Rita Karachun

Former Senior Vice President Finance, Global Controller at Merck

Speaker

As Global Controller, Rita is responsible for all accounting and reporting aspects for Merck. In this role, Rita has oversight responsibility for all accounting at Merck including developing accounting policies for Merck, the interpretation of those policies for specific transactions and the consolidation of Merck’s results. Rita also oversees Merck’s external reporting, the accounting for business development activity as well as managing the financial supply chain of intercompany sales transactions.

Rita joined Merck in 2007 as an Assistant Controller for Schering-Plough and continued as Assistant Controller for Merck after the merger between Schering-Plough and Merck in 2009. In these roles, Rita led the integration of Schering-Plough’s acquisition of OBS, a Netherlands-based company and also led the implementation of a global consolidation system.

Before joining Schering-Plough, Rita worked at AT&T Corp. and it’s leasing subsidiary, AT&T Capital, for 16 years. Her last position with AT&T was Assistant Controller and Chief Accountant. Rita held a variety of roles at AT&T of increasing responsibility, including investor relations manager and controller of corporate units. Prior to AT&T, Rita was a senior at Arthur Andersen & Co.,

Rita is a certified public accountant and earned a B.S. degree in accounting from Fairleigh Dickinson University, graduating Summa Cum Laude.