Often cited as one of the greatest saxophone players in history, Charlie ‘Yardbird’ Parker helped elevated jazz from entertaining dance music to a higher form of spontaneous artistic expression. His innovations and commitment to being a student of his art led to the creation of an entirely new harmonic language – bebop. Barnard Inc’s Practice Manager, Jan Lötter marches to a similar beat when it comes to setting the tone and cadence for the law firm’s growth in a post-COVID world. “It’s all about rhythm,” he exclaims enthusiastically. “If we understand our place in the market, our resources and our data, we can develop the right cadence for protecting our interests while taking advantage of opportunities.”
Jan grew up in Bloemfontein, Free State. He has an older sister and younger brother. His father was a lecturer at the University of Free State in Nuclear Physics and his mother was a radiotherapist at the local hospital. “Our family life was ordinary. As a family we often went sailing on weekends which was a little unusual for the time in the Free State” he laughs.
Jan is a qualified chartered accountant and spent over 21 years creating exceptional value as part of the Momentum management team. He joined the MMI group as Financial Manager in 1997 and the group enjoyed steady and consistent professional growth until his departure in 2017.
Before joining Barnard Inc. Jan was responsible for a business unit that generated R1.5 billion per annum of profits. “What I find of value in being a CA is that the finance function can really assist businesses to be successful as you have access to a wide variety information and data and are in a very good position to inform business decisions that move the company forward on its strategic journey,” he says.
Teamwork is also a central theme in Jan’s ‘rhythm’ message. “Interestingly, my biggest influences in life and work emerged from the sport teams I was a part of. Mostly field hockey teams. I feel you cannot accomplish anything of meaning by yourself.” Jan joined the Barnard team when a colleague introduced him to Managing Director, Douw Breed. “What I enjoy most about Barnard Inc is that it is a young firm (I am referring to the average age) and thus has a lot of positive energy, commitment and willingness to improve and grow.”
Unsurprisingly, Jan is a huge fan of jazz music, including FourPlay and saxophonist, David Sanborn. He also enjoys reading, reflecting, engaging in family activities (like holidays!) and playing some field hockey with a few of the lads. The Yardbird once said that, “Music is your own experience, your own thoughts, your wisdom. If you don’t live it, it won’t come out your horn.” The same ideology can apply to almost any other discipline – and Jan is the epitome of that attitude.
