We are delighted to announce that Amalan Loganathan, who previously held the role of Director of Finance, has been promoted to the position of Executive Vice President of Finance at CORA Group. Amalan has grown his career with Jonas over the last 11 years, and was critical in helping launch the CORA Group in 2022. In his time with CORA and Jonas, he’s built his finance team up from a group of 11 in 2018 to 50 in 2023, and been involved in the integration of 17 acquisitions ranging in size from 10 employees to 320 employees. We are proud to have him as a key executive in our team.

How Has Amalan’s Experience and Background Contributed to his Success in CORA?

With his undergraduate degree in business from the University of Toronto, coupled with his experience at KPMG and his Chartered Accountant designation, Amalan has established a solid foundation in the realm of accounting and finance. After gaining a comprehensive understanding of the various functional areas of a software business, his proficiency in translating data and metrics into operational information has been crucial to CORA's success.

What Led Amalan to Success and How Did He Achieve His Latest Promotion?

As Amalan began to understand the Constellation model, he realized there was considerable amount of growth opportunity at CORA. Taking on new challenges outside of his role has allowed him to gain valuable experience and positioned him to take on a larger role within CORA.
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“Working in a variety of different roles allowed me to understand the needs/challenges faced by all areas of a finance group from transactional teams to the business facing finance teams and everything in between.”

He credits another factor of his success to the mentorship that he has received and the leadership that he has been able to observe.

“From my first day here, I have worked closely with Matt Otchet, CEO, CORA. I have been able to learn and watch as he has grown CORA and applied some of those lessons to my own role. I have been impressed with his ability to connect with people and foster career growth within his team. As my Finance responsibilities have evolved, I have been fortunate to work closely with Jeff Mackinnon, Jonas Software CFO. He has a tremendous amount of experience in leading a Finance group. I have been grateful that he has been willing to share that knowledge and mentor me along my journey.”

Differentiating Traits of a Successful Finance Team

According to Amalan, what sets his team apart is their focus on collaborating with businesses to demonstrate how data can be transformed into valuable insights that enhance business operations.        

“An excellent Finance team is able to work with the businesses on how their financial/operational data can be converted into action items to improve their overall performance. I hope to take that to the next level as we have a keen group of finance professionals who are looking to add value to our business units. By doing this, I believe they will unlock opportunities and accelerate their career growth.”

He also mentions that working on deals of different sizes have given his team a unique opportunity to understand challenges that businesses have faced pre-acquisition and turn it into an opportunity post-acquisition.

“Hindsight from our previous acquisitions has shown there is real benefit to a business when data is analyzed and articulated in a structured manner. Quite often, when working through the integration of anew acquisition, we have seen similar challenges in one of our past deals. We hope to utilize these experiences to improve their business performance.”

Amalan’s Advice on Maintaining a Healthy Work-Life Balance

While Amalan enjoys leading his team and seeing the growth in his team both in size and career progression, he recognizes the importance of maintaining a healthy work-life balance. With two young children, he has redefined his definition of balance and ensures he spends quality time with his wife and kids on the weekends, usually outside at the park (rain or shine). He also prioritizes his personal time by playing soccer twice a week.

Advice for Other Finance Professionals Looking to Advance their Careers and their Team

Amalan advises individuals who aspire to progress in their careers to seize every opportunity that comes their way. He believes that there is no better method to acquire knowledge than by putting your hand up and taking action. Additionally, he stresses the importance of focusing on one's own path instead of comparing oneself to others.

“Rather than looking left and right, you need to only look straight ahead and focus on your own path. Trust the process.”

Amalan’s success serves as a testament to the power of hard work, mentorship and taking risks while maintaining a healthy work-life balance. Congratulations Amalan on your well-deserved promotion and we look forward to seeing what you accomplish next!