How Annah Matshaba went from pursuing a career in aeronautics to one in the finance industry.
Her dream was to become a pilot or aeronautical engineer, but when KPMG spotted her accounting acumen and pledged her university studies to become a CA(SA), Moshupologo Annah Matshaba switched focus. Today, she is the financial manager of Eazi Access and according to her, she has truly found her niche.
Eazi Access is a South African-owned company founded in 2003 and is Africa’s market leader in work-at-height and material-handling solutions. Their CFO is David Chadinha and Annah is the second in command.
“The first thing that I learnt when David joined us, was that the word ‘impossible’ is really only found in a dictionary,” says Annah. “David is all about actively finding solutions and better ways of doing things. He truly takes the lead. As such, it came as no surprise when he steered the business into sustainability when Covid-19 hit us, and times were unfavourable.
“I have learned many things from observing David. He is unafraid to confront the norms and he knows how crucial information can be extracted that requires due care from an accounting, tax or statutory compliance. David taught me how to implement simple processes that the team can easily carry out, the importance of open communication and how to build a high-performing team.”
A future CFO
Annah intends to follow in David’s footsteps. “It is one of my goals to become a CFO one day, but until then, I plan on developing myself in areas that I know will enable me to be proficient in that role. This includes studying further and learning from my mentors.”
She enjoys her role as financial manager, but for her the engagement with colleagues and stakeholders are the most enjoyable part of her job. “It excites me to share ideas, learn new things, to understand the needs of other departments and to provide solutions that are financially optimal.”
Eazi Access provides a stimulating working environment, and she is involved with all kinds of projects. “I oversee the finance department for our South African region. So, at the moment the CFO and I are focused on change management for the finance team and the business; from breaking the ‘silo mentality’ to being transparent and sharing information proactively across all departments. We are also working on reducing the number of days of reporting so that the business can make informed and timeous decisions while maintaining a high level of accuracy. We also have a new Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system underway. The system keeps us busy, but we look forward to the journey.”
Professional principles
Annah believes that continuous self-development and innovation are important in the workplace as the ever-changing world requires that we provide new and better or improved solutions.
“A focus on the well-being of personnel is also imperative because we do our best when we are our best selves. I would also say that ethics in the workplace is non-negotiable: what would we be if we did not act and carry out our work according to ethical principles?”
Being in a challenging (albeit rewarding) field, she knows the importance of a work-life-balance.
When she is not working or learning, she enjoys reading and travelling. “It is a joy to experience different cultures and places,” says Annah.
