Esther Mills

Education

B.S., finance and accounting, The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania; CPA

Summary of Experience

Ms. Mills is an expert in US and international accounting and financial reporting issues, with over 30 years’ experience in the financial services industry. As the founder and president of Accounting Policy Plus, she has a deep knowledge of accounting issues in complex transactions and a strong track record of developing, implementing, and applying new accounting policies. Ms. Mills also has an extensive record as an expert witness, and has testified and filed expert reports on issues that include hedge accounting, structured transactions, securitizations, variable-interest entities, repurchase agreements, and the valuation of a complex portfolio of derivatives.

Prior to founding Accounting Policy Plus, Ms. Mills was a managing director at Morgan Stanley, where she oversaw the financial reporting and accounting policy departments. In that role, she spearheaded major policy implementation initiatives and met regularly with senior policymakers at the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), the Federal Reserve System, the US Department of the Treasury, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC), the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB), and the International Accounting Standards Board (IASB). Ms. Mills also advised business units on structuring trades, oversaw SEC reporting and accounting compliance, and developed comprehensive training in generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP) and International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) for all finance personnel. She held a similar role at Merrill Lynch, where she also implemented a Sarbanes-Oxley governance framework and designed internal control requirements. Ms. Mills is a certified public accountant (CPA).