Carolyn Hamilton

I have been in my field for 15 years, starting as an intern at HD Supply 14 years ago this June. I left briefly for an internship at CNN Turner Broadcasting, then returned to HD Supply after graduating with my undergraduate degree. I started as a staff accountant and worked my way up through senior accountant and income tax manager to my current role as senior manager and head of tax, a position I've held for nearly 5 years. I got my undergrad degree while working at HD Supply, and just finished my Master's of Taxation from Georgia State last December while continuing to work full-time. In my role, I manage a team while also managing upwards, with direct communication with the Home Depot tax team on a regular basis. I run meetings regarding legal entities, oversee the close process for month and quarter end, and manage lots of deadlines. It's a very balanced, well-rounded role. My most notable professional achievement has been building extremely strong relationships with Home Depot during the difficult transition from being publicly held to being owned by this massive corporation. Building trust with those teams and maintaining alignment with our goals was not an easy feat, especially navigating the risk of takeover in a clear but respectful way. That relationship-building has helped my team dramatically and has been the most important feat of my career so far.