Joyce Afua Mawunyo Afodofe

My Key Responsibilities in this role include:

• Unlisted Trades Processing for the following departments (Private Equity,Private Debt, Listed and Unlisted Credit)- Responsibilities include managing and executing various unlisted trade-related activities , including:
• Drawdowns and maturity rolls: Processing and reconciling drawdowns and maturity rolls.
• Interest and capital management: Managing interest rolls, capital redemptions, and payment confirmations and ensuring mathematical accuracy.
• Bookovers and payment schedules: Coordinating bookovers and managing payment schedules and ensuring the mathematical accuracy of the payment/interest/amortization schedules.
• Reconciliations: Performing cash and scrip reconciliations, as well as reconciling amortization deals with UBS Delta Software.
• Corporate Actions: Dividends: Distributing profits to shareholders and Rights issues: Offering existing shareholders additional shares.
• Trade management: Trading unlisted deals on Charles River Investment Solution Software, including Swap and Repo Margin trades as well as trades that need to be facilitated through STRATE CONVERGE.

Additional Responsibilities Include:

Daily Fund Oversight -Responsibilities include:

• Net Asset Valuation (NAV) oversight: Ensuring accurate daily fund valuations.
• Daily unit price preparation: Preparing daily unit prices, performing reasonability checks, and reviewing and investigating tolerance breaches
• Tolerance breach resolution: Resolving and confirming out-of-tolerance breaches with back-offices.

Collateral Management

• Daily collateral reconciliation: Reconciling daily required collateral for REPOS, investigating discrepancies, and confirming with counterparties.

Instrument Management

• Instrument creation and maintenance: Creating and updating money market and unlisted credit instruments, ensuring accurate and up-to-date records.

Instrument Valuations -Providing expert valuations for various instrument types and asset classes, including:

• Fixed Income: Bonds, notes, and other debt securities ( Floating Rate Notes and similar)
• Derivatives: futures and swaps
• Equity: shares, and other equity-related instruments ( Convertible Instruments)
• Delivering accurate and timely valuations to support investment decisions, risk management, and financial reporting.

Query Resolution and Special Projects
Responsibilities include:

• Query resolution: Resolving complex queries internally and with counterparties, ensuring timely and accurate responses.
• Audit Preparation : Providing external clients with various numerical and non - numerical information, timeously, to assist with audit deadlines.
• Private equity/venture capital deal revaluations: Managing revaluations and related activities for private equity and venture capital deals.

Ad Hoc Projects
Notable projects include:

• Spread Review and Valuation Committee support: Assisting with data preparation for semi-annual Spread Review and Valuation Committee meetings.
• Presentation: Presented key findings and insights at the November 2024 Part 1 Spread Review meeting, demonstrating expertise and effective communication skills.
• Contributed and continues to contribute to staff training.

Skills enhanced and developed in this role:

1. Investment knowledge: Understanding of investment products, asset classes, and market trends.
2. Operational expertise: Experience with trade processing, settlements, and reconciliations.
3. Analytical skills: Ability to analyze data, identify discrepancies, and resolve issues.
4. Attention to detail: Strong attention to detail to ensure accuracy and compliance.
5. Communication: Effective communication skills to collaborate with stakeholders.
6. Problem-solving: Ability to troubleshoot and resolve operational issues.
7. Technical skills: Proficiency in using investment management systems, Excel, and other relevant software: Charles River Investment Management Solution Software, UBS Delta Software, Infostore and Infovest Software

• Motivated university students towards learning and studying to build self-confidence and reduce fear of failure.
• Supported students with helpful study habits and exam strategies.
• Provided students with accurate and helpful feedback on exams and bi-weekly assignments to ensure that they accurately engage, understand and apply course content.
• Assisted with marking assignments and exams.

Key Skills
Productivity and Organization

• Time Management: Effectively marking and returning feedback to students timeously.

