Top Under-35 accountants lauded for making a difference
- Wits Alumni Relations
Wits alumni win three out of five main categories in leading 2023 competition.
Wits alumni walked away with top honours, winning three out of the five category awards at the 2023 Top 35-under-35 Chartered Accountants Competition at a ceremony held on 27 November 2023.
The awards, launched in 2014 by the South African Institute of Chartered Accountants (SAICA), recognise young South Africans who are making a meaningful contribution to society. The achievers are required to demonstrate excellence in their professional capacity as well as leadership potential and a commitment to ethical conduct.
SAICA’s chief executive officer, Freeman Nomvalo, lauded the nominees for being Difference Makers who contribute to the profession’s national value. “As we face the challenges we face as a country and need to generate economic activity that creates employment, we as an institute are saying ‘here are the young South African’s who have dedicated their lives to making a difference’”.
Co-founder chief operating officer at MotherTree and chief financial officer at Paragon Impact Craig Wallington (BAccSc 2011, BAccSc Hon 2012, MCom 2014) was the Influence category winner. Wallington is an entrepreneur dedicated to addressing climate and biodiversity emergencies. He believes many of the solutions to these crises already exist and we need to focus our collective efforts on rolling these out at speed and scale.
He co-founded MotherTree to make it easy for businesses and consumers to align their finances to their values. Its aim is to move £1 billion into the green economy by 2025. The company has to date supported clients in moving £2 million to greener products and has worked with large organisations such as a leading UK fintech company and a large global health charity to evaluate the impact of their finances. He also works as an advisor to other sustainability start-ups on their fundraising and strategy, and most recently became a coach in the Grindstone Accelerator Programme.
Portfolio Manager at Multi Asset, and investment analyst at 36ONE Asset Management Boitumelo Loate (BAccSc 2010, BAccSc Hon 2011, MCom 2013) was the Lead category winner. She oversees multi-asset portfolios and is skilled in constructing portfolios that span a diverse range of asset classes offering a well-balanced and diversified investment approach.
She was praised for being a “catalyst for positive change” in 36ONE, by establishing two committees; the Sustainable Responsible Investing Committee and the Transformation and Social Responsibility Committee. She has been instrumental in shaping the company’s approach to responsible and sustainable investment practices and being a driving force behind initiatives that promote diversity and inclusivity. She also lectures behavioural economics at Cambridge University (Oxbridge Programme).
Head of education and implementation at Syft Analytics Jodilee (Harebottle) Manuel (BAcc 2014, BAccSc Hons 2015, MCom 2017) was the Gamechanger award winner. Manuel built Syft Campus, an online education platform that helps accountants make better data-driven decisions and grow their businesses. Syft Campus also bridges the gap between what accounting students learn at university and what they need in the industry, especially in terms of a practical understanding of accounting and digital skills. She has collaborated with universities and schools across the country, providing practical lectures and projects for free. Through these collaborations, students are empowered to apply the theory they have learned, while digitally up-skilling.
Syft Campus is just over a year old, yet it already features more than 30 courses and 12 certifications which accountants can use for CPD or CPE points, depending on the region. There are over 3 000 users enrolled in Syft Campus and more than 100 000 lectures have been completed since its launch. Syft Certified Pro Advisor is the most popular certification, taking ±13 hours to complete.
Manuel also leads Implementation at Syft, helping businesses find technological solutions to grow their businesses and improve efficiency. She recently helped an internationally listed games company, Atari, prepare their multi-currency consolidation using Syft in preparation for an audit, updating their system, and automated processes to improve the efficiency and accuracy of their consolidated reporting.
The overall winner was Senzo Ndlangamandla, who heads of the Department for Accounting Sciences at Walter Sisulu University and is managing director at SnB Chartered Accountants & Registered Auditors.
Other Witsies who were announced as finalists among the top 35 candidates include:
Bartek Ogonowski (BAcc 2013, Hdip Acc 2014) CEO and co-founder LEVRA;
Binita Morar (BAccSc 2010) leverage and acquisition finance at AME at Standard Chartered Bank;
Brecht Mohonathan (BAccSc 2010) chief financial officer at Lions Cricket;
Ellen Gower-Mzolo (BAccSc 2010, HDipAcc 2012) chief financial officer and executive director at Fulcrum Group (Pty) Ltd;
Itani Mafune (BAccSc 2013, HDipAcc 2014) founder of Shuma Accounting, co-owner of Zwane Financial Services and CA Training Officer at Absa Bank Group;
Jameel Khan (BCom 2012) executive director at The Unconventional CA;
Selapeng Maledimo (BCom 2012, HDipAcc 2013) chief financial officer and executive director for Mahlopi Metals Group, and Founder of Tshepiso-entle Self-care (Pty) Ltd; and
Sinqobile Hlatshwayo (HDipAcc 2014) senior manager in financial services audit at KPMG, and founder of Mfano Growth Coaching.
Source: SAICA