Written by Staff Writer
Success didn’t just fall into Lindelani Gumbo’s lap. The regulatory accountant didn’t pass her board exams or CTA on the first attempt. She admits, “I was never the smartest person in school.” However, setbacks have not held Gumbo, assistant vice president at Citibank South Africa, back.
Success requires grit
“I guess, sometimes it’s not always about aptitude, but rather having the right attitude,” Lindelani Gumbo tells the CFOClub podcast.
Gumbo is a regulatory accountant who serves as the assistant vice president at Citibank South Africa and as a non-executive director at the Institute of Bankers of South Africa. She holds a CA degree and was working towards her MBA at the time of the podcast.
However, success took work.
“I was never the smartest person in school, and in all honesty, I didn’t pass my CTA or board exams the first time around. However, I was focused on reaching my goals a nd, I guess, sometimes it’s not always about aptitude, but rather having the right attitude. To this end, I did qualify as a CA and I’ve been truly blessed to have worked with really amazing people within the industry.”
How Gumbo values mentoring and mentorship
“I was indirectly mentored by my father, and he is what I would term a first generation chartered accountant in my entire family. So him and mum got married, and they pursued a specific journey within their lives. Being a child in that household, I observed the hard work that it took my dad to study part-time and actually become a chartered accountant to a point where he opened his own auditing firm.”
Gumbo notes providing mentorship as one of her passions, partly because of a lack of direct mentoring. “Yes, we can get inspired by our parents, but it’s always nice to interact with someone who’s five or ten years ahead of you so that you don’t make the same mistakes.”
To this end, Gumbo has used opportunities at her former employers to provide mentorship.
“While I was at the Institution of Bankers in South Africa, I did engage in the youth forum where basically the mandate was to encourage the youth to come into the banking and financial sector because what we’ve observed is that it’s lacking young people.
Gumbo continues to mentor graduates in her current team. “It’s rewarding when I can lessen the journey for someone and just see the speed bumps or the potholes ahead and then tell them, listen, you’re going down the long route, here’s an easier way.”
Access to peer mentorship
Members can listen to the entire podcast with Gumbo here, including her discussion on work-life balance and the challenges of regulatory compliance.
Gumbo’s focus on mentorship aligns with CFOClub’s core goal: to bring peer CFOs together as an elite sounding board.
To find out more about how you can gain access to this network, check out our offers.