Mathabo Makhaya, Group Finance Manager at Harmony Gold Mining and Chairman of the Investment Committee Mine Workers Provident Fund, has been announced as the overall winner of the highly coveted CPAs 2022 Top 35-under-35 [CA(SA)] competition.
This annual competition recognizes successful AC(SA) youth who not only excel in their professional capacity, but also make a significant contribution to society and steer the profession in the right direction. It was launched in 2014 and has proven to be very successful in recognizing and promoting CA(SA) under 35’s who are making a noticeable difference.
More about the winners
The winners are considered by a diverse and multidisciplinary panel of judges to be the cream of the crop among this year’s top 35 Under 35 CA (SA) who have gone the extra mile to achieve their career aspirations. In fact, the 35 finalists are individuals who have not only successfully pursued their career dreams, but have also risen rapidly through the ranks to lead operations within notable organizations.
the overall winnerMathabo Makhaya, 32, is Group Finance Manager (Health) at Harmony Gold Mining Company, where she provides strategic financial oversight to the internal management of 44,000 employee health, including the provision of occupational, primary and and tertiary.
As chair of the board of the Mineworkers Provident Fund (MWPF), she has led the team to scale up alternatives and impact investing to improve member returns, with corresponding increases in social benefits in specific areas such as digital infrastructure in Sub-Saharan Africa, among others. others. She is also a founding committee member at the Asset Owners Forum South Africa (AOFSA) through representation of the MWPF, which is a voluntary coalition of pension funds in South Africa with the strategic objective of investing in infrastructure projects in South Africa. The total estimated value of the forum is approximately R3 billion.
She is an ambitious young woman challenging the status quo in a predominantly male industry. She is passionate about transformation, small business development, and impact investing, with a specific focus on gender equality and women’s empowerment. She is most proud of her work to enable multiple small businesses to go through business supplier development programs and contribute to the communities in which they operate through small business development. This led to her winning the 2022 Young Leaders Connect (YLC) “Lift up Leader in Business” and “IDEAL Authentic Leadership” awards for her consistent demonstration of humble and bold leadership and commitment to transformation in her areas of influence.
the Develop The category award winner is Josh Moritz, 32. After completing his EY training contract and returning from the US, where he worked for Cross Country Consulting, Moritz joined DocFox in 2017. DocFox automates companies’ Know Your Customer processes for their compliance teams. you can make better-informed decisions in a fraction of the time, all while seeking to make money laundering impossible.
He was part of the founding leadership team and was instrumental in building a new company from humble beginnings to a business with over 250 financial institutions using his product every day. As part of the founding leadership team, Moritz helped make key financial and strategic decisions that ensured DocFox continually grew 100% year-over-year. He played a key role in growing the business from a team of just six employees to one that now numbers more than 80.
He believes that his role as a leader is to recognize the potential in each team member and support them in advancing their careers. Moritz is enthusiastic about helping people achieve the things they didn’t think were possible for them.
the Influence The category winner is Christiaan van den Berg, co-founder and CEO of JOBJACK, a technology platform that makes entry-level opportunities accessible to low-income job seekers. Where the norm is for them to spend up to R932 per month on printing and shipping costs to try and find employment, the platform makes such opportunities accessible via your phone in a web browser at no cost, to create a CV/profile on online and connect to thousands of opportunities to which they can apply. Companies can then streamline their hiring process through an automated process where they connect with the relevant candidates who are the best fit for their openings, saving all parties significant costs and time.
JOBJACK currently has over 1,200,000 registered job applicants and is growing at the rate of 3,000 job applicants per day. They serve over 2,000 employer sites in South Africa, including employers such as PEP Stores, Woolworths, City of Cape Town, TFG, McDonald’s, KFC and many more. They have placed more than 8,000 low-income people in sustainable job opportunities over the past two and a half years. The goal is to place another 20,000 in the next 18 months.
the Guide the category winner is Louw Barnardt, co-founder and CEO of Outsourced CFO. Barnardt co-founded the award-winning financial firm, Outsourced CFO (OCFO), in late 2013. Under his leadership as CEO, the company has grown from two jobs to 70 people in just under nine years, with more than an average of 50% growth per year. The company now serves clients from more than 25 different countries, with its staff operating from six South African provinces and three continents.
Within OCFO, Barnardt has spearheaded the creation of the leadership and strategic frameworks on which the company is built. His vision in the areas of marketing and sales, and his passion for strong execution, have led to the creation of a scalable business that is currently doubling every 15 months. As a company, Louw co-created OCFO to be not only a business built on integrity and impeccable ethics, but also a meaningful workplace with an incredible culture and unmatched capabilities to accelerate the careers and personal growth of all its employees.
Outside of OCFO, Barnardt and his team created the Founders Foundation NPC, a non-profit vehicle that runs various programs and initiatives for young and previously disadvantaged entrepreneurs just starting their journey. Together with corporate partners, they have helped secure over R80 million in funding opportunities for young entrepreneurs and have supported over 150 entrepreneurs with financial mentoring.
the game changer Award winner Boitumelo Kuzwayo is Associate Head of Department: Business Accounting and Senior Lecturer at the University of Johannesburg, one of South Africa’s largest mid-level accounting firms.
Kuzwayo has helped provide previously disadvantaged students access to quality education by being the project coordinator for two FASSET (scholarship and academic support) programs. These programs have supported approximately 400 students/recipients since 2018. The pass rate for both programs has averaged 90% since their inception. The total budget for the programs was R33.9 million and Kuzwayo led a team of 95 people including teachers, tutors and mentors.
In 2016, she was an independent non-executive director of the Audit and Risk Committee of the South African State Theatre. She was instrumental in helping the entity move from a disclaimer audit opinion in 2016/17 to an unqualified audit opinion in financial year 2017/18.
SAICA Director General Freeman Nomvalo praised all the finalists and especially the award winners. “It’s really gratifying to see so many of our CA(SA) youth break through glass ceilings and challenge the status quo by consistently having an impact on the livelihoods of South Africans,” says Nomvalo. “All of the finalists here have proven to be purpose-driven individuals who act in the public interest and are the ray of hope we should all embrace in a developing economy. I applaud all of our Top-35-under-35 CAs(SA) finalists for their commendable determination and enthusiasm to make this country a better place for everyone who lives in it.”
Gerinda Engelbrecht, SAICA’s Director of Digital Content and Publications Projects, highlighted the value of this initiative. “After nine years of hosting this competition, we are amazed each year by the talent and achievements of the candidates. We are thrilled to know that these CA(SA) youth are the future leaders of our country and will continue to make a difference not only in their workplace, but also in their communities.”
SAICA extends its thanks to the sponsors who drove this recognition event to success. These include Standard Bank, Makosi, Xero, Milpark Education, CAMAF medical aid scheme, National Youth Development Agency, Heavy Chef, Thamani, Caseware Africa/Adapt IT and PPS.
Learn more about the Top 35 under 35 CAs(SA) competition here.
About SAICA
The South African Institute of Chartered Accountants (SAICA), South Africa’s pre-eminent accountancy body, is widely recognized as one of the world’s leading accountancy institutes. The Institute provides a wide range of support services to more than 50,000 members and associates who are certified public accountants (CAs).[SA]), as well as associate general accountants (AGA[SA]) and accounting technicians (ATs[SA]), who hold positions as CEOs, CEOs, board directors, business owners, CFOs, auditors, and leaders in all spheres of business and industry, and who play an important role in business and economic development highly dynamic nation.
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