Nompilo Dube, Accountant
Accountant
Current Experience:Accountant at PepsiCo South Africa (Full-time): Oct 2024 – Present (4 months)
Past experience:Financial Accountant at Grindrod (Full-time): Sep 2021 – Sep 2024 (3 years, 1 month)
Financial Accountant at The Reject Shop (Contract): Dec 2020 – Aug 2021 (9 months)
Accountant at Jones Cracknell & Starr (Full-time): Jan 2019 – Oct 2020 (1 year, 10 months)
Finance Temp - Assisting Group Finance Manager at Sumitomo Rubber South Africa (Contract): Mar 2018 – Oct 2018 (8 months)
Financial Accountant at United National Breweries SA (Full-time): Aug 2017 – Dec 2017 (5 months)
Assistant Management Accountant at Umgeni Water (Contract): Jul 2016 – Jun 2017 (1 year)
Commercial Accountant at Nampak (Contract): Aug 2015 – Jan 2016 (6 months)
Finance Assistant at ACCORD (Full-time): Dec 2011 – Jul 2015 (3 years, 8 months)
Junior Accountant at Perspex South Africa (Full-time): Jul 2006 – Nov 2011 (5 years, 5 months)
Bookkeeper at Soltax Business Consultants (Full-time): Feb 2006 – Jul 2006 (6 months)
Qualifications:CIMA – Advanced Diploma in Management Accounting
Bachelor’s Degree in Taxation.
Country of Residence:South Africa
LinkedIn Profile: In our mission to highlight exceptional finance professionals, Accounting Weekly presents Nompilo Dube, a dedicated Accountant at PepsiCo SA (Future Life) with over 10 years of experience in accounting and financial management. Nompilo embodies discipline, growth, and the desire to make a meaningful contribution to her organisation and the broader finance community.
Nompilo starts her day early at 6:00 AM, often preparing a bottle of milk for her 2-year-old son before enjoying a cup of tea and catching up on the news. Her mornings are structured and purposeful, setting the tone for a productive day ahead.
What time do you usually wake up on the weekend?
I wake up at 6:00 AM.
Are you an early bird or a night owl?
I’m an early bird.
How do you spend the first hour of your morning?
Usually listening to the news on TV while preparing to go to work. On weekends, I prepare a bottle of milk for my 2-year-old son, then enjoy a cup of tea while watching the news before he wakes up.
What sparked your interest in accounting or finance?
I enjoyed Accounting and Business Economics subjects in high school.
Can you share some key career milestones or defining moments?
Having an opportunity to explore career opportunities abroad. I worked in Australia for a few years as an Accountant, first in a role with a CPA firm and then with an ASX-listed retail chain company. While there, I obtained membership with a leading Australian Accounting Body (IPA), furthered my CIMA studies, obtained the highest marks for the Management Case Study, and was recognised as the Australian Prize Winner for the Gateway Examination.
What is your role within your company’s finance department?
I work closely with the Accounts Receivables Team to ensure customers are billed in accordance with Trade Agreements in place and pay us within their credit terms. I maintain customer rebates and claim schedules, analyse them against available provisions, and flag shortages for weekly forecasting. I review the debtors ageing, analyse credit exposure on customer accounts, and recommend necessary measures to review credit limits to alleviate associated risks and loss of income. I compile weekly marketing spend reports by cost centre, liaise with the sales team for provisions to be raised, and check the Income Statement to ensure all costs are processed before month-end close.
How do you contribute to the overall financial strategy of the business?
This is a fairly new role, with October being my first month. I assist in preparing parts of the monthly management reports, which gives me insight into the company's performance, profitability, and key cost drivers. With this information, I will assist Senior Management in investigating deviations from the budget, performing benchmarking and financial modelling to improve financial performance, and driving continuous growth in both accounting and operational processes in line with the company's long-term strategy for the group. I also collaborate with various departments and assist in the completion and submission of monthly, quarterly, and annual Pepsi submissions while ensuring compliance with IFRS standards and company policies.
What is one of the biggest challenges you’ve faced in your role? How did you overcome it?
I merge from very humble beginnings and background, so I used to feel intimidated to voice my opinions within a group of people. I’ve learnt that building communication skills and work etiquette is equally important as the professional qualifications I have obtained when it comes to career progression and being successful in a diverse work environment. This is one of the challenges I’ve learnt to overcome, and I am now confident that I can add valuable input in management discussions.
What tools or strategies do you use to manage the financial operations of the company effectively?
Firstly, it is critical to understand how each company operates and how your role fits into the structure. Keeping up to date with current affairs, market trends, and the volatilities of the industry I’m working in is key to making impactful contributions. As an Accountant, continuous professional development and awareness of relevant changes in IFRS and legislation also help to stay on the right track.
How do you stay balanced during busy periods?
Being a new mother has made it even more important for me to maintain a good work-life balance. Everyone who works in Finance knows that month-end and year-end are hectic. As challenging as it is, the positive side is that it can be planned for. So, planning ahead and being organised is my strategy, not only for work but personally as well. I plan ahead for my weekend errands so I can have time to rest and recharge before starting a new week.
What do you enjoy outside of work?
When I’m not chasing month-end deadlines at work, I love spending quality time with my 2-year-old son. This means running and chasing him around most of the time – whether in the house, park, or at the beach. Family is very important to me, so I make time for video and phone calls to stay in touch with them. I also take advantage of public holidays to plan long weekends to visit my extended family. I try to keep my weekend schedule simple, as my son keeps me very preoccupied, and matching his energy levels is quite exhausting!
Do you mentor or support other team members in the finance department?
I’ve not been in a leadership role, as I am currently at the mid-management level. So, my mentorship has mainly been outside the work environment, within social networks. People often approach me through my LinkedIn profile, and I assist aspiring finance graduates in creating a progression plan and leveraging the opportunities they have.
What advice would you give to aspiring finance professionals?
In South Africa, we are lucky to have various professional bodies such as CIBA, which recognises graduates at different levels of qualification. Finance is very broad, so I would advise an aspiring accountant to research the different industries and pathways to find exactly what they would like to specialise in. It is quicker to progress when you focus on a specific goal. I would also encourage finance graduates to remember that our South African qualifications are internationally recognised should they wish to explore opportunities abroad.
What’s your favourite quote or mantra that motivates you?
“My motto is: ‘Everyone must choose one of two pains, the pain of discipline or the pain of regret.’”
Share a leadership lesson or piece of advice that’s been valuable in your career.
A piece of advice that I value is: be disciplined, be genuine, always measure success realistically based on your own happiness in life, and have gratitude. I merge from very humble beginnings, and as I have matured, I reflect on the good and bad decisions I’ve made. Every day, I’m thankful for what I have achieved, which I attribute to the pain of being disciplined.
What’s something surprising about you that isn’t in your professional bio?
I like meeting new people and learning about different languages, cultures, and countries. I am not a big traveller – I’ve only been to two countries outside South Africa – but I would love to visit other places if I had the money.
If you could have any superpower to help you in your job, what would it be?
I would freeze the clock a few times during month-end, as there is never enough time for the cut-off deadlines, and we always work long hours!
Nompilo’s story is a testament to the power of discipline, ambition, and adaptability. Her career journey, marked by impressive achievements, highlights the opportunities available to those with drive and determination in the world of finance.
Profile sponsored by the Chartered Institute for Business Accountants
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