Communication and Interpersonal Skills

• Clearly and concisely conveying information to both University Supervisors and students.
• Dealing with Queries: Responding promptly and professionally to inquiries and concerns.
• English Language Proficiency: Demonstrating a strong command of the English language, both written and verbal.

Audit Experience

• Contributed to timely completion of financial audits by compiling necessary documentation and providing accurate information. Setting up meetings with clients to professionally convey any concerns and or highlight and incomplete information that is still outstanding.
• Audited the following types of organisations: Non-governmental organisations, Close Corporations, Schools, Private and Public companies.

Financial Management Expertise

Accounting Software

• Draftworx: Proficient in utilizing Draftworx accounting software.
• Pastel: Experienced in using Pastel accounting software.
• Xero: Skilled in leveraging Xero accounting software.

Financial Skills

• Excel: Advanced proficiency in Microsoft Excel.
• Financial Reporting: Expertise in preparing accurate and timely financial reports for the following entity types: Non-governmental organisations, Close Corporations, Schools, Private and Public companies.
• Financial Statement Preparation: Skilled in preparing financial statements for the following entity types: Non-governmental organisations, Close Corporations, Schools, Private and Public companies.

Compliance and Risk Management

• Tax and VAT Administration: Knowledgeable in tax and VAT administration, ensuring compliance with regulations.
• Auditing and Assurance: Experienced in auditing and assurance, providing confidence in financial reporting.
• Financial and Risk Management: Proficient in managing financial risks and implementing effective controls.

Professional Conduct

• Ethical Conduct: Committed to upholding the highest standards of ethics and integrity in financial management in accordance to SAICA Standards.

Additional Experience and skills acquired:

• Consistently met deadlines for assigned tasks, contributing to overall efficiency within the accounting department.
• Collaborated with team members during month-end closing procedures, resulting in timely submission of financial statements.
• Ensured compliance with tax regulations by accurately preparing tax returns and submitting them within deadlines.
• Maintained confidentiality of sensitive financial information, adhering to company policies and professional ethics standards.
• Demonstrated commitment to ongoing professional development through participation in industry seminars, workshops, and training sessions.
• Performed variance analysis to identify discrepancies between actual results and budget projections for proactive problemsolving.
• Provided exceptional customer service when addressing vendor inquiries or concerns regarding payment status or invoice disputes.
• Enhanced team productivity by sharing best practices in tax preparation techniques.
• Participated in ongoing professional development workshops, staying current with industry changes and standards.
• Improved client understanding of complex accounting principles through clear and concise explanations.
• Assisted in transition to new accounting software, minimizing disruptions in client services.
• Trained new employees on accounting principles and company procedures.
• Facilitated smooth payroll processing, calculating employee wages, deductions, and benefits accurately.
• Provided journal entries and performed accounting on accrual basis.

BlueAlpha's Graduate program offered a unique opportunity for me to gain valuable work experience at a dynamic and growing boutique asset manager. The comprehensive internship included:

• Structured training: Formal guidance to develop industry-specific skills.
• Work readiness support: Expert mentorship to ensure a smooth transition into the investment industry.
• Practical experience: Hands-on experience in a fast-paced asset management environment.

Areas where knowledge was gained.

Investment Management

• Investment Operations: Extensive knowledge and experience in managing investment operations (Reconciliations,cash management,communicating with back office concerning queries, corporate actions,proxy voting,performance evaluation and analysis using Statpro software) ensuring seamless execution and administration.
• Investment Analysis and Research: Skilled in analyzing investments, conducting research, and providing informed recommendations. This also included building relevant financial models to convey information, incorporating advanced excel tools, Bloomberg, as well as Fundamental Portfolio Manager.
• Focused on personal research project, that I had to present to the company upon completion. This, included me having to do extensive research on a company and produce a powerpoint presentation on my findings, which included graphs, financial models etc.

Business Development

• Business Development: Assisted with Fact sheet production for various business and investment clients and sending of fact sheets to various clients based on their needs and requirements.
• Assisting with client presentations by preparing strategic graphs and or researching relevant information using Bloomberg.

Technical Skills

• Microsoft Office: Proficient in using Excel and PowerPoint to create dynamic presentations and data-driven insights.
• Experienced in using Statpro and Fundamental Portfolio Manager Softwares to manage and analyze investment portfolios.

Soft Skills

• Time Management: Effective time management skills, prioritizing tasks to meet deadlines and achieve goals.
• Administration: Strong administrative skills, ensuring smooth day-to-day operations.
• Presentation and Speaking: Confident in presenting complex information to senior staff, leveraging strong communication skills.

• Motivated students towards learning and studying to build self-confidence and reduce fear of failure.
• Supported students with helpful study habits and exam strategies.
• facilitated 2.5 hour Tutorial sessions twice a week for 60+ University students.
• Facilitated (Hot Seat Sessions) weekly, which was to assist students who had questions about academic material.
• Assisted with marking university tests, exams, projects and assignments (High Volumes ,450+).

Core Skills

Interpersonal Skills

• Teamwork: Collaborating effectively with others to achieve common goals.
• Active Listening: Listening attentively to understand and respond to others' needs.
• Communication: Clearly and effectively conveying information to diverse audiences.

Leadership and Productivity

• Leadership: Guiding and motivating tutoring teams to achieve exceptional results.
• Time Management: Prioritizing tasks and managing time efficiently to meet deadlines.

Technical Expertise

Technical Knowledge: Applying specialized Financial Accounting and Reporting knowledge and skills to drive results.

• Supported Disabled or temporarily disabled university students to complete their tests, exams and assignments, while catering to their various needs depending on the extent of their disability.

Key Strengths

• Patience: Demonstrating calmness and composure in challenging situations, allowing for thoughtful decision-making and effective problem-solving while under stressful university assessment conditions.
• Time Management: Ensuring that the student, despite potentially challenging situations, completes their assessments.

• Managed daily operations, including student processing, housing assignments, food service delivery, medical care provision, and recreational activities scheduling.
• Developed strategic plans for long-term residence facility improvements to enhance operational efficiency and effectiveness.
• Prioritized mental health support for both students and staff by partnering with university proposed mental health providers to offer counseling services onsite.
• Residence Room allocations for students and facilitating a system that provides efficiency and accurate allocation of students to rooms according to the residence capacity.

Additional Duties included:

Conflict Management and Resolution

• Conflict Resolution: Resolving disputes and conflicts in a fair and constructive manner.
• Crisis Intervention: Providing immediate support and intervention in crisis situations.
• Disciplinary Procedures: Implementing and managing disciplinary procedures in a fair and transparent way.

Counseling and Support

• Basic Counseling Skills: Providing empathetic and supportive counseling to individuals in need.
• Making Referrals: Identifying and referring individuals to appropriate resources and services.
• Health Education: Providing education and information on health-related topics.

Facilitation and Training

• Facilitation Skills: Facilitating groups and meetings to achieve desired outcomes.

Technical Skills

• First Aid: Providing basic first aid and medical assistance.
• Excel Skills: Utilizing Microsoft Excel for data management and analysis.

• Greeted incoming visitors and students professionally and provided friendly, knowledgeable assistance.
• Responded to inquiries from callers seeking information.
• Resolved students and staff problems and complaints.
• Kept reception area clean and neat to give visitors positive first impression.
• Answered phone promptly and directed incoming calls to correct offices.
• Answered central telephone system and directed calls accordingly.
• Maintained a well-organized reception area with updated materials, contributing to a welcoming environment for visitors.
• Managed multiple tasks and met time-sensitive deadlines.
• Corresponded with staff and university personnel through email, telephone, or postal mail.
• Provided administrative support to staff members by handling correspondence, filing documents, and managing office supplies inventory.
• Maintained visitor log for entering and leaving facility for security purposes.
• Handled sensitive information with discretion while maintaining strict confidentiality standards.