Jonathan Maharaj FCPA

Aurora Financials

I'm a CPA in public practice, Virtual CFO, qualified statutory auditor, and business consultant. 

I assist senior leaders and Boards with governance, strategy, audits, and financial reporting.

Some of my key contributions include:

✦ Growing a client's business from 0 to 13,770 clients in 11 months, with no debt, no marketing, a 70% net profit margin and strong cash flow

✦ Bestowed with CPA Australia's Murray Wyatt Award for demonstrating innovation, a progressive mindset, and supporting the public practice community.

✦ Bestowed with the New Zealand Charities Services Tier 3 Reporting Award by Chartered Accountants Australia and New Zealand for demonstrating excellence in financial reporting for a client

✦ Directed a client's financial functions and saved them over 50% in finance team costs.

Founder and CEO

CPA Australia

The Divisional Councils’ key role is member engagement and local support for CPA Australia and in helping to maintain the integrity of the designation. 

Divisional Councils are an important link between the members and CPA Australia’s Board and the organisation more broadly. Depending on the size and complexity of the Division, regional committee branches, speciality interest and sector committees or networks may support the work of Divisional Councils in member engagement and advocacy activities.

Individual Divisional Councillors act as advocates for CPA Australia and for members of the Division in their regions and spheres of influence.

New Zealand Division Councillor

New Zealand Pacific Union Conference of the Seventh-Day Adventist Church

Tier 1 registered charity with subsidiaries such as Sanitarium, Life Health Foods, Adventist Development and Relief Agency, and others.

✦ Executive Committee, Audit and Risk Committee, Compensation Review Committee, and Health Endowment Fund Investment Committee

Executive Committee Member / Chairman (Audit and Risk Committee)

Association of Certified Fraud Examiners (ACFE)

The ACFE Advisory Council is an assembly of 2,000 global fraud-fighting experts dedicated to the improvement and growth of the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners (ACFE). 

Members may be asked to participate in quarterly member surveys, speak at ACFE events, write or review course materials, provide industry case studies and assist in professional development activities. Members have the unique opportunity to help the ACFE chart the course for the future of fraud prevention and detection.

Member, ACFE Advisory Council

Kiwibank

I served as a Senior Leader and active member of Internal Audit Leadership Team, while spearheading team of five, including senior managers and managers. I directed and monitored the leadership and development of Kiwigroup's internal audit capabilities.

Some of my key contributions included:

✦ Headed assurance aspects of Kiwibank's transformation programme. 

✦ Managed work programme delivery and project management for business and technology audits.

Executive Manager Internal Audit / Head of Audit and Assurance

NZX Limited

In this role, I led the smooth functioning of the Issuer Compliance team actively participating in regulation of NZX's securities and derivatives markets. Furthermore, I administered diverse workloads, while offering leadership direction within broader team environment. 

I hired, trained, and led the management of six professionals, including lawyers, accountants, and compliance staff. Along with acting as Subject Matter Expert for accounting and financial matters in relation to NZX-listed issuers, I investigated, identified, and mitigated potential rule breaches in compliance with regulatory standards.

Some of my key contributions included:

✦ Attained best practice market conduct and governance by engaging with NZX-listed issuers.

✦ Successfully monitored high-profile investigations, such as market manipulation, compliance projects, and NZX’s enforcement functions. 

✦ Reduced operational loss by gathering/evaluating information on listed issuer population and delivering insights to influence behaviours. 

✦ Prepared and supervised cases referred to NZ Markets Disciplinary Tribunal (NZMDT). 

✦ Participated during review of NZX policy, rules, and processes related to compliance and enforcement. 

✦ Fostered key NZX relationships with FMA, RBNX, DIA, ASX, takeovers panel, NZMDT, and other NZX teams.

Manager, Market Conduct

New Zealand Qualified Statutory Auditor with broad industry experience in:

Financial Services – Capital Markets, Insurance, Banking, Finance, Investing, Stock Broking, Derivatives – Automotive – Education – Engineering – Healthcare – Information Technology (including Insurtech, Fintech, and SaaS) – Legal and HR – Manufacturing – Mining – Not for Profit – Oil and Gas – Public Sector – Real Estate – Retail – Tourism

Audit Practitioner, PwC and other firms

Optimist. CFO & Strategic Advisor. Follow for Financial Clarity. Ranked #1 in NZ and #59 Globally for Financial Markets on LinkedIn (Favikon).

