Young achievers are a part of a generation of trailblazers who by discovering themselves, advance towards a worthwhile goal of living a fulfilled life. Jonathan J. Arnold is a Sri Lankan who serves as a perfect example of this, being a highly academically qualified chartered accountant cum Western musician.

Presently employed at KPMG in the Cayman Islands, he has enjoyed an illustrious career of exactly a decade to date.

Arnold discovered his passion for accountancy and audit whilst studying at a leading international school in Colombo 7. The traits of curiosity and intelligence prompted him to pursue a career in internal audit, which is akin to detective work.

He credits the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA) in the UK – of which he is a Fellow member – for helping lay the foundation for his accountancy education. Subsequently, Arnold achieved the prestigious Fellowship of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Sri Lanka (CA Sri Lanka).

A triple chartered accountant, holding both an Honours degree and a Master of Business Administration from reputed universities in the United Kingdom, he lays claim to being the only Sri Lankan internal auditor to be featured on the distinguished ACCA Global (International) website.

He holds several world renowned accountancy and finance qualifications from four countries – namely, the UK, Australia, Canada and Sri Lanka.
Having commenced his career at PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) Sri Lanka (now Deloitte), Arnold has audited some of the most prestigious institutions in the country and abroad over a tenure spanning almost seven years.

He was invited to join one of his internal audit clients at PwC – Union Assurance (a John Keells Holdings company) to establish the newly formed Audit and Compliance Division.

Thereafter, Arnold’s professional services in system of quality management (SoQM) were pursued by the inaugural KPMG Cayman Islands Delivery Centre (CIDC), established at the KPMG Sri Lanka & Maldives office in Colombo 3, Sri Lanka.

A highly sought-after auditor, he has a reputation for being an auditor with an eye for detail, having uncovered multiple frauds and noteworthy risks for the diverse clients he audited and managed.

Arnold won the Union Assurance 'Team Up Award’ in 2021 for significant contributions in revamping the anti-money laundering (AML) and combatting the financing of terrorism (CFT) systems and processes at the company.

His contributions were instrumental in ensuring compliance with the local regulatory framework, thereby further enhancing Union Assurance’s reputation as a financial services leader in the life insurance sector.

As part of his desire to give back to the profession, Arnold has been an advocate for ACCA Global, CPA Australia and CA Sri Lanka.

He is also a member of the 2022/23 Continuing Professional Development (CPD) committee and former member of the Member Relations committee of CA Sri Lanka, and a contributor to the CPA Australia member discussion group in Sri Lanka.

From a music perspective, Arnold is one of only a handful of Sri Lankans to hold the prestigious Fellowship of the London College of Music (affiliated with the University of West London, UK), which is positioned as the pinnacle of music education.

He has performed in a plethora of charity music concerts in Colombo since the age of 13 and was invited to preside as the chief guest for the annual London College of Music junior prize giving in November 2023.

Music helps Arnold to achieve a work-life balance despite his busy schedule and he says this has enabled him to be a well-rounded individual. Taking pride in being the only Sri Lankan to be a Fellow Chartered Accountant and Fellow of Music, he is an ardent advocate of work-life harmony.

At KPMG in the Cayman Islands, Arnold performed exceedingly well following a secondment to the KPMG Islands Group (KIG) where he was initially the sole Sri Lankan representative for SoQM. Due to his impressive performances as a SoQM manager and control tester at KPMG in the Cayman Islands and KIG, the latter decided to expand its Sri Lankan representation by recruiting more individuals of his calibre for its SoQM function at the CIDC.

Arnold emphasises it is imperative that younger generations take heed and access the multitude of resources available in Sri Lanka. Perseverance and tenacity are just as important to complement these tools. Embracing a mindset that transcends limitations and values lifelong learning is crucial for achieving true success.

Another essential component of both personal and professional development is taking measured risks, in his view. Instead of allowing the fear of failure to stop you, he says you must discover how to overcome setbacks and move forward.

Additionally, Arnold stresses one must never forget that assistance is available – it can be rather beneficial to your journey to learn to rely on other people for assistance, direction and teamwork.

Fostering the development of others may be a fulfilling experience that helps you climb the corporate ladder. Leadership is essential for both professional and personal advancement.

In conclusion, Arnold believes that a robust education is the key to success, and hopes to inspire many young Sri Lankans to follow in his footsteps as a leading personality in the world of accountancy, finance and music.

– Compiled by Dona Senara