Johannesburg – As a young black woman, starting her career as a chartered accountant, Sindi Mabaso-Koyana had to venture into “uncharted” territory, without role models to guide her. Now a successful business woman, having sat in leadership roles for a number of firms, she has set her sights on international opportunities.
Mabaso-Koyana is one of the founders of African Women Chartered Accountants (AWCA). She also chairs AWCA Investment Holdings. In an interview with Fin24 at the AWCA conference held in Johannesburg this week, Mabaso-Koyana shared her learning experiences in her journey from qualifying as a chartered accountant to becoming an entrepreneur.
“Back in the day there were only a few women sitting on boards, sometimes you were the only one,” said Mabaso-Koyana. What helped her was to revert to the values she learnt when she was growing up, raised by a single parent in Umlazi, Durban. Values of independence, hard work and tenacity stood her in good stead as she entered the financial field, with few female professionals in the industry.