Marianne Snyders, Accountant
Accountant
Current Experience:
Accountant - Silo at Senwes Jan 2025 - Present · (1 yr 2 mos)
Past Experience:
Manager: Theoretical Grain Stock at Senwes Nov 2023 - Dec 2024 · (1 yr 2 mos)
Financial Accountant (AGA) SA Komati Financial Services · Full-time Aug 2022 - Nov 2023 · (1 yr 4 mos)
Finance Manager Malan Properties · Full-time Oct 2020 - Jul 2022 · (1 yr 10 mos)
Accounts Facilitator the Farmyard · Full-time Jan 2018 - Oct 2020 · (2 yrs 10 mos)
Senior Trainee Accountant KPMG South Africa Jan 2013 - Dec 2017 · (5 yrs)
Education:
Bachelor of Accounting Sciences in Financial Accounting
Country of Residence:
South Africa
LinkedIn Profile:
When you ask Marianne Snyders what gets her up in the morning, she doesn’t say “balance sheets” or “compliance deadlