Kayla Zhou
Palo Alto,CA
Summary
Finance and accounting professional with 10+ years of experience in budgeting, forecasting, rate base analysis, regulatory reporting, tax accounting, and financial planning. Current PG&E Senior Tax Analyst / Senior Regulatory Analyst supporting five-year embedded tax runout forecasts, expense and capital budget performance, 2027 GRC, TO/WD rate cases, IRS and FTB audits, and PowerPlan implementation. Known for accurate analysis, strong teamwork, empathy, clear communication, and effective partnerships across Finance, Tax, Regulatory, Accounting, and business teams.
Overview
11
11
years of professional experience
Work History
Senior Tax Analyst
Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E)
10.2023 - Current
- Partner with departments to develop and monitor expense, capital, and expenditure budgets; update forecasts, analyze budget-to-actual variances, and report key performance drivers.
- Perform utility rate base calculations and analyze plant, accumulated depreciation, deferred taxes, and related financial inputs used in regulatory and management reporting.
- Develop and maintain a five-year embedded tax runout model to support long-range budgeting, forecasting, and analysis of tax timing impacts.
- Support the 2027 General Rate Case, tax unbundling RO inputs, Tax Chapter workpapers, TO/WD rate cases, Discovery Tracker, and separately funded models.
- Develop and track financial and operational metrics for process measurement, business performance, forecast accuracy, and emerging financial or regulatory risks.
- Manage IRS and FTB audit support by preparing schedules, validating records, coordinating responses, and partnering with internal stakeholders to resolve inquiries.
- Support PowerPlan Fixed Assets implementation through testing, data validation, issue tracking, and process documentation; communicate findings and recommendations to management.
Senior Tax Associate
PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC)
08.2022 - 10.2023
- Led preparation and review of federal and state tax returns and provisions for large public companies; analyzed financial data, reconciled discrepancies, and reviewed tax disclosures in Forms 10-K and 10-Q.
Tax Associate
Khulna and Associates
01.2018 - 08.2022
- Prepared tax workpapers, financial statements, reconciliations, estimated payments, and supporting schedules; partnered directly with clients to resolve issues and meet deadlines.
Tax Associate
Elite Tax and Business Service
05.2015 - 12.2017
- Performed bookkeeping, bank reconciliations, monthly journal entries, tax preparation support, and month-end and year-end reporting.
Education
Master of Science - Accountancy
Golden Gate University
San Francisco, CASkills
- Budgeting & Forecasting
- Rate Base Calculation
- 5-Year Embedded Tax Runout
- Expense & Capital Analysis
- Variance & Performance Reporting
- Financial Modeling
- Operational & Risk Metrics
- CPUC / FERC Rate Case Support
- IRS & FTB Audit Support
- SAP R/3
- PowerPlan Fixed Assets
- Power BI / Alteryx / UI Planner
- Analysis for Microsoft Excel
- Journal Entries & Reconciliations
Timeline
Senior Tax Analyst
Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E)
10.2023 - Current
Senior Tax Associate
PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC)
08.2022 - 10.2023
Tax Associate
Khulna and Associates
01.2018 - 08.2022
Tax Associate
Elite Tax and Business Service
05.2015 - 12.2017
Master of Science - Accountancy
Golden Gate University