About

Is a skilled individual in financial and general management and has worked in very diverse private sector organisations for over two decades. Is a very hands-on person with the ability to link up vision and strategy with implementation. Has the ability to work well under pressure with very little supervision and has done so for the past six years where reporting structure  is to someone in another country. Has worked in an ISP environment for the past six years in Namibia but also has experience with other African countries due to the geographical footprint of current employer. Is a very capable person in developing people to their full potential. In the earlier days, he has been able to get highly qualified accountants and bookkeepers to meet deadlines and also to produce accurate work. At Africa Online Namibia, there was a skills challenge that is slowly but surely being addressed through identifying the right training needs for the staff. Has the ability to work across cultures because of having worked with different people in different countries. Has the ability to realise the financial impact of decisions made on the whole organisation. At the moment, I am also a director of Schoolnet Namibia, a not-for-profit company that connects schools to the internet and am also a director of the ICT Alliance of Namibia, an organisation that represents members' interests. ITs membership is mainly ICt companies in the country.

 Detailed Work Experience  

February 2002 to current – General Manager Africa Online Namibia (Pty) Limited  

·          I currently work as General Manager of Africa Online Namibia (Pty) Limited in Windhoek.

·         Africa Online Namibia is a subsidiary of Telkom South Africa. Telkom SA purchased Africa Online Holdings at the end of February 2007.

·         I have been with this company since August of 2001 having come to Namibia at the end of May 2001.

·         My brief is to look after all aspects of the business and I report to the COO who is based in Nairobi Kenya. I also sit on the board of the company together with the Group Financial Director and CEO who are both based in London.

·         One of my major briefs is to train staff so that the Namibian operation reaches the level of other Africa Online operations.

·         I am also mentoring the Africa Online Swaziland General Manager.

·         I am also a board member of the ICT Alliance of Namibia. 

 August 2001 to January 2002 – Chief Accountant Africa Online Namibia (Pty) Limited  

·         I came to settle in Namibia at the end of May 2001.

 ·         I was without a job for June and July and started work as Chief Accountant at Africa Online Namibia in August 2001 but was promoted to GM in February 2002.

·         In this job I looked after all the financial aspects of the business and reported to the General Manager. 

 January 1986 to May 2001 – various accounting positions and directorships. 

 ·         I worked in various accounting positions in organizations in Zimbabwe between 1986 and May 2001 before I came to settle in Namibia with my family.

·         I started off my career in government, as a government auditor for 6 months and then joined the private sector where I worked for the following companies:

·         Field Management Services as an Accounting trainee, Accounting supervisor and rose to the position of Group Accountant. This all happened from September 1986 to December 1989. Field Management Services was the management services division for the Field Industries Ltd group of companies.o        These positions involved the production of accounts up to Balance Sheet level, consolidation of accounts and also taking the companies through year end audits.o        In terms of staffing, I was responsible for 13 qualified accountants and bookkeepers who produced accounts for the various group companies.o        The organizations that I produced accounts for were in the fields of aviation (charter, aerial crop spraying and aircraft maintenance), furniture manufacturing and sawmills. At some point I was in charge of a sawmill project that supplied hardwood timber to some of our furniture factories. The group operated 6 aerial crop spraying aircraft and 26 light aircraft for charter. The group also owned 4 furniture factories in Harare, Bulawayo and Mutare.

·         Field Technical Sales as Administration and Finance Manager

o        I ran the whole financial function of the company including stock control, HR, product pricing and a whole lot more. The idea for the group in giving this assignment to me was so that I would get to work at the “coal face” rather than just work at Head Office. Field Technical Sales employed 103 people.

o        I was the second in charge after the Managing director and would act in his absence.

o        This company supplied various technical products into industry.

o        The company had seven branches country wide.

·         Hunting Industries Limited as Group Treasurer and Finance Director.

o        I was involved very heavily in the group budgeting processes and monitoring of the budget.

o        My major function was to allocate funds to where they were most needed in the group bearing in mind the foreign currency challenges that the country was facing at the time.

o        In this job I dealt with the various banks in trying to get the best deal for the company especially in financing trade for a very diverse group of companies. 

o        The group dealt in all the major currencies, D-mark, lire, GBP, rand and US$ and the euro (after the introduction of the euro). 

 o        I also sat on the various boards for the subsidiary companies in the group.

o        The group was 75% owned by a British company and my reporting was to the Group Financial Controller based in London and to the Group Managing Director locally.

  Referees are available on request.