JOHN KWAK is Vice President of Customs Consulting and Compliance for Sandler, Travis & Rosenberg Limited, resident in Hong Kong. He provides advice to clients on a range of customs issues, including first sale engagements, compliance assessments, customs audits and planning, prior disclosures, and internal control and process improvement reviews.
Prior to joining the Firm, Mr. Kwak was regional senior manager, Asia-Pacific, for a major accounting firm. In this position he was responsible for developing regional clients, supervising local office staff, managing multiple client service teams and ensuring quality technical deliverables. Previously he led the establishment of another accounting firm’s Asia-Pacific customs practice after starting its customs and international trade practice in Chicago. During this time he consulted with clients on customs audits, compliance reviews, prior disclosures, and internal control and process improvement reviews. His achievements included leading major engagements of multi-billion dollar value disclosures and establishing the firm’s first sale for export program.
Earlier in his career Mr. Kwak served for nearly seven years as a compliance assessment team leader in the Regulatory Audit Division of the U.S. Customs Service. In this position he assisted in fraud and grand jury investigations, conducted compliance assessments in several primary focus industries, assisted in the compliance assessment report re-engineering, developed and implemented automated work papers and conducted foreign cost verifications in Japan and Thailand.
Mr. Kwak holds a B.S. degree in accounting from Indiana University. He is a member of the American Association of Exporters and Importers, the American Chamber of Commerce in Hong Kong and the Illinois CPA Society.
John Kwak is not admitted to the practice of law.