax nerds.

After four years teaching German at the university level, Katja decided to change careers and become an international tax nerd, where she combines her language skills with her number-crunching prowess. Add to that her personal international experience which allows her to carefully examine and address the needs of multinational businesses with a trained, critical eye.

Katja has lived half her life in Germany and half in the U.S. and held jobs in both countries as well as England. She travels extensively, giving her outstanding people skills, a thirst for new knowledge, and an ability to communicate clearly in nearly any situation. Prior to joining Schwartz International, she held a variety of positions, including working as a professional translator, which exposed her to cross-border business, as well as teaching at a university, which explains her excellent attention to detail and ability to deconstruct complicated subjects in a way that anyone can understand.

Katja earned her Master of Applied Linguistics from Johannes Gutenberg-Universität in Mainz, Germany and her MBA from Meredith College in Raleigh, NC. She is fluent in English and German and has a working knowledge of French and Spanish.

Never one to pass up an opportunity to challenge herself or expand her knowledge, Katja enjoys spending her time away from work canoeing in the Canadian Wilderness. She also relishes more tame adventures like gourmet cooking, tending her vegetable and herb gardens, and taking long hikes with her hunting dogs.

Being an accountant is literally in Charles’ blood as the son of two CPAs, but it was a university class in international tax that sparked his passion for the niche and decision to become an international tax nerd. After conquering the complex, and often intimidating, field of international taxation at Deloitte, he was a natural fit for Schwartz International, where he serves as an International Tax Senior Advisor.

He particularly relishes the challenge and opportunities that each individual and business client brings, since no two issues are ever completely the same. An Atlanta native whose family counts eight generations in the metro area, Charles earned both his bachelor’s and master’s degree in accounting from the University of Georgia. He is a member of the AICPA and the Georgia Society of CPAs.

At the tender age of 8, Charles began his lifelong relationship with skiing. He was a tri-athlete in high school, participating in basketball, baseball, and wrestling. Sports continue to enrich his life too. In addition to hitting the slopes whenever he can, Charles plays in a co-ed kickball league and a basketball league, which won its 2015 Championship Tournament. He also volunteers at North Point Church, where he is a member. Charles got married November 2016, right after he joined the firm, and the happy couple reside in Atlanta – of course!

Qulanda, better known as simply Q, is the coolest of all us international tax nerds at Schwartz International. An Atlanta, GA native, she is not only the firm’s office manager, but the head taskmaster, cat herder and ringleader, who has kept us all on our toes for over six years now. Along with managing the day-to-day operations of the firm, she has become an IRS Certified Acceptance Agent, a Certified Quickbooks User, a Georgia Notary Public, and is a continuous student of the global tax issues that our clients’ face daily.

Q graduated from Georgia State University, earning a degree in Film/Video Production and Spanish. While a student at Georgia State, she participated in a study abroad summer program, living with a host family in Guadalajara, Mexico and attended the Centro de Estudios para Extranjeros – Universidad de Guadalajara. She has a working knowledge of Spanish and an interest in learning Japanese.

A producer and director of various indie film productions and web series, it’s no surprise that she is able to keep up with the unique cast of characters that make up the Schwartz International team. A little-known fact about Q is that she is a pool shark, having played in tournaments while in college. When not wrangling her co-workers, she enjoys spending time with her large family, which includes 14 nieces and nephews, and can be found letting loose by singing karaoke, which is as close as she gets to fulfilling her childhood dream of being a singer.