GERMAIN DEBORAH ARENDSE
Johannesburg
Summary
A seasoned professional with a robust background in account management and operations, particularly with Standard Bank of South Africa. Demonstrates exceptional team leadership and customer service management, coupled with adeptness in data analysis and process optimization. Excels in fostering team unity and motivating towards excellence, ensuring compliance and enhancing operational efficiency. Highly skilled Controller with solid background in overseeing financial systems, budgets, and audits. Proven leadership in managing accounting teams and implementing strategic financial plans. Strengths include cost reduction strategies, risk management, and compliance with regulatory standards. Consistently improved operational efficiency and reduced financial discrepancies in previous roles.
Overview
25
25
years of professional experience
Work History
Book Controller
Standard Bank of South Africa
Johannesburg
02.2021 - 08.2024
- Payment allocation
- Investigate and engage with stakeholders regarding unallocated payments with incorrect references received on statement
- Preparing requisition form for refund
- Compile and submit month end stats
- Ensure that all payments received are captured within 24 hours
- Allocate payments accurately and minimise mistakes
- Prioritising the customer and ensuring that they get a fair treatment
- Allocate all urgent payment received from credit review
- Ensure that customers do not exceed their approved credit limit
- Ensure that all communication received from internal and external consultants are actioned on time
- Actively assist relevant stakeholders regarding related payments and confirming payments done when required
- To refer all fraudulent related queries to Customer and Merchant Risk for investigation
- Request assistance in collection of arrears
- Attend all queries regarding payments issues and provide required information
- Request Remittance advise when customer has deposited the lump sum on the bank statement without remittances
- Use the correct purchase code when capturing the payment to enable the client to get the fuel interest if they pay early
- Operate within set Policies and Procedures but can decide how to allocate bulk payment or if the client pays extra
- Escalate issues to supervisor and request client profile information to make an informed decision
- Engaged with other departments to give provide credit requirement information and contribute to their service delivery
Administrator Operations
Absa Bank
02.2008 - 05.2019
- Company Overview: (Retail Market Collections)
- Punctual and appropriate follow-up of collection actions and capturing comments
- Obtain working knowledge of NCA and ensure ongoing compliance to the provisions of the Act
- Monitor performance of practitioners on a daily basis and address non-compliance to service standards effectively
- Seek to anticipate and understand the needs of our customers (internal and external) and endeavour to exceed their expectations
- Focus on activities and work that will add value to the organisation's services and benefit the customers
- Foster ongoing knowledge enrichment and improvement amongst the employees in order to continually improve services to the customers(internal & external)
- To be open and honest to the customers and ensure customer's confidentiality
- Drafting of letters to notify clients regarding the restructuring of payments on their accounts
- Various Teller functions and transactions processed on a daily basis
- Compiling and completion of various functions on excel spreadsheets on a daily basis
- Data Capturing of Journals
- Requesting valuation on properties (admin)
- Data Analysing and investigations on collateral accounts
- (Retail Market Collections)
Acting Team Leader
Absa Bank
06.2015 - 08.2015
- Company Overview: (Customer Operations)
- Invoice updates and payments
- Capacity management through the use of RTM (Real Time Management)
- Managing allocations are verify that they are done on the collateral account
- Schedule and prepare payments for allocation and sent to the teller space for processing
- Update of client information on Barclays CIF system
- Manager Back office function and process to align with Group strategy
- Correct and aligned process flow daily by working with turn around times to escalate it daily
- Coaching of staff members
- Manage and report of team's daily, weekly and monthly stats
- Manage staff member performances i.e
- Productivity and Utilizations
- Training and upskilling of staff members on a daily basis
- Chair /conduct Buzz meeting with staff members so as to track and trace actual performances versus team daily plans
- Assistance relevant stakeholders when needed, lend out staff members to Teller space to assist with high income volumes of work
- Create team's weekly plans
- (Customer Operations)
Account Management - Quality Assurance Officer
Nedbank
11.2007 - 02.2008
- Risk Management
- Process Adherence and Compliance
- Workload Management
- Drafting daily stat reports
- Capacity Management
- Effective Time Management
- Management information reporting and development initiatives
- Aligning of my daily operations duties to 'Best Practices'
- Auditing of daily spreadsheets
Account Management - Savings Accounts Controller
Standard Bank of South Africa
10.2005 - 10.2007
- Respond timorously and efficiently to internal and external calls within agreed service levels
- Adhere and attend to all queries from branches
- Drafting of daily stats and work reports
- Effective Time Management
- Scrutinising of reports on a daily basis
- Promoting of performance levels by actively supporting team goals and fellow team members to attain the goals
- Adherence to policy and business rules
Account Management - Special Clearance Officer
Standard Bank of South Africa
04.2004 - 09.2005
- Daily Workflow Management and Planning
- Analysis of account holder's portfolio
- Supporting over 6 high volume branches with related queries/request
- Processing of all request /applications
- Effective resolution and execution of all Inbound and Outbound calls
- Reporting on daily, weekly and monthly activity
- Ensure all stakeholders expectations are managed through proactive intervention and feedback
- Ensure that the highest quality levels is maintained
- Mandate to clear funds of cheques
Account Management - Consolidated Payments
Standard Bank of South Africa
11.1999 - 03.2004
- To ensure first line resolution of all queries and request
- Actioning all exception reports
- Interaction (telephonically) with stakeholders
- Managing retention and quality of data
- Product support
- Processing of salary schedules on a daily basis within the expected time frame
- Ensure all processes are efficient and streamlined
- Ensure daily submission of activity reports
- Ensure effective time management
- Despatch and receiving of transfers
Education
Bachelor of Business Administration - Major in Marketing
Milpark Business School
Melville12.2024
Higher Certificate - Management
Milpark Business School
Melville01.2015
Certificate - Computer Training
Endeavour Computer Academy
Eldorado Park01.1998
Certificate - Secretarial Skills Course
Anchor College
Braamfontein01.1998
Grade 12 -
Kliptown Secondary School
01.1997
Skills
- Proven ability to effectively work across teams at all levels
- Verbal and written communication skills
- Nedbank In-house logging systems
- Internet Explorer
- Standard Bank In-house logging systems
- Absa In-house logging systems
- Customer Service Management
- Team and People Management
- Outbound and Inbound Call Centre performance management
- Performance Reporting
- Quality Reporting
- Team work and Motivation
- Conflict Management
- Data Analysis
- Deciding and initiating action
- Learning and researching
- Entrepreneurial and Business insight
- Adapting and responding to change
- Creative and innovative
- Coping with set back and performing under pressure
- Planning and organizing
Knowledge and Skills
- Proven ability to effectively work across teams at all levels
- Verbal and written communication skills
- Nedbank In-house logging systems
- Internet Explorer
- Standard Bank In-house logging systems
- Absa In-house logging systems
- Customer Service Management
- Team and People Management
- Outbound and Inbound Call Centre performance management
- Performance Reporting
- Quality Reporting
- Team work and Motivation
- Conflict Management
- Data Analysis
Competence
- Deciding and initiating action
- Learning and researching
- Entrepreneurial and Business insight
- Adapting and responding to change
- Creative and innovative
- Coping with set back and performing under pressure
- Planning and organizing
Languages
- English
- Afrikaans
References
Will be supplied upon request
Computer Packages
- Microsoft Word
- Microsoft Excel
- Microsoft PowerPoint
- Microsoft Outlook
Personal Information
- Ethnicity: Coloured
- Notice Period: Will be supplied upon request
- Criminal Record: None
- Date of Birth: 08/18/79
- Gender: Female
- Nationality: South African
- Driving License: Code 8
References
References available upon request.
Timeline
Book Controller
Standard Bank of South Africa
02.2021 - 08.2024
Acting Team Leader
Absa Bank
06.2015 - 08.2015
Administrator Operations
Absa Bank
02.2008 - 05.2019
Account Management - Quality Assurance Officer
Nedbank
11.2007 - 02.2008
Account Management - Savings Accounts Controller
Standard Bank of South Africa
10.2005 - 10.2007
Account Management - Special Clearance Officer
Standard Bank of South Africa
04.2004 - 09.2005
Account Management - Consolidated Payments
Standard Bank of South Africa
11.1999 - 03.2004
Bachelor of Business Administration - Major in Marketing
Milpark Business School
Higher Certificate - Management
Milpark Business School
Certificate - Computer Training
Endeavour Computer Academy
Certificate - Secretarial Skills Course
Anchor College
Grade 12 -
Kliptown Secondary School