Pontsho Bambalala

Company Overview : The IIA SA is a professional body that represents the South African internal audit profession, promoting and advancing its practice through advocacy, education, training, professional development, certification, and networking

• Regularly attended and provided key strategic insights during Audit Committee meetings, focusing on high-priority risks, audit findings, and governance improvements
• Acted as the primary liaison between the audit team and senior management, including the Chief Audit Executive, ensuring that audit findings were clearly communicated, and appropriate follow-up actions were implemented
• Refined internal audit methodologies and introduced the best practices in audit planning, execution, and reporting
• Standardized audit processes, ensuring consistency and quality across all audits conducted within the organization
• Led audits focused on assessing and enhancing the organization's risk management frameworks, providing strategic recommendations to improve risk identification, assessment, and mitigation strategies
• Championed a shift to a data-driven approach for audit reporting, incorporating data visualization tools and dashboards to enhance the clarity and impact of audit findings
• Mentored junior auditors and led professional development initiatives focused on improving governance, audit methodologies, and use of innovative tools

Company Overview : MTN Group, a South African multinational telecommunications company, is a leading mobile and internet operator in Africa, operating in multiple countries and the Middle East

• Provide leadership, project management, and oversight of analysis, recommendations, and implementation of financial process improvements for audit clients
• Developed a project management structure to enhance accurate and timely internal reporting
• Drove multifaceted client projects, including reduction of risk exposure, standardization of corporate processes, and compliance to support business objectives

Highlights:

• SIM Registration Audit: Successfully coordinated and led a combined audit team of 40 professionals across 13 operational companies in 12 countries, ensuring uniformity in audit procedures and compliance with local and international regulations
• Internal Financial Controls: Ensured alignment with global financial reporting frameworks (IFRS) and local regulatory requirements, improving overall compliance across all audited subsidiaries, and mitigating potential penalties and reputational risks; Identified significant weaknesses in financial control processes across subsidiaries and worked with cross-functional teams to redesign control frameworks, reducing financial risk and improving the integrity of financial reporting
• Treasury Audits: Led risk assessments for treasury operations in high-risk regions, identifying country-specific financial risks and recommending strategies to mitigate exposure to exchange rate volatility, interest rate fluctuations, and political instability
• Capital Allocation Audits: Successfully led a capital allocations audit for MTN Group and related subsidiaries, assessing capital expenditure (CapEx) decisions, investment allocation, and financial performance across 13 operational companies, ensuring alignment with corporate strategic goals
• Enterprise Asset Management Audits: Successfully led Enterprise Asset Management audit across 17 subsidiaries in 15 countries, assessing the management, tracking, and utilization of physical and intangible assets, including network equipment, software, and vehicles, resulting in enhanced asset visibility and accountability
• Fintech Anti-money laundering compliance review: Spearheaded thorough Anti-Money Laundering (AML) compliance review of the MTN's fintech services across Ghana, evaluating effectiveness of existing policies, controls, and procedures in identifying and mitigating money laundering risks
• Sustainability reporting audits: Identified and rectified gaps in company's ESG data collection, validation, and reporting processes, leading to improved accuracy in environmental impact metrics and social performance indicators, which resulted in company's sustainability report achieving a higher level of credibility and stakeholder trust
• Managed and motivated employees to be productive and engaged in work.
• Accomplished multiple tasks within established timeframes.

Company Overview : EY SA, a member of EY Global, offers services in assurance, advisory, tax, and transactions to businesses, governments, and non-profit organizations across various sectors

• Successfully led audits for top-tier listed companies, ensuring full compliance with local and international financial reporting standards
• Delivered high-quality audit services within tight deadlines, contributing to auditees' smooth regulatory filings and investor confidence
• Identified and implemented improvements to internal control frameworks for financial services clients, particularly in areas of credit risk, liquidity management, and financial reporting
• Improved client relations by maintaining open lines of communication and addressing concerns promptly.
• Facilitated external audits and prepared detailed reports on findings.
• Led and mentored team of audit professionals, providing training on regulations and audit methodology
• Enhanced Stakeholder Communication and Relationship Management
• Built strong relationships with senior management and executives, providing them with actionable insights into financial performance, risk exposure, and internal control effectiveness
• Contributed to development of internal audit methodologies, training materials, and best practices for auditing complex financial transactions and financial services clients
• Efficiently managed all my audit projects, consistently achieving a profit margin of at least 40% for three years, and meeting tight deadlines
• EY SA, member of EY Global, offers services in assurance, advisory, tax, and transactions to businesses, governments, and non-profit organizations across various sectors
• Notable audit clients: Absa Insurance and Financial Services, Absa Trust Limited, Absa Credit, GrowthPoint Properties Limited, Nedbank Private Equity

Company Overview : Absa Group Limited is a prominent African financial services institution, providing a comprehensive range of banking, financial products, insurance, and wealth management services

• Oversaw daily P&L reporting for six trading desks, performing detailed variance analysis, and providing actionable insights to senior management and traders to enhance decision-making and risk management
• Strengthened risk management processes by identifying discrepancies in trade data, implementing corrective actions, and improving control frameworks to mitigate operational and financial risks
• Collaborated in accurate and timely reporting of financial and regulatory information

• Assisted in financial statement audits
• Internal control evaluation
• Tax compliance
• Client relationship management
• Audit documentation and reporting for various clients, ensuring compliance with IFRS and local accounting standards, identifying weaknesses, and providing recommendations for operational efficiency and risk management.