Jansje (Thompson) Strijdom, Management Accountant
Management Accountant
Current Experience:Management Accountant at Forlee Investment Holdings · Full-time Apr 2024 - Present · (1 yr 2 mos)
PAST EXPERIENCES:Senior Bookkeeper at AutoSmart · Full-time Jun 2023 - Apr 2024 · (11 mos)
Milltrans at Creditors Verification Jan 2020 - Sep 2021 · (1 yr 9 mos)
Debtors and Creditors Clerk Jan 2005 - April 2008 ( 3 Yrs 4 mos)
Qualifications:ICB Certification Bookkeeping
Country of Residence:South Africa
LinkedIn Profile: Meet Jansje Strijdom, a Management Accountant with 10+ years of experience, who keeps 19 companies in check balancing ledgers, leading payroll, and mentoring her team with calm precision. Her secret? Coffee, pivot tables, and a deep belief in lifting others as you climb.
What time do you usually wake up on weekends?
6:00 AM
Are you an early bird or a night owl?
Night Owl
How do you spend the first hour of your day?
Preparing for the day and commuting to work.
What sparked your interest in accounting or finance?
A natural talent for working with numbers and a keen eye for identifying patterns.
Can you share some key career milestones or defining moments?
Being in my current role is a significant milestone, it's the kind of position and career I've been working towards.
What is your role within your company’s finance department?
I'm a Management Accountant.
How do you contribute to the overall financial strategy of the business?
Maintain and reconcile the general ledger, support the CFO with monthly financial reporting, manage the creditors department, and handle payroll for 450 staff members.
What is one of the biggest challenges you’ve faced in your role? How did you overcome it?
With 19 companies in the group, there's a high workload and many interbranch transactions. I take a systematic approach and stay organised by setting deadlines and keeping a to-do list to ensure nothing is overlooked.
What tools or strategies do you use to manage the financial operations of the company effectively?
My whiteboard is my go-to tool, it helps me visualise tasks and plan more effectively. Pivot tables in Excel are also essential, especially when consolidating figures.
Share your strategies for staying balanced, especially during busy periods.
Stay organized by keeping a clear list of priorities and deadlines. Share them with your manager and team so everyone is on the same page and can work together on strategies to meet those goals.
What do you enjoy outside of work?
I'm a gamer and I enjoy crocheting. Gaming helps sharpen my strategy and critical thinking skills, while crocheting is a great way to relax and take my mind off things.
Do you mentor or support other team members in the finance department?
I haven’t trained staff formally, but I’m committed to helping my team develop their skills. I take the time to explain and teach when needed and encourage those interested in pursuing further qualifications. Sharing knowledge benefits everyone and improves the overall quality of work.
What advice would you give to someone aspiring to work in a finance department?
Patience is a skill that develops over time. It's important to have a solid understanding of accounting fundamentals, once you have that, you can go a long way. Every company operates differently, so it's not just about knowing the theory, but also understanding how to apply it in different contexts.
What’s your favourite quote or mantra that motivates you?
"“It is not the critic who counts: not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles or where the doer of deeds could have done better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood, who strives valiantly, who errs and comes up short again and again, because there is no effort without error or shortcoming, but who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions, who spends himself in a worthy cause; who, at the best, knows, in the end, the triumph of high achievement, and who, at the worst, if he fails, at least he fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who knew neither victory nor defeat.”—Theodore Roosevelt
Speech at the Sorbonne, Paris, April 23, 19"
Share a leadership lesson or a piece of advice that’s been valuable to you in your career.
Remember that you and your employees are all human. We each have limits and weaknesses, as well as strengths. It’s more effective to work together, support one another, and strive to leave things better than we found them.
What’s something surprising about you that isn’t in your professional bio?
I have published poetry, sold a couple of painting and once read 126 books in one year.
If you could have any superpower to help you in your job, what would it be?
Providing accurate forecasts of turnover and expenses over a 12-month period, while keeping in mind that retail sales can be highly variable.
What’s your go-to strategy for staying productive during long workdays?
Lively music and decent coffee.
If you could relive one day from your career, which day would it be and why?
The day I left my longest previous employer was tough. If I had known my current role was on the horizon, I wouldn’t have let it affect me so deeply.
Jansje’s journey proves that clear systems, compassion, and quiet consistency build powerful momentum. She leads by example, turning complexity into clarity, without losing her humanity. Join CIBA and we’ll show you how to lead with heart, sharpen your strategy, and grow your impact.
Profile sponsored by the Chartered Institute for Business Accountants
Not yet a professional designated accountant?
CIBA is the professional body for all accountants.
We offer designations for each stage of your finance career:
➥ Bookkeeper
➥ Financial Administrator
➥ Financial Accountant
➥ Financial Manager
➥ Chief Financial Officer
➥ Accountant-In-Practice
Become a CIBA Member
Your first step towards a professional designation
