From an early start in audit to work across finance transformation, finance operate and other sectors, Kavita Vanmali CA(SA) has stayed focused on how systems work, where they fail and what can be improved. She speaks about chartered accountancy as a broad foundation rather than a narrow path, and believes leadership starts with making it…
Andrew Alt helps developers and finance professionals understand each other. He sees AI as powerful but with limitations, useful for structured tasks but no substitute for human judgement. His message to newly qualified CAs(SA) is to think broadly, question assumptions and understand how systems work. In a profession being reshaped by rapid technological change, adaptability…
Disciplined, well-designed businesses are increasingly driving sustainable social impact. Instead of relying on donations or short-term grants, B2B social enterprises sell services to organisations and institutions. We asked Zanele Maduna CA(SA) to explain why. An estimated 10 million social enterprises operate globally. Those built on B2B models align closely with corporate ESG priorities while delivering…
It’s been said time and again that the CA(SA) qualification takes grit and guts. Patricia Malahlela, a senior accountant at Mckenzie & Associates, has shown that she has these qualities in droves – and then some. It’s no exaggeration to say that Patricia has become a master at overhauling her life: she has already done…
Ciara Reintjes, Regional Lead of SAICA for the Northern Region in the Strategic Affairs Division understands her role as crucial to ensuring that the organisation exists to serve its members – and, by extension, the profession as a whole. Ciara is the kind of person who usually informs people within minutes of meeting them that…
As CFO of Webber Wentzel, Aneshree Naidoo may have reached the upper rungs of the corporate ladder – but memories of a childhood spent climbing mango trees near the sugar-cane fields after school remind her that no matter how high you go, you should never forget your roots, or your humanity. Aneshree reflects that, sometimes,…
Romy Maree, Group Head of Finance at Burstone Real Estate partners, has built her career as a tribute to the women who helped to raise her and those who gave her a chance in life: both by opening a door for others who have fought to get where they are and by making sure that…
Kgaugelo Moima, an audit senior at the Auditor-General of South Africa, is dedicating her career to excellence: not only in her own sphere, but also by ensuring the future of the profession by uplifting the next generation. There are times when Kgaugelo looks at her three-year-old daughter and marvels at how different her own life…
Mpolaheng Mohlopi, CFO of Lanseria International Airport, was instrumental in helping the organisation weather the Covid-19 pandemic. Now, five years into the organisation’s recovery, she’s helping to give it wings. Mpolaheng Mohlopi has a pragmatic, almost prosaic view of challenges: ‘Just keep taking one step at a time.’ Linked to this is another philosophy: ‘You…
For Funeka Montjane CA(SA), CEO of Personal and Private Banking at Standard Bank, leadership is not just about goals and objectives or even foresight; rather, it’s an experience that, although deeply personal, is all about connection. For most of us, life is a journey that develops organically; one decision giving rise to another. Only a…