Thank you for visiting my profile. I help leaders make better financial decisions with clarity.

For over 20 years, I've worked across auditing, consulting, and strategic finance - helping founders, executives, listed companies, and global brands to cut through the noise and focus on what truly matters. 

My work blends deep financial insight with practical strategy, helping leadership teams navigate complexity and move forward with confidence.

I founded Aurora Financials to offer something different: high-trust, remote-first advisory built on real expertise, supporting clients from early-stage ventures to listed enterprises.

My focus is simple: support leadership teams with insight, integrity, and the tools to make confident, long-term decisions.

Areas of focus:
• Strategic finance and decision-making for leadership
• Remote CFO advisory and business strategy clarity
• Turnarounds, restructures, and growth pivots
• Executive briefings and Board-level insights
• International Speaker

I also publish a free weekly newsletter and host a free financial masterclass (in production) - designed to give back and help more people make smarter financial decisions.

Based in New Zealand and serving clients globally.

Remote-first. Confidential by design. In-person engagements by invitation only.

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I work with leaders who know that the right insight, at the right time, changes everything.

If your next move requires financial clarity, strategy, and trust - I’m here when you're ready.

🌐 jonathanmaharaj.com | aurorafinancials.com

Disclaimer: The content I share is general information only and not financial advice. Please seek professional advice for your specific needs.

The ACFE Advisory Council is an assembly of 2,000 fraud-fighting experts dedicated to the improvement and growth of the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners (ACFE). 

Members may be asked to participate in quarterly member surveys, speak at ACFE events, write or review course materials, provide industry case studies and assist in professional development activities. 

Members have the unique opportunity to help the ACFE chart the course for the future of fraud prevention and detection.

The most profitable word? 
"Wait."

It’s a word that no one wants to hear.

Markets love urgency. 
🔥 Hot tips.
🔥 Limited offers.
🔥 Last chances.

FOMO sells better than facts.

Twenty years in accounting and finance taught me this: The best opportunities aren't rushed.

People ready to bet their savings on crypto. Others wanting to sell off their assets because of headlines. Someone racing to catch the "next big IPO."

I tell people the same thing: Wait and think before you act.

That’s not financial advice. It’s common sense.

Not a pleasant thing to hear and definitely not what their friends were saying, but urgency is expensive in finance.

Warren Buffett calls it being fearful when others are greedy. I call it keeping your hands in your pockets while everyone else is reaching for their wallet.

The biggest returns in my career came from patience. From saying no to "sure things." From watching bubbles pop from the sidelines.

From avoiding speculative investments and focusing on the fundamentals of business and investing that have stood the test of time.

Waiting isn't sexy. It won't get you likes and doesn’t make for exciting dinner conversations. But it might just make you wealthy.

Tell me about a time when waiting paid off for you.

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🔄 Share this insight with a decision‑maker.
📰 Get deeper breakdowns in Financial Freedom, my free newsletter: https://lnkd.in/gYHdNYzj
📆 Ready to work together? Book your Clarity Session: https://lnkd.in/gyiqCWV2

Optimist. CFO & Strategic Advisor. Follow for Financial Clarity. New Zealand’s #1 LinkedIn Creator and #9 on LinkedIn Globally in Financial Markets (Favikon).

Term sheets can hurt your company.
Small clauses trade control for price.

You are building, you have traction, and your team are happy. Yet after the round, your freedom feels smaller.

7 ways term sheets surprise founders
(and how to fix them):

1. Liquidation preference confusion:
⇀ You accept the payout order without modelling outcomes.
⇀ Run exit scenarios.

2. Board seats and agenda control:
⇀ You chase valuation and concede who sets the agenda.
⇀ Lock board composition, the chair role, and independent seats.

3. Protective provisions as hidden vetoes:
⇀ You sign a long veto list that stalls normal decisions.
⇀ Limit to mission-critical changes, add thresholds and time limits for approvals.

