Feature: Lifelong learning: An investment for finance professionals

Now consider this: the rapidly evolving data landscape, powered by analytics, artificial intelligence and large language models, thrives on the very same skill set we already employ daily within the profession. The pivotal power does not stem from any single piece of technology, but from the discipline and approach to problem-solving. Technology, in all its forms, simply amplifies this discipline.

WHY THIS MATTERS

Across industries, organisations find themselves overwhelmed by data but starving for meaningful insights. Reports are slow to produce, dashboards often misleading and leaders often make decisions without sufficient clarity, sometimes masquerading as ‘professional judgement’. The instinctive solution is to buy a new tool − another dashboard platform, an additional ERP module, or another add-on. Yet, these tools alone seldom address the fundamental challenge at hand.

What really moves the needle is the professional who can frame the problem correctly, ask the right questions, and then choose (or build) the right solution. This is where CAs(SA) have always excelled. Our training teaches us to link operations with strategy, to see both the forest and the trees, and to hold ourselves accountable to evidence.

By investing in ourselves and developing fluency with new data tools, we can continue to lead in this new environment. Conversely, failing to adapt we risk becoming irrelevant, watching as others take the role we were uniquely prepared to fill.

MY OWN INVESTMENT

My career began in Pretoria, in an audit firm. Like many teams, we often relied on prior approaches because they were ‘tried and tested’. The risk was clear: inefficiencies and blind spots carried forward without question.

That same pattern appeared throughout my career − excessive time lost to repetitive work, higher risk of error, limited opportunities for genuine insight. Rather than accept this as ‘just the way things are’, I decided to invest in myself. Evenings were dedicated to learning SQL and Python, exploring data visualisation with Power BI, and experimenting with automation − ventures that initially felt far outside the conventional comfort zone of a CA.

To its credit, my audit firm was heading in the same direction. They invested in training and later hired me as an audit manager specialising in data analytics. This gave me the opportunity to design innovative assurance procedures, from scripts that automated substantive testing to algorithms that highlighted risks more precisely than traditional sampling ever could.

The return on this investment was more than efficiency. It was confidence, credibility and the ability to engage directly with senior management and partners as a trusted problem-solver.

Currently, I lead a department at Pay Inc that focuses on data analytics, system accounting and process optimisation. We not only solve internal finance challenges but also support other functions across the organisation. Each year, we run an innovation competition where staff propose new solutions, with our executive committee as judges. This initiative reinforces the core message that tools are valuable, but problem-solving is the real differentiator.

PROBLEM-SOLVING AS THE TRUE ASSET

Today’s buzzwords are AI, machine learning and large language models. Tomorrow, it will be something else. What endures is not mastery of every new tool, but the application of structured thinking, curiosity, and resilience to solve meaningful problems. This is not about turning every CA into a data scientist or programmer. It is about cultivating the mindset to ask:

• What is the real problem here?
• What are the underlying data sources?
• Which tool (old or new) best fits this challenge?

That mindset, paired with a willingness to learn enough of the language of data, is what positions us as indispensable leaders in our organisations.

Author
Kgaugelo Sepota CA(SA)