Quickbooks
Prudence Ruiters
Chartered Business Accountant (SA)
Cape Town
Work Preference
Summary
Accounting, finance and tax specialist with over 20 years experience managing accounting functions, & systems. Adept at managing high-impact finance teams across local & international, corporate & private business environments.
International experience in senior accounting. Fin-Tech expert & FBO Accounting.
I hold professional designations as a Chartered Business Accountant (ZA), Certified Tax Practitioner (ZA) and Commissioner of Oaths (ZA). I am an HMRC Agent and am IRS as well as EMEA tax competent.
Expert in accounting systems and tools such as Sage, Xero, QuickBooks, Dext.
Overview
16
16
years of professional experience
3
3
Certificates
2
2
Languages
Work History
Chartered Business Accountant (SA) | Founder
thinkPrudence
Cape Town
01.2015 - Current
- Acted as Financial Manager for an international real estate client operating across 7 jurisdictions, position offered as permanent role when FM employed.
- Acted as Financial Manager for last mile logistics client operating across Africa, transforming the finance department to high performing.
- Built finance department from scratch for South African distributor, recruited and trained staff with no prior accounting knowledge to profit-making result reporting.
- Delivered end-to-end accounting, tax, payroll, budgeting, and compliance services to multiple industry SMEs and individuals.
- Led project management and department optimization across diverse clients.
- Developed strong relationships with clients, fostering loyalty through exceptional service and professional advice.
IT Project Manager (Contract)
The SPAR Group Limited
Cape Town
05.2022 - 08.2022
- Oversaw the planning and rollout of retail IT projects in alignment with group technology strategy - Digital Transformation Achieved.
- Facilitated cross-departmental stakeholder workshops and solution design, managing vendors and implementation timelines across multiple store environments - Saved Costs for large implementation.
- Led and managed 6 team members engaged in administering complex IT infrastructure changes.
Senior Retail Systems Manager
SPAR Western Cape & Namibia
Cape Town
11.2018 - 04.2022
- Successfully led retail systems support and innovation across 200+ stores in the Western Cape and Namibia.
- Oversaw POS, back-office systems, hardware contracts, software upgrades, and audits.
- Directed team of systems consultants, managed department budget and performance metrics.
- Acted as decision-maker and IT liaison with distribution centre units, corporate stakeholders, and central office IT leadership.
Retail Systems Consultant
SPAR Western Cape & Namibia
Cape Town
02.2016 - 10.2018
- Maintained up-to-date knowledge of industry trends and emerging technologies to provide informed recommendations on system improvements. Across two countries and 2000 stores, successfully.
- Implemented rigorous testing protocols to ensure optimal functionality across all systems prior to deployment or upgrade activities. Reducing deployment failures to 1.9%.
Accounting & Admin Manager
SPAR Corporate Stores
Cape Town
01.2014 - 01.2016
- Supervised 80 staff and delegated tasks to maintain positive, productive administrative & finance operations.
- Updated reports, managed accounts, and generated reports for client reporting and feedback.
- Completed monthly reporting packs accurately for 30 corporate stores.
Divisional Accountant
BUCO Hardware - Iliad Group
Cape Town
05.2013 - 12.2014
- Key contributor to legacy-to-ERP migration project. Switching to ERP within 2weeks at 100% audit accuracy.
- Ensured compliance with accounting standards, regularly reviewing and updating internal policies and procedures, across 22 stores.
- Identified cost-saving opportunities through detailed analysis of expense reports and vendor contracts.
- Reduced month-end closing times through improved process efficiency and automation initiatives.
Accountant
Mobile Satellite Technologies
Cape Town
11.2012 - 05.2013
- Full function accounting including budgeting and taxation for 5 entities.
- Secured major VAT refund through forensic reconciliation work.
- Handled day-to-day accounting processes to drive financial accuracy.
- Completed daily cash functions like account tracking, payroll and wage allocations, budgeting, donating, and cash, and banking reconciliations.
- Used advanced software to prepare documents, reports, and presentations.
Senior Bookkeeper & Operations Manager
Accounting for Hospitality
Cape Town
05.2010 - 11.2012
- Expertly provided outsourced accounting and tax services for hotels and restaurants, clients portfolio of 68.
- Led team of bookkeepers; reported to directors.
- Produced financial statements, financial reporting and analysis for all entities for discussion with owners.
