Nakedi reflects on her first seven months at Masimong, but will always have a soft spot for RBH.
In January Masimong Group Holdings appointed former Royal Bafokeng Holdings finance director Nakedi Ramaphakela as its executive director and chief financial officer.
We asked Nakedi how she felt about the move, and she said:
“Change is always difficult and uncomfortable. I was at RBH for almost seven years and it felt like home. I will always have a soft spot for Bafokeng because of what the company stands for, it serves the community. I however need to build a diverse career with enough depth and varied exposure and that's what helped me overcome the fear. Masimong also takes transformation and social impact very seriously and that was very important for me. I have been here for almost seven months now and I am settling in well.”
She explained that the move to Masimong has opened up her perspective. “It is not a pure finance role in the sense that I get hands-on exposure to Investment transactions and fund raising which I was indirectly exposed to in my previous role. I however still get to do the core finance functions. The most interesting part about the role is getting to work with a more entrepreneurial and experienced team and I joined at a time when there is so much happening, it’s exciting.”
Looking forward, Nakedi said she would like to improve her mergers and acquisitions, funding and negotiation skills. “Finance has been evolving over the past couple of years, it's more and more important for CFOs to gain these skills. Masimong has a clear strategy that is being implemented and I would like to support my CEO in ensuring we deliver on the strategy. I am also looking forward to also improving the finance function and systems as the company grows. I am very excited about our pipeline, and exposure to new sectors that I was not exposed to before such as agriculture.”
She intends to grow along with the company:
“I am all about staying humble, working hard, delivering results, giving and receiving respect and constant growth and learning. The culture here is aligned to that. Culture is very important to me,” she concludes.
Nakedi holds both CA(SA) and CFA qualifications and has over nine years of experience in finance and tax, and over six years’ experience in investment management. She was nominated for the CFO Awards for her role at Royal Bafokeng Holdings.
