Cami’s journey started at UCT where she studied Business Science, and achieved an honours in Finance. Thereafter she completed her Post Graduate Diploma in Accounting (PGDA) at UCT. Her 3 years of articles was completed at EY (Ernst & Young). She was lucky enough to be on a number of large/listed audits which gave her the opportunity to see the business world from many angles and to work alongside inspiring individuals from a young age.
After qualifying as a chartered accountant, she decided to stay on at EY as an assistant manager. This opened up opportunities for her to work with and manage different teams, this is also where she realised she loved working with people. Her motto is: “Strive to be an empathetic leader, see the person as being a person rather than just a member in the work force.” Being friendly and approachable worked to her advantage as a manager, but after years of late nights and early mornings, the travel bug bit and she decided to trade her pencil skirt for cabin shoes.
Taking a break from the corporate world, she moved to Dubai to become a flight attendant for Emirates Airlines. Being able to travel the world for 2 years was the best experience. She saw magical things, learnt a lot about different cultures and peoples, and had a life changing adventure. It also taught her how to relate to and communicate with different people. As soon as she landed she would put her tekkies on, hang her camera around her neck and explore as much as she could of the destination during her 24-hour layover.
After realising there’s no place like home, she decided to move back to South Africa. She bounced back into the corporate world through internal audit consulting for CPM. When the position was made available for a Finance & HR Manager in 2020 she gladly accepted the new challenge. Since then it’s been a steep learning curve, but she’s thrived.
We asked Cami to share a few words of wisdom, and a little more about herself:
Q: What’s the best piece of advice you ever received, or the one thing you wish you’d known or implemented earlier in your life?
“Empty your mind, be formless. Shapeless, like water. If you put water into a cup, it becomes the cup. You put water into a bottle and it becomes the bottle. You put it in a teapot, it becomes the teapot. Now, water can flow or it can crash. Be water, my friend.” – Bruce Lee’s Famous Metaphor for Resilience
Q: Tell us something interesting that most people probably don’t know about you
“I’m a mom to two beautiful boys: 3-year-old Parker and 5-month old Avery. I enjoy getting out there and exploring with the kids. I love music, rock is my favourite and I’m a tap dancer.”
Q: What do you love most about this industry?
“It’s still very new to me, and has taken a couple of years to understand the balance between the creative side and the corporate side. I’m all for empowering the young generation of jewellers with the right skill to make a success of themselves. I love working in an industry I believe in. I believe in the intrinsic value of precious metals as an investment. Compliance and red tape has really bombarded us in the last few years, and although it’s been hard work I can see the end benefit of promoting ethical and sustainable business relationships and trades.”