4. Anti-dilution in a down market:
⇀ You ignore the math when funding gets tougher later.
⇀ Push for gentler protection, trade a little price for a cleaner structure, and model the impact.

5. Option pool shuffle:
⇀ You agree to a large pool before price and quietly lower your valuation.
⇀ Size the pool after price or tie it to a real hiring plan with dates.

6. Drag-along and tag-along misalignment:
⇀ You get dragged to an exit you do not believe in.
⇀ Align triggers, minimum price, and consent rules so timing serves the mission.

7. Cumulative dividends:
⇀ Unpaid dividends add up over time.
⇀ Common shareholders get less at exit.

Do not optimise for a shiny headline number.

Optimise for a structure you can live with when things change.

Financial clarity is leadership clarity.

What else would you add to the list?

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➕ Follow Jonathan Maharaj FCPA for finance‑leadership clarity.
🔄 Share this insight with a decision‑maker.
📰 Get deeper breakdowns in Financial Freedom, my free newsletter: https://lnkd.in/gYHdNYzj
📆 Ready to work together? Book your Clarity Session: https://lnkd.in/gyiqCWV2

Private Equity Terms Sheets. Jonathan Maharaj

The energy you carry is louder than what you say.

Ever notice how some people just feel magnetic?

They walk into a room, and you want to tell them
things you wouldn’t tell anyone else.

It’s not luck. It’s not charm.

It’s the result of high vibration energy.

I’ve seen it in Boardrooms.
I’ve seen it with clients.
I’ve seen it in myself.

When you raise your energy, 
the world responds differently.

Here’s how I learned to shift my energy:

1. Breathe before you speak
⇀ It sounds simple.
⇀ But when you slow down, you create presence.

2. Lower your voice, raise your impact
⇀ Softening your tone draws people in.
⇀ It’s the opposite of trying to prove something.

3. Let silence work for you
⇀ Not every gap needs filling.
⇀ Let the other person fill it.

4. Hold eye contact just a little longer
⇀ It builds trust faster than you think.

5. Carry a quiet conviction
⇀ You don’t have to shout what you know.
⇀ Stand in it, and others will feel it.

This is what I mean by high vibration.

It's not a buzzword, but a charismatic presence.

Watch the short video I’ve made on this.

It might change how you show up this week.

Because financial clarity is leadership clarity.

Video credit: social media, author unknown.

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🔄 Share this insight with a decision‑maker.
📰 Get deeper breakdowns in Financial Freedom, my free newsletter: https://lnkd.in/gYHdNYzj
📆 Ready to work together? Book your Clarity Session: https://lnkd.in/gyiqCWV2

Rescheduled a client meeting.
Went to my son's school music performance instead.

Ten years ago, I would've made a different choice.

Back then, I was the guy sending emails at 3 AM.
Taking calls during family dinner.
Missing moments I'll never get back.

"It's just temporary," I told myself.
"Big project ending soon." 
"Next quarter will be better."

Spoiler: It never got better. 

The deadlines never stopped. 
The urgent meetings kept coming.

Maybe you know the feeling when your child stops asking if you'd come to their events. When they just assumed you wouldn't be there. That was how I felt.

Watching his class sing and dance, I saw what I'd been missing.

The way his eyes searched the crowd. The smile when he spotted me. The proud wave after his performance.

No client meeting will ever match that moment.

Funny thing about corporate life. They call it 'dedication' when you sacrifice family time, and 'leadership' when you put work first.

But my son won't remember my client presentations or quarterly reports. He'll remember the empty chair, or the dad who finally showed up.

Your desk will always need you. 
Your inbox will always be full.
Clients will always have issues that need resolving.
And when you resign your boss will replace you.

But your kids won't always be young.

So choose wisely.

What moment made you rethink your priorities?

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➕ Follow Jonathan Maharaj FCPA for finance‑leadership clarity.
🔄 Share this insight with a decision‑maker.
📰 Get deeper breakdowns in Financial Freedom, my free newsletter: https://lnkd.in/gYHdNYzj
📆 Ready to work together? Book your Clarity Session: https://lnkd.in/gyiqCWV2

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