Maria Caruso

Maria Caruso has extensive experience leading controllership, financial reporting, and accounting transformation initiatives for public and private companies across a variety of industries. She specializes in helping organizations navigate periods of growth, transaction activity, system change, and organizational transition by stabilizing accounting functions, strengthening close and reporting processes, and providing hands-on finance leadership.

Maria has served in interim controllership capacities, helping organizations maintain operational continuity during leadership transitions, acquisitions, system implementations, and other periods of significant change. Her experience includes rapidly assessing accounting organizations, identifying operational and reporting risks, and implementing stabilization plans to improve financial reporting quality, close execution, and team effectiveness.

Maria specializes in establishing and optimizing accounting and controllership functions, including close optimization, financial reporting enhancement, and process design across the end-to-end finance and accounting cycle. She has led efforts to streamline close procedures, strengthen accounting policies and controls, and enhance reporting visibility to provide management with timely and accurate financial information.

Maria also has deep transaction experience, advising clients on complex matters including acquisitions, divestitures, carve-outs, IPO readiness initiatives, public offerings, SEC reporting requirements, and ERP implementation.

Prior to Stout, Maria worked in KPMG’s Accounting Advisory Services practice.