Meet Poorna Kamath—CSC Corptax Technology Manager

Tell us about your career path at Corptax.

I came to Corptax with extensive experience in software development and personnel management. When I interviewed, I really liked their technology-forward focus, so I accepted a Corptax software developer position to advance my technical skills. I wrote code for the Corptax product and later helped build core Corptax AIT reports needed for beta testing with clients. Since then, my team and I have been building and supporting Corptax AIT and legacy provision products.

In 2020, I took a Technology Manager leadership opportunity with our Project Management Team. This gave me the chance to lean in on my organizational and process skills to streamline project and release management. We’ve evolved in how we manage our work. Now we embrace quarterly planning, which gives us all a chance to be intentional with the work we take on. Quarterly planning also narrows our focus, allowing us to deliver business value to our customers faster. We’re like a family. It’s exciting to learn, grow, and build great software together.

As a Technology Manager, I’ve taken the chance to perform different roles – from project manager to Scrum master to program manager. This exposes me to different parts of the business, and as a result, I approach daily activities with a better understanding of the big picture. I focus on our overall progress while continuing to help and execute alongside my team members. The challenges of performing different roles also gives me an opportunity to continuously learn. Every day is completely different, so it’s a lot of fun.

Describe how you and your team work together.

We’re undergoing an Agile transformation, so we’ve readopted and recommitted to the Scrum methodology. This essentially means we deliver work to clients piece-by-piece. We plan for two-week sprints, and each sprint has a clear goal. Instead of waiting months to deliver, we break the project down into meaningful portions and say to the client, “Try this piece out. Does it meet your expectations?” Then, we take their feedback on that piece and build on it.

Plus, we’re all about having an agile and flexible mindset. Because we progress in increments, we anticipate and address potential issues in a timely fashion. Our two-week sprint goals keep us focused on the items we agreed to prioritize and deliver on.

The end result is high-performance teamwork. Our teams operate with a greater sense of autonomy. We believe software built this way allows our customers to truly derive value from it.

What lessons has your work life taught you?

In technology, the landscape changes very quickly, and we’re always dealing with the next big thing. It requires us to adapt, react, and keep up with trends. I’ve learned to think in terms of upskilling, learning new technology, and working with different groups of people. Plus, I have learned to never be complacent and to treat failures as opportunities to learn and grow.

What are some challenges, opportunities, and evolving trends you see developing in the next five years?

Corptax is a technology company that has always prided itself on adapting to the latest and greatest in technology and having very little technical debt. It will be interesting to see how we evolve and adapt to developments in artificial intelligence, large language models, and machine learning—and how we leverage those advancements in our products to help our customers. For example, we want to see how we can build enhancements in our product such as adding more financial analytics functionality. It’s an exciting time and I can’t wait to see where it takes us.

Tell us about the culture at Corptax.

I joined Corptax ten years ago and we’ve always focused on the latest technological developments and how they impact us. Advancing is part of our cultural fiber. Even simple things—like staying on top of the most recent version of a particular software—we do that with intention. We adopt the best of the best and use it in a way that really helps us.

Because of our forward-thinking culture, our leadership and teams embrace change in a positive light. We are not reactive; we try to proactively plan for change. That really sets us apart. I’ve worked on different continents and on different products, but Corptax is the first place where I’m truly inspired and free to take on new roles and responsibilities. Even after a decade, there’s always something new. It keeps things fresh and keeps our teams engaged.

We have so many people who have a lot of tenure here. Twenty or thirty years is not uncommon. Everyone stays abreast of the latest advancements, and they pivot really quickly to changing technologies or trends and pick up new skills. And our company invests in us. They give us opportunities to learn or to try something new. It’s fine if we fail as we learn from those experiences. We enjoy working together; it’s a very collaborative spirit here.

Who is someone you admire and why?

This is a twofold answer. I really admire my mom. She’s been working since the 1960s, so she really taught me all about discipline, a good work ethic, and multitasking well. She’s always been very efficient at home and at work, so she’s my first introduction to a project manager. She had a long and thriving career. She showed me what it takes to be successful and lead a happy and holistic life.

And the second part of that answer is what has kept me at Corptax for so long: the admiration I have for our leaders and my colleagues. I interact with them every day and truly believe we have some of the best people in the industry. They bring their best selves to work. There’s great teamwork here, and they motivate me to do my best every day.