Avalara hires new execs from PayPal, Goldman Sachs

As tax automation provider Avalara ramps up for a new tax landscape, the company has added several key executives from the likes of PayPal and Goldman Sachs.

Amit Mathradas, formerly general manager and head of North American Small Business at digital payments company PayPal, will serve as president and chief operating officer. Sanjay Parthasarathy will serve as chief product officer; he joined Avalara when the company bought Indix, which he founded, and where he served as CEO. Ross Tennenbaum will be Avalara’s executive vice president of strategic initiatives. He joins from Goldman Sachs, where he served as managing director in its technology investment banking division.

Based out of the company’s Seattle headquarters, the three newly created positions will join Avalara’s executive team and more than 1,600 employees globally.

Mathradas will oversee the end-to-end customer experience for businesses seeking tax compliance support, including business development, sales, marketing, customer success, global compliance and professional services. At PayPal, he led the company’s small business segment, managing teams responsible for acquisition, activation, cross-sell and retention for millions of merchants. His experience includes working as senior vice president and general manager of Web.com, focusing on management of software-as-a-service tools for small businesses, and serving 14 years at Dell in a variety of roles, eventually as general manager for the computer maker’s small business division.

“One of the many things drawing me to Avalara is the magnitude of the team’s vision — to be part of every transaction in the world. The most exciting days for Avalara are ahead and I am honored to be a part of that journey,” said Mathradas in a statement.

As chief product officer, Parthasarathy is charged with unifying global product management, enhancing the in-product customer experience, and driving the long-term global product roadmap. Before founding Indix, Parthasarathy was a senior executive and leader at Microsoft for nearly 20 years. As corporate vice president, he expanded Microsoft’s developer and platform group to more than 1,500 employees worldwide and grew the developer tools business to $1 billion worldwide. Parthasarathy also helped launch the .NET platform, and as regional director of Microsoft South Asia, he was instrumental in Microsoft’s early investment and expansion into India.

Parthasarathy stated, “Now, more than ever, Avalara’s mission to simplify compliance is essential.”

Tennenbaum’s new role leading strategic initiatives encompasses products from various investments and acquisitions, and is at the heart of many of Avalara’s primary growth initiatives, according to the company. He joins Avalara from Goldman Sachs, where he served as a managing director in its technology investment banking division. Tennenbaum’s experience was built over a 10-year investment banking career at Goldman Sachs and Credit Suisse, and nearly seven years in leadership roles at VIACK Corporation, a web collaboration software company.

Tennenbaum’s relationship with Avalara traces back to his investment banker days when he advised management on strategy and finance transactions including Avalara’s IPO in 2018.

“Through more than five years working with Avalara, I have grown to admire its leadership team, large market opportunity and competitive leadership position,” he said in a statement.

Additional appointments

Avalara is gearing up to bolster its international presence and help customers in other countries navigate their governmental and logistical challenges in the same way it serves its U.S. clients. To that end, the company has promoted long-time executive Pascal Van Dooren to the role of executive vice president, international. Van Dooren’s extensive experience in international business is well-suited to building Avalara’s existing presence in North and South America, Europe and Asia, and ultimately to offering a consistent Avalara solution across all regions.

Additionally, Marshal Kushniruk will move to the role of executive vice president of corporate development, focusing on helping Avalara provide the right solutions and content for any new industry, product or region its customers or partners may require. Kushniruk is a founding employee of Avalara and has been instrumental in its growth in business development, products and M&A.

Avalara also announced the hiring of Steve Lomax as managing director of EMEA, based in Avalara’s Brighton, England office. Avalara continues to invest in its team, its technology and its expertise, including this year’s acquisitions of assets from Compli, a beverage alcohol compliance business, in addition to the Indix buy.