I was in primary school when my mum challenged me to be an accountant like my uncle who had a successful career in the profession. It ignited a passion in me to achieve this dream and to honour her, so I eventually chose to study accountancy at the University of Malawi. At one point I thought of becoming a medical doctor, but the world of finance was calling and there was no going back.
In 2009 I joined Deloitte, where I completed the audit trainee programme. Having qualified with ACCA in 2013, I moved to Illovo Sugar Malawi where I worked for two years as a management accountant. However, I found my role there too routine, so I pivoted into investment banking at CDH Investment Bank before moving on to EY and a position in business valuations and modelling.
My role at EY was really exciting, as it called upon all the skills I had gained so far – in audit, management accounting and investment banking. However, two years later I was persuaded to move on from EY to FDH Financial Holdings as a senior manager. It was one of the hardest decisions in my life because I liked what I was doing, but I accepted the new challenge now have few regrets.
This is my fifth year in senior management at a financial services firm. With the help of my team, I’ve been able to play a part in the growth of the FDH subsidiary First Discount House, increasing profitability and return on capital.
If all goes according to plan, I will soon become a CFA charterholder, which, alongside my ACCA Qualification, will count as one of my greatest achievements. It has been an exciting career journey and, with my new passion in banking, investment management and business development, I couldn’t go back to auditing. I like giving investment advice to my clients and watching them grow. I am also developing my personal investment portfolio and I look forward to what will hopefully be an early retirement.
Malawi has lots of investment opportunities in financial services, health, tourism, energy, agriculture (mega-farms in particular) and mining, to name just a few. As one of the most peaceful countries in the world, Malawi is aptly called the Warm Heart of Africa. However, the political situation has been a major obstacle to economic development in the country. Crucially, we lack foreign direct investment. FDI would give us the opportunity to grow our manufacturing industry and reduce our dependence on imports. It would also allow us to make and export value added products, which would in turn generate foreign exchange reserves for the economy.
Malawi has a punitive taxation system for individuals. If I had the power to change the law, this is one of the areas I would tackle. I would ensure that individuals had more disposable income to grow their investments, as well as their personal prosperity. This would also increase the level of domestic capital for investment in projects that can turn around Malawi’s economy.
In my spare time I play a lot of chess and enjoy swimming. I also like reading books about investment.
