Building sustainable, future-ready payroll systems is crucial for organizational success in today’s rapidly evolving financial landscape.
Sagiv Korenfeld Amar, an internationally acclaimed finance professional, has emerged as a pioneering architect of next-generation payroll operations, combining innovative leadership with strategic process optimization to create lasting financial frameworks.
“We’re not just managing today’s payroll; we’re building tomorrow’s financial infrastructure,” says Korenfeld Amar. “Every process we optimize, every system we implement, becomes a building block for future growth and scalability.”
A distinguished finance professional, Sagiv Korenfeld Amar holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Accounting and Economics and is a Certified Public Accountant (CPA). His career spans roles at prestigious firms including PwC Israel, where he enhanced audit and compliance processes for SEC-listed companies, and KPMG, where he conducted financial audits for multinational corporations.
While working as Director of Finance, Americas at NICE, he has overseen 2 departments – the Payroll and Accounting teams. This includes 6 Payroll professionals and 10 accounting professionals.
Korenfeld Amar is continuously building and optimizing financial systems that serve as models for the industry. His innovative approach to process optimization and system development has established new standards for efficiency and scalability in financial operations.
Korenfeld Amar’s vision has materialized in transformative ways. Managing payroll for over 3,200 US-based employees, he has constructed a unified platform that streamlines current operations and establishes a foundation for future expansion. His systematic approach has reduced processing time by 60% while creating scalable systems accommodating rapid growth.
His achievements include enhancing the accounting close process by implementing improvements significantly reducing monthly closing time and ensuring faster and more accurate financial reporting.
He also streamlined payroll by developing an automated workflow, minimizing manual tasks and boosting process efficiency.
Additionally, Korenfeld Amar built a dynamic revenue dashboard, optimizing monthly review time and improving data accuracy to support informed decision-making.
He also led the seamless migration of approximately 2,000 employees from acquisitions into the NICE payroll system, ensuring a smooth transition and alignment with company standards.
“Payroll management is about building enduring systems,” he explains. “It’s creating processes that ensure accuracy and compliance today while being robust enough to support tomorrow’s challenges. The key lies in developing frameworks that evolve with organizational needs.”
Shai Ehrenreich, Global VP of Finance at Candela, who worked with Amar from 2017 to 2019, recognizes his unique ability to build lasting financial structures: “Sagiv not only solves immediate problems but he also creates systems that stand the test of time. His experience with remote work and communication skills makes him invaluable in building future-ready financial operations.”
At the heart of Korenfeld Amar’s approach is a three-pillar framework for sustainable financial operations: infrastructure development, process optimization, and technological integration.
He reveals it enabled him to face a plethora of challenges: “At NICE, multiple payroll systems and inconsistent data from departments like HR, Benefits, and IT posed problems in garnering accuracy and efficiency,” he explains.
“We relied heavily on manual work, which increased errors.” To address this, Korenfeld Amar proposed a unified platform to centralize payroll information, creating a single, transparent source. By consolidating inputs and incorporating automation, his solution enhanced data reliability and significantly reduced manual tasks, setting a scalable foundation for streamlined payroll operations.
He also exercised this approach as Corporate Controller at BOL Pharma. Here, he constructed a financial team and system that achieved a remarkable 40% boost in productivity while establishing platforms for continued growth.
“Building financial futures requires more than just technical expertise,” he notes. “It’s about creating an environment where processes can be continuously optimized and teams can innovate.” This philosophy has guided his implementation of advanced automation tools and AI-driven solutions that improve current operations and pave the way for future advancements.
Hagai Hillman, Founder of BOL Pharma, attests to Korenfeld Amar’s forward-thinking approach: “His ability to build robust financial infrastructure while maintaining accuracy and efficiency is remarkable. The systems he implemented weren’t just for immediate needs; they created a foundation for our long-term growth and success.”
Drawing from his unique blend of Israeli and US accounting expertise, Amar has developed a comprehensive approach to building international payroll systems. “Global businesses need financial structures that can bridge different accounting standards and practices,” he explains. “We’re building systems that not only handle current international operations but can adapt to future global expansion.”
His impeccable track record includes successfully constructing payroll frameworks during complex corporate transitions. At NICE, he engineered the seamless migration of over 2,000 employees across acquisitions, ensuring uninterrupted payroll operations while building systems capable of handling future integrations.
Korenfeld Amar continues to pioneer new approaches to payroll optimization: “At NICE, handling multiple payroll systems and inconsistent data flows from departments like HR, Benefits, and IT created significant challenges in accuracy, efficiency, and data integrity,” he says.
“Our over-reliance on manual processes not only led to errors but also slowed down critical payroll operations. My vision of optimizing a unified platform, centralizing payroll information into a single, transparent source consolidated data inputs and automated key workflows. This platform drastically improved data reliability and reduced the burden of manual tasks, creating a robust, scalable system for payroll operations.”
Korenfeld Amar leveraged the existing IT ticket system at NICE, SNOW, to route all payroll requests through it, creating a single source of truth: “This solution will increase visibility into payroll tasks, ensuring that all data processed each pay period is complete and accurate,” he says.
“By reducing the potential for human error and minimizing manual work, it also supports a shift toward greater automation.”
The implementation of Power BI dashboards represents another cornerstone of his future-focused approach. These tools transform payroll data into strategic insights, enabling proactive decision-making and long-term planning: “This BI tool, built using Power BI, has been designed as the second phase in optimizing our payroll processes,” Korenfeld Amar explains.
“Once information has been streamlined and aligned, this tool allows for a more efficient review process and significantly enhance visibility across payroll data.
“By leveraging data visualization and real time reporting, the Power BI tool aimed to simplify analysis and enable stakeholders to identify trends, discrepancies, and areas for improvement quickly.”
He adds: “My vision is for other businesses to leverage these tools and experience the transformative benefits firsthand, understanding how similar solutions can be integrated into their own systems for optimized results.”
Korenfeld Amar sees a future where payroll management is revolutionized by intelligent automation and predictive analytics: “The days of manual data handling and fragmented systems are numbered,” he explains.
“We’re building centralized, data-driven solutions that streamline payroll and bring proactive insights into financial management.”
Korenfeld Amar envisions a shift towards more integrated and efficient payroll infrastructures industry-wide: “We’re laying the foundation now for what will become the backbone of tomorrow’s financial operations, enabling businesses to be agile, accurate, and aligned with real-time demands.”
