Full Name: Bulela Noluthando Mgobozi

Position and Company Name: Product manager at SYSPRO Africa

Main Activity of the Company: Syspro is a software development and enterprise resource planning company providing integrated business software for accounting, manufacturing and distribution operations

Date and Place of Birth: I was born in the Eastern Cape and grew up in the small towns of Cofimvaba and Mthatha

Schools and Tertiary Education: Matric, Ixopo, KwaZulu-Natal; BCom (Accounting Sciences), University of Pretoria; BCom (Hons) (Accounting), University of KwaZulu-Natal

First Job: My very first job was during high school, as part of a team conducting a holiday promotion for a Shell fuel station. This soon expanded to attending to customers at the forecourt, dispensing fuel and checking oil levels. My first formal job was as a trainee at Deloitte Johannesburg in 2006

Career History Prior to Current Position: After completing my articles I remained as a manager at Deloitte, and subsequently joined Nedbank. Thereafter, I joined long-term insurance company Liberty as a financial manager, later progressing to head of finance

Size of First Pay Packet: Not much

First Job with Present Group: Finance lead of SYSPRO’s Solutions team

Number of People under Your Leadership: I work alongside developers and other teams without direct reports. Previous roles saw me attend to the career and academic development of my direct reports, a role I relished because I am able to recognise talent and take joy in bringing it to the attention of the person and those they work with

Management Style: I have a collaborative style of leadership

Personal Best Achievement: While at Liberty, I was chosen to be one of the Duke University candidates to take part in a business strategy development course – my team was the winning team with our proposal for Liberty Retail

Professional Best Achievement: Passing my South African Institute of Chartered Accountants (SAICA) final qualifying exam while also being a wife and mother

Person Who Has Had the Biggest Influence on Your Life: My late husband – through his support from university until I qualified as a chartered accountant

Person Who Has Had the Biggest Influence on Your Career: Lwando Bantom, the SAICA representative who awarded qualifying students a bursary for full-time honours studies

Philosophy of Life: Live and let live

Biggest Ever Opportunity: I have a significant opportunity here at SYSPRO through our collaboration with ABSA Bank on an integrated payment channel. In addition, working at Liberty was also a great opportunity, as, in a sense, it led to my work here at SYSPRO, an innovative South African enterprise resource planning company where I am engaged in shaping software development, specifically in relation to finance functions

Favourite Reading: The Lord of the Rings

Favourite TV Programme: Game of Thrones

Hobbies: Wildlife photography, travelling and reading

Married: I got married to Sibongiseni Mgobozi in October 2006. My husband is one of the millions of Covid casualties we continue to miss and love. For some of us there will never be a return to normal; our lives are forever altered

Children: I am mother to Mihlali, Liyabona and Lelethu Mgobozi

Clubs: None