Meet our alumni

Kesha Osford

Chief Financial Officer
Roberts Manufacturing

Describe your career journey since leaving PwC and how you came to work at Roberts Manufacturing?

I left PwC in 2017 and joined the Roberts Manufacturing Group as the Chief Financial Officer. Joining the group in this position made me the youngest senior manager as well as the youngest manager throughout the company. Joining the company opened my eyes to business from an industry perspective and I realised that I had a lot to learn. The first year was the hardest as I tried to transition from an auditing environment where I was the one asking questions and making requests, to being on the opposite side of the fence and having to provide answers and rationale for financial decisions. I had become “the client”.

How did your time at PwC prepare you for your current role?

I basically grew up at PwC and it was my first full time job. When I joined, I was blown away by the starting salary, I could not fathom what I would do with it. That was a lot of money for someone who lived at home with no real responsibilities. I eventually got married and divorced while working at PwC. In between this period, I also had my beautiful daughter who quickly became a part of the baby creche which the Firm had the foresight to open. The Firm allowed me to work late evenings and provided afterwork care for my daughter – free of cost!

I was part of the management team in the PCS department at PwC,this experience was very challenging but also very rewarding. It was here where I first understood that managing people and personnel matters was the hardest part of a job from a managerial perspective. 

The twelve years spent at PwC gave me a broad perspective on the financial arena in various companies. I was exposed to retail, hotel, manufacturing and even not for profit organisations, two of the most memorable being the country’s cricket association as well as the “Church” audit. These varying organisations exposed me to the inner workings from a management perspective and would later lay the foundation from which my future would grow. 

In a nutshell, my time at PwC made me strong, dedicated and hardworking. If I was to use a catch phrase, I would say “built to last”.

What has been your biggest career challenge in the last 12 months?

My biggest challenge every year is the financial audit, and this year was no different. Furthermore, this year was complicated by the sale that the company was preparing for, which unfortunately clashed with the same timelines as the audit that were as usual very tight. Aside from the usual audit stress, managing through COVID-19 had its own unique challenges. Even though the company continued operations throughout both national shutdowns, it was a time of great uncertainty and employees were scared to leave their homes. These times forced the company to change the way things were historically done overnight and this required intense planning and ready financial resources. Being able to come up with plans overnight and execute them the very next day almost became an everyday occurrence. These duties usually fell on the senior team of which I was a member. This time was emotionally draining.

As a female business leader in a traditionally male dominated industry, what advice would you give a female graduate aspiring to work their way up to a senior level in the same industry or similar?

As with everything else in life, you get out what you put in. I would advise any graduate to prepare to work hard, long hours and stick to it. Giving up is the easy way out. The guys at the top don’t make the big bucks by doing nothing.

In your current role as Chief Finance Officer, how has the pandemic changed the way you work as it relates to digital transformation in the manufacturing industry?

The biggest change for the company was employees working remotely. At PwC this was commonplace but Roberts was a few decades behind, and working remotely was almost unheard of. Fortunately, because I had come from a more technologically advanced environment, I was able to implement working remotely successfully for the administrative office. Those employees who could work effectively from home are now allowed to do so. 

Working from home also included the senior team. We rotated between the office and working remotely as a physical presence from us was required since the manufacturing operations continued uninterrupted by the closure.

What positive piece of advice have you taken away from the global pandemic? 

Nothing in life is certain or given. Take every day as a blessing and treat it like it may be the last. Emotional stress is very real and if not managed carefully can be very detrimental to one’s health.

As a PwC Alum, what is the one thing you look to the PwC Alumni network for?

That’s easy!! Usually someone who can explain or interpret a new standard which I am uncertain about. My first go to person is my old mentor and current audit partner – Sirpaul Jaikaran!

When travel becomes ‘normal’ again, what is the first country you’d like to visit and why?

Since I was grounded by the pandemic, I started a bucket list where I have included all the places I would like to visit in my lifetime. I am leaning towards a European/Canadian trip. Why? To experience new places and different cultures. I also like history, so instead of my usual shopping trips I will be looking to take in some of the local history of these places.

Thank you!