John Cowan resigns from Vertex to join Ryan’s management team

Ryan has announced that John Cowan has joined the management team as senior vice president, chief strategy officer. Cowan will lead Ryan’s strategy and business excellence function and focus on delivering higher levels of client value and results through transformational business, process, and operational improvement initiatives.

Prior to joining Ryan, Cowan spent more than 25 years in various leadership roles at Vertex, Inc., an implementation partner of Ryan and leading provider of tax technology and services. He most recently served on the Vertex executive governance group as managing director in the enterprise solutions office, where he drove market development, strategy, and operational planning.

“John Cowan has a demonstrated history of launching business improvement strategies that result in higher profitability, efficiency, and client service,” said Ryan Global President and Chief Operating Officer Ginny B. Kissling. “His strategic insight, business acumen, and tax experience will support our ability to deliver greater client value while successfully executing our aggressive global growth plan.”

“Ryan’s tax expertise combined with its pioneering suite of software and technology for improving prospective tax performance is incredibly forward-thinking,” said John Cowan. “I am excited to join the team of innovative Ryan professionals in their quest to build the leading global brand in tax.”

Cowan holds a Bachelor of Science degree in mechanical engineering from Villanova University.