PKF Africa gathering 2022

Seychelles, I mean c’mon - who needs an incentive to attend a work conference on a tropical island!

Our 2022 PKF in Africa gathering took place last week, our last conference took place in Namibia in 2020 , just before the world as we knew it was changed forever.

I could entertain you, dear reader, with a synopsis of our African strategy, our service line expertise and the growth pillars. Instead, I will save you the time (which we all have so little of) and I will tell you the story of my greatest take-away from our gathering.

There is a saying that Cape Townians don’t consider themselves to be a part of South Africa and that South Africans don’t see themselves as part of Africa. Living in the Southern most country in Africa , offers one a sense of a illusion as to the level of innovation , technological advancement and opportunities that are present on the African continent.

The writer of this blog was simply humbled by the people he met during the gathering.

This is the story of our African PKF people, a story of the impact they make on our continent, a story of leadership.

I had the pleasure of catching up with ALPESH VADHER , the CEO of PKF in East Africa, a group with over 800 employees. Besides being an international cricketer in his younger days, Alpesh impressed me with his leadership and the way his group look after their people.

Offices equipped with a gym, nursery for children, use of cutting age technology. Our East African office is one of the strongest in the market, Alpesh reminded me that the job of a leader is to listen, and to listen more.

Next, PKF Djibouti - a firm led by Mohamed Youssouf Aouled, M.B.A . Mohamed was educated in Canada and chose to return to Africa to make an impact in his home country. For his young age Mohamed has achieved so much that he forced me to reflect on my own ambition. Not only did he start PKF in Djibouti , he also started their national institute and is the president of that organisation.

The legacy of PKF in Africa

Papa Bathie Gueye, CPA, MsT - another young man who has decided to return to his roots, this time in Senegal. Papa obtained his Masters in taxation from Lubin School of Business in New York, worked for a number of years on Madison Avenue before deciding to return to Dakar and to seize the potential that exists on our continent.

I am always in awe of the great Antony Ranjan (FCA, FZICA, FCMA) , the managing partner of PKF Zambia Chartered Accountants - Anthony does more CSR work than any person I know. He is a true humanitarian and a champion of those less fortunate than us. From feeding schemes, planting trees to building schools, supporting victims of abuse and sponsoring a women’s football team. Anthony always shows me that it is our duty to look after those less fortunate, that on our continent we have an opportunity to make an impact on our doorstep.

Our African chairman, Ahmed Paruk - used the below quote in his closing address when he reflected on the impact that our African firms are making, these words resonated strongly with me;

We ourselves feel that what we are doing is just a drop in the ocean. But the ocean would be less because of that missing drop.

Mother Theresa         

I walk away from this conference with renewed energy and immense belief in the work that we are doing on this vast, ever-changing continent of Africa.

Let’s build Africa together.

Cheers for now.

WW