An undying passion for numbers

She qualified as a chartered accountant in February 2017 and joined TransNamib in May 2019 as financial accounting manager.
Monque Adams
Michelline Nawatises

Policia Stefanie Mostert (nee Groenewaldt) was born and raised in Rehoboth. She attended Origo Primary School and Dr Lemmer High School. She attained a Bachelors in Finance and Accounting degree in 2009 at the Polytechnic, now known as NUST. Thereafter, she did a bridging year at Rhodes in 2010.

Mostert studied a cumulative translation adjustment (CTA) distance course through Unisa from 2011-2014 whilst completing articles at Grand Namibia Chartered Accountants and Auditors.

“I officially qualified as a chartered accountant in February 2017 and joined TransNamib in May 2019 as manager for financial accounting,” she says.

Her core responsibilities are:

· Managing the debtors, creditors and cash of TransNamib;

· Supervising collections and payments to suppliers;

· Engaging with the bank and other financial institutions for funding;

· Preparing the AFS and records for the external auditors.

She says her biggest accomplishment was qualifying as a chartered accountant (CA). “The biggest challenge is to manage the cash flows of a company struggling with cash flow,” she adds.

A typical day at the office starts with the first 30 minutes attending to emails. On Tuesday and Thursday until 12:00 she approves documents for payments. “I also attend weekly stakeholder meetings with other departments and in the section,” Mostert says.

She has a passion for numbers, auditing and correcting mistakes. Her inspiration comes from working mothers who have to cope with family, kids and a career. She loves reading and is a sucker for coffee.

Mostert’s advice to young professionals is: “If you have the opportunity, study, get a degree. Do not waste opportunities to learn. Development and growth is your own responsibility. Also, do not lose your integrity in life, and always know your self-worth.”

She hopes to run her own financial consultancy business in the future. If there was a skill she could learn, it would be an artist in any form, painting dancing or writing music, and her greatest fear is to become not needed anymore by anyone.

The best phase in her life was as an audit trainee. “It taught me skills professionally. It exposed me to the different industries and it built my character in engaging with other people,” she says.