Riga has a vision that the University will be financially sustainable and that he will right the wrongs of the past.
Rhodes University has officially announced the appointment of Kamlesh Riga as its new CFO. About his appointment, Riga said coming back to work for the University is like giving back to his alma mater:
“I have an affinity to the Eastern Cape and I feel that with my experience, I can make a difference at the University. I have a vision that this glorious university will be financially sustainable and right the wrongs of the past. We need to give as many people access to higher education as possible but also balance that with financial viability. The fiscal pot is diminishing and we need to find a way of sustaining ourselves with less dependence on the state.”
According to the University, his appointment follows the unbundling of the executive management structure of the infrastructure, operations and finance division – where the roles of the heads of operations and finance and infrastructure have been separated.
He will be responsible for advising the MD and board on financial and ICT matters as well as investments, mergers and acquisitions.
Riga said he is not worried about the pressures of being a CFO for the University and that it’s not about the CFO, but about the finance division at large. He said that the finance division has a great team and he trusts that they will all work together in ensuring financial stability of the university.
Riga is a qualified CA(SA) and holds a Master’s degree in domestic and international tax from the North West University. He also holds a B.Com degree from Rhodes University. He has worked at a strategic financial management level at the office of the Auditor-General, South African Revenue Service (SARS) and the BKB Group.
He has also served on the executive council, the council and the audit and risk committee of the Nelson Mandela University for 10 years.
