Tessa Meyer, African Group Lubricants’ CFO, has been in finance for over 12 years. Her biggest lessons from being in finance include “always ask why” and making sure plans are not too set in stone.
From doing articles at a small EY satellite office in George to occupying roles at large international groups, Tessa has found her seat at the table – and she’s also learnt how to love every minute of it.
“I grew up in Potchefstroom and went to university there,” says Tessa. “One day I saw a notice on the noticeboard for articles opportunities. One that caught my interest was in George. I wanted a change of scenery and lifestyle as it was at the coast. It was also with one of the Big Four firms – EY. They had a satellite office in George at the time. I was there for the next four years doing articles, and deciding to go to a small office within a big firm set a trajectory for my career.”
According to Tessa, doing her articles at a small office meant she had close access to senior managers and partners within EY. Later, she realised that getting exposure to people who have so many years of experience, so early on, was invaluable.
“You quickly realise how much you don’t know; that’s one of the pitfalls of our time – you need to know what you don’t know,” adds Tessa. “Having that wider network at EY also taught me that there’s always someone to reach out to for advice.”
“Even now, being part of a listed company with enX (an industrial group that provides services and technical expertise in power, lubricants and chemicals to various sectors in South Africa and sub-Saharan Africa) means that you have those resources in the rest of the group available if you just pick up the phone.”
Going global with a UK adventure
After completing her articles, Tessa stayed on at EY for another year. She happened upon an opportunity: it was a two-year contract with EY in Bristol, in the UK. “I have a ‘why not’ attitude in life, so I took it. That was the first time I went overseas. I packed my little bag and moved to England.”
She was able to see how business is done in the UK, and she gained exposure to international companies, as well as experiencing a closer link to US companies, which she didn’t have in George (“One of the disadvantages of not doing your articles in Johannesburg.”) She adds that at EY, the working environment is transferable, which made it easier to deal with any culture or weather shocks.
Being in the UK also gave Tessa a central base to travel from and she was fortunate to see plenty of Europe. “There were a few other South Africans in the Bristol EY office and we had ants in our pants! We’d hop on planes for weekend trips. It was great to be part of an adventurous community,” she shares.
Tessa says it was always her plan to travel as much as possible, get some international experience, and then return to South Africa. She’s one of four daughters, so family will always beckon. After her two years in the UK were up, she once again packed her little bag and came back home.
A jack of all trades and a learning curve
She got an opportunity with Weatherford International (who are in the oil and gas servicing industry) and it was the first time she was on the other side of the table, so to speak. Moving out of auditing and into the commercial space, she was responsible for inter-company accounts payable, so, she says, it was a more focused role.
She was then contacted by a South African mining company – Sedibelo Platinum Mines – and her new role as financial controller in corporate reporting was “an expansion in terms of duty. I was able to see the overall picture and not just one area of business. Being a jack of all trades, I enjoy being part of a process,” she says.
While in the role, commodity prices were low, so the business focused on conserving cash. For Tressa, that was a learning curve – business is not always about hunting profit. “I learnt patience and how to play the long game. I also had to ask questions – I learnt to always ask ‘the why’. This has built trust between me and the management team where I currently am. We all respect that we know a lot in our own areas, but it took a while in the beginning because people aren’t used to being asked, ‘Why are you doing this?’. They sometimes get defensive – until they understand that you just really want to know.”
Mind-shift and finding happiness
According to Tessa, things became so quiet in mining due to the low commodity prices that she did a degree in psychology part-time. She explored other opportunities and found one in the listed environment with enX Group. Soon after her arrival, one of the divisional CFOs resigned; the enX team felt she had already proved her worth in six months and offered her the position in the division.
“I moved from a head office to a more operational environment, as CFO of the manufacturing company. AG Lubricants is a distribution and local blending company for lubricants and a subsidiary of the enX Group. With the mining experience I had it was a good fit. I said, ‘Why not?’ again and here we are five and a half years later; I’m still loving it and having fun.”
Tessa shares that one of the most important lessons she’s learnt in her career happened while she was at Sedibelo Platinum Mines. “I had a strong female colleague. She was the financial manager and then CFO – Elmarie Maritz. I remember it was a difficult week, and I realised that this woman loves her job. It’s mining and dust and rocks, but she finds joy in what she does. That was a mind-shift – I also wanted that. I wanted to understand a business to the point where I really wanted to be excited about it.
Tessa says she’s found that passion in the growth journey and turnaround at AG Lubricants, and it’s something she tries to push to her team to motivate them. “I want them to not just get caught up in the day job, but to also understand how much they contribute to the big picture,” says Tessa.
As for her 2025 goals, she doesn’t believe in having plans too set in stone. “I’m very much where the wind blows. It’s really worked for me in my life to not have a hard and set plan; if an opportunity pops up, I can quickly make a decision and act on it,” says Tessa. “We all just want to be healthy and happy, so I want to remember balance and to take care of myself and find things that make me happy – from travelling to reading a book on the couch.”
