For Mark Fadden, tax director at Amgen, the path to a career in tax began with an unexpected discovery during his CPA exam preparation. “I loved the corporate tax part of the CPA exam,” Fadden recalls. “When I took the practice session, I had this huge corporate income tax question, and I just loved doing it.”
This early affinity for tax law would shape his career trajectory. After earning his accounting degree, Fadden started as an accounting manager at the ServiceMaster Company, where an opening in the tax department provided his entry into the field. The company supported his professional development, funding his master’s degree in taxation as he worked his way up to tax director.
What drew Fadden to tax was not just the numbers, but also the legal framework behind them. “When I went into tax, what I liked was that you dealt with law, with actual federal law. I really enjoyed the law aspect of it,” he explains.
This interest in legal matters might have led him down a different path had he known more about the field earlier: “When you’re younger, you think of attorneys as just being the people on TV in court. I never understood that there were parts of law that probably would have suited me, like tax law, corporate law, contract law. Had I known that existed, I probably would have pursued a law degree,” he says.
Intro to TEI
Fadden’s involvement with TEI began during his tenure at ServiceMaster, where he was managing a particularly challenging IRS audit. His successful and ethical handling of complex issues led to ServiceMaster becoming one of just seventeen companies initially invited to participate in the IRS Compliance Assurance Process (CAP) program. This distinction launched Fadden into involvement with TEI at the Institute level, where he became a speaker at national conferences, sharing his experiences in the CAP program. His involvement with TEI would also not have occurred were it not for the ServiceMaster vice president of tax, John Mann, urging him to participate as a means to grow in his development as an in-house tax professional.
His engagement with TEI deepened through the Chicago Chapter, where he served on both the Federal Tax Committee and the IRS Administrative Affairs Committee before progressing through the officer ranks. During his presidency of the Chicago Chapter in 2020–2021, the chapter achieved a significant milestone, becoming the largest TEI chapter worldwide.
Fadden takes particular pride in his initiatives to promote diversity during his presidency. He spearheaded TEI Chicago joint training sessions with the National Association of Black Accountants and the Association of Latino Professionals for America, broadening TEI’s reach and impact.
Currently, Fadden’s work with the Institute focuses on bridging industry and government perspectives. He leads a collaborative project between TEI members and IRS officials, developing best practices for IRS audits of pharmaceutical companies, with a particular focus on transfer pricing. The team has already conducted successful training sessions in New York City and Chicago with a joint audience of IRS agents and TEI members from the pharmaceutical industry, with plans for West Coast expansion in 2025.
Continuing Education
Beyond his TEI work, Fadden continues to pursue his passion for tax law while earning a master’s degree in legal studies at Cornell University, where he’s following a curriculum that directly applies to his work at Amgen. “I get to take classes in their law school for the things that I work on in tax,”
he explains.
His coursework includes cross-border transaction law, intellectual property law, and contract law—all vital areas for his role in Amgen’s tax planning team. Fadden also greatly appreciates his boss, John Cise, and the leadership of the Amgen tax department, who support his pursuit of the
master’s in legal studies and his continued involvement with TEI.
Beyond Work
Outside the office, Fadden embraces life with the same enthusiasm he brings to his professional pursuits. An avid outdoorsman, he particularly enjoys cross-country skiing and kayaking. Despite his busy schedule pursuing another master’s degree, Fadden remains a dedicated Chicago White Sox fan, following Major League Baseball closely even through his team’s challenging seasons.
Reflecting on his two decades as a TEI member, Fadden emphasizes the organization’s crucial role in his professional development. “TEI has been extremely critical for my career,” he says, citing not just the training and leadership opportunities, but also the invaluable network of professionals he can turn to for guidance on complex tax issues.
“All the really nice people over the twenty years I’ve been involved in TEI who are my personal friends—that’s really important to me as well.”