Education
Postgraduate Diploma - Finance
University of The Western Cape
Cape Town01-2023
Advanced Diploma - Finance
University of The Western Cape
Cape Town01-2020
Certificate - Business Functions
Rhodes University
Eastern Cape01-2019
Comptia A+ N+ -
Torque IT
Cape Town01-2017
Numerical Skills in Business -
UNISA
Cape Town01-2013
VIP Payroll Essentials -
Softline VIP
Cape Town01-2009
Computer Literacy -
Kensington Computer Centre
Cape Town01-2000
Skills
Management Accounting
Financial Accounting
Cost Accounting
Tax - ZA, UK, EMEA, US
Financial Planning & Analysis
Financial Reporting Expert
Global financial Controller expertise
IFRS expertise
US GAAP expertise
Cash Flow Planning
Google Workplace
Slack
MSO 365
Bookkeeping
Accomplishments
- Reversed SARS liability of over R1 million into a refund claim exceeding R2 million
- Successfully led finance transformation across 7 countries for international clients
- Trained non-finance staff into a self-sufficient finance team at distributor level
- Built strong reputation for service delivery, trust, and reliability with long-term clients
- Multiple 5-star Google reviews and private client testimonials
Affiliations
- Chartered Institute for Business Accountants (SA)
- Institute of Accounting & Commerce
- South African Revenue Services
- HMRC - UK
- QuickBooks
- Xero
- Sage
Certification
Certified Tax Practitioner, IAC
Timeline
IT Project Manager (Contract)
The SPAR Group Limited
05.2022 - 08.2022
Senior Retail Systems Manager
SPAR Western Cape & Namibia
11.2018 - 04.2022
Retail Systems Consultant
SPAR Western Cape & Namibia
02.2016 - 10.2018
Chartered Business Accountant (SA) | Founder
thinkPrudence
01.2015 - Current
Accounting & Admin Manager
SPAR Corporate Stores
01.2014 - 01.2016
Divisional Accountant
BUCO Hardware - Iliad Group
05.2013 - 12.2014
Accountant
Mobile Satellite Technologies
11.2012 - 05.2013
Senior Bookkeeper & Operations Manager
Accounting for Hospitality
05.2010 - 11.2012
Postgraduate Diploma - Finance
University of The Western Cape
Advanced Diploma - Finance
University of The Western Cape
Certificate - Business Functions
Rhodes University
Comptia A+ N+ -
Torque IT
Numerical Skills in Business -
UNISA
VIP Payroll Essentials -
Softline VIP
Computer Literacy -
Kensington Computer Centre
Work Availability
monday
tuesday
wednesday
thursday
friday
saturday
sunday
morning
afternoon
evening
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Quote
There’s no reality except the one contained within us. That’s why so many people live an unreal life. They take images outside them for reality and never allow the world within them to assert itself.
Hermann Hesse
Leadership And Strategic Impact
- Managed teams of up to 150 staff in high-performance and transformation contexts
- Successfully built finance departments from the ground up
- Led cross-functional teams and optimized corporate and customer workflows, boosting stakeholder profitability
- Held budget ownership, led audits, and produced board-level reports in senior roles
Vehicle
Own vehicle & SA driver's license
Ctc
Market related
Leadership And Strategic Impact
- Managed teams of up to 150 staff in high-performance and transformation contexts
- Successfully built finance departments from the ground up
- Led cross-functional teams and optimized corporate and customer workflows, boosting stakeholder profitability
- Held budget ownership, led audits, and produced board-level reports in senior roles
Career Direction
Finance Manager, Finance Executive, Finance Director, Group Financial Manager, Financial Controller, Remote; open to hybrid; on-site, Open to both national and international relocation, Industry-agnostic due to vast cross-sector experience
Employment Attributes
- Notice Period: None, Available Immediately
- Nationality: South African
- Languages: English & Afrikaans (Both Native)
- Driving License: SA driver's license, own vehicle
- Remote First
- Open to national and international relocation
Leadership And Strategic Impact
- Managed teams of up to 150 staff in high-performance and transformation contexts
- Successfully built finance departments from the ground up
- Led cross-functional teams and optimized corporate and customer workflows, boosting stakeholder profitability
- Held budget ownership, led audits, and produced board-level reports in senior roles
Career Direction
Finance Manager, Finance Executive, Finance Director, Group Financial Manager, Financial Controller, Remote; open to hybrid; on-site, Open to both national and international relocation, Industry-agnostic due to vast cross-sector experience
Software
Xero
Dext
Sage
Draftworx
VIP Payroll
Sage Payroll
Employment Attributes
- Notice Period: None, Available Immediately
- Nationality: South African
- Languages: English & Afrikaans (Both Native)
- Driving License: SA driver's license, own vehicle
- Remote First
- Open to national and international relocation
Languages
Englisg
Bilingual or Proficient (C2)
Afrikaans
Bilingual or Proficient (C2)