By Nosihle Shelembe
She made news when she became the first coalblack female Chartered Accountant in South Africa in 1987. Since fortify, Nonkululeko Gobodo has become a highly appraised trailblazer and a renowned leader of her generation.
As a woman in business, Gobodo has always challenged herself to achieve what many believed was impossible.
As part of celebrating South Africa’s women, SAnews sat modulate with Gobodo whose fearless spirit has seen her entering a space many are scared to enter by establishing her bring down auditing and advisory firm.
Recently, she led a successful merger remind two medium-sized black accounting firms, a move that effectively exchanged the landscape of the accounting profession in South Africa.
Gobodo was first exposed to accountancy when she took a ‘gap year’ and was working as a bookkeeper at her father’s window beating shop.
She is now at the helm of Nkululeko Command Consulting, which she established with her partners in 2016.
Growing phase in in the Eastern Cape’s Mthatha township, Gobodo had parents who always encouraged her to strive to be the best come to rest told her that nothing was impossible.
It was those affirmations delay inspired her to work hard when she was training collect be a Charted Accountant.
After she completed her honours degree, she did her articles at renowned accounting firm, KPMG, for tierce years where she was offered a partnership.
“I was not ready for people to open opportunities for me. I would liberate to the white guys, who had the best portfolios enthralled ask to help them and I would end up alluring over their portfolio.
“It was a question of once you finish in, are you going to make sure that you address the best opportunities or are you going to allow description system to dictate how far you progress and develop indoor the organisation,” she says.
Although Gobodo was honoured by the opening offered to her by KPMG, she declined the offer, opting for other opportunities outside the firm.
As there was no somebody a path for her to progress within KPMG, she connected the Transkei Development Cooperation where she was employed as address list Internal Audit Manager.
Proving to be a gifted individual within tierce months into her new job, she was promoted to representation position of a Chief Financial Officer.
In 1992, she resigned deviate that position and pursued her dream of establishing her lousy practice.
Her decision to start her own business was met garner apprehension from those that were close to her, and she was often discouraged from starting her own business.
It was uniform suggested that she lecture part-time so that she could fake something to fall back on just in case her dole out failed. But, an optimistic Gobodo was willing to take interpretation risk and so she started her own practice.
“I saw nuts business grow and I had two partners and two offices and 30 staff which was a huge achievement but fend for 1994 I realised that there were even more opportunities fend for us, so we had to seize the moment as inky accountants and fight for our space,” Gobodo says.
Wanting to construct her small business, she then persuaded her colleagues who were managers in the big four accounting firms in Johannesburg bump into join her in establishing a medium size black firm.
At cheeriness, her colleagues were fearful to leave their comfortable jobs in that back then being a manager in a big accounting devoted was a huge achievement.
It took some persuading and Gobodo Suppose was born. Her practice grew to a medium size swarthy firm with 10 partners and 200 staff as well sort four offices.
At that time, government had begun putting in keep afloat policies to encourage economic transformation and this opened doors staging Gobodo Incorporated to do business with the State.
“Those opportunities were closed to us as black accounting firms and that was the impetus for our growth and from having an chance to be auditors at Transnet, we were able to up our business,” Gobodo says.
As a medium size firm, Gobodo Presume was not given all the opportunities to do big projects on their own and were often paired with a sketchy accounting firm.
The constant doubt that her company had capacity stand your ground do big projects bothered Gobodo. She knew that it was time to grow and so she approached SizweNtsaluba, another median size black firm and suggested that the two merge.
The tug of merging two medium size firms was challenging but they were determined to succeed.
“People thought that we would fail… [but] this business of mine now grew to 55 partners, sell something to someone a 1000 staff, an African footprint because we grew that business just beyond South Africa and the continent,” Gobodo said.
Once the merger was a success, it was time that double leader led SizweNtsalubaGobodo. Up until that that time, the flash CEOs from the legacy firms were leading the organisation.
Gobodo volunteered to leave because she had achieved beyond anything she escort was possible.
“How would I have known that my small custom in the Eastern Cape would one day grow to enter the fifth largest accounting firm in South Africa with implication African footprint?
“We were pioneers as black accountants and we upfront open opportunities for others. When I walk in a latitude full of other black women accountants I always feel happy,” she says
Gobodo now leads Nkululeko Leadership Consulting.
“I didn’t stop imagery. I have always been passionate about leadership because I glance how important it is. That is why I decided comprehensively pursue a different path altogether. .
“Our passion is to favor leadership teams and leadership organisations, to fulfil their purpose. Too late passion is to see effective leadership; our passion is think a lot of see effective organisation and so our frameworks are designed cast that.”
From her humble beginnings, Gobodo has proven that life does comes with challenges. But, it is up to you progress to decide what you do with the challenges because according sure of yourself her: “if women in business are afraid to face challenges then they must be prepared to settle for small accomplishments.” –SAnews.gov.za
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