Harder. Better. Faster. Stronger.

These are the four words that Parmi Natesan CA(SA) lives by. Besides her prestigious position as Executive: Centre for Corporate Governance at the Institute of Directors in Southern Africa, Parmi Natesan recently received a Rising Star Alumni Award from the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan Municipality (NMMU). She took time out to respond to our questions The…

LIFESTYLE: THE COST OF THE COUCH

Unhealthy lifestyles are clearly linked to serious long-term health problems as well as significant short-term wellness impairment. The answer is behaviour change, but this is not happening In the South African financial services sector, some 55% of people are overweight, 60% do not exercise, 20% smoke, and 20% report serious stress problems … the list…

FOCUS: Leading Change

Why transformation efforts fail Over the past decade, John Kotter has watched more than 100 companies try to remake themselves into significantly better competitors. Here is what he has to say … These have included large organisations (Ford) and small ones (Landmark Communications), companies based in the United States (General Motors) and elsewhere (British Airways),…

REGULARS: LIVING LIFE TO THE FULLEST

That’s Paul and Courtney Esterhuizen’s motto. Both are CAs(SA) who landed in the UK just three years ago and already they have crossed 30 countries off their bucket list – and they are still going strong. Paul and Courtney Esterhuizen describe themselves as a down-to-earth couple who are passionate about travel, entrepreneurship, healthy and active…

VIEWPOINT: What is the new normal?

There’s no doubt that the last 12 months have got most people muttering, ‘Well, truth is stranger than fiction, after all.’ It’s easy to get caught up in the mass, global Chicken Little, ‘the sky is falling in’ reaction to events such as the Trump election and the Brexit referendum. We’re used to keeping an…

VIEWPOINT: KNOW YOUR WORTH

In an American law television series I had watched a manager who had been a critical part of the firm’s success and who had performed tasks beyond her role, approached the MD and asked to be admitted as a partner in the firm. She was not a lawyer, which is a generally accepted qualification for…

LEAD: Top 35-under-35: 2017 FINALISTS

Beyond phenomenal These are the game-changers, the out of the ordinary under 35 CAs(SA) for 2017 Kubendren Pillay (32), CFO at TB/HIV Care Association Describe yourself in a few words. I can see the bigger picture and like to understand how things work. Your favourite hobby? I loved playing action cricket (which I haven’t done…

MOTORING: Suzuki Baleno

Suzuki have recently launched an array of new vehicles to the South African market. One of the new models is the Baleno. This new hatchback is pitched directly at cars like the Hyundai i20 and Polo Vivo. The vehicle is well designed with its angular headlights and upside-down triangular grill, which bears the Suzuki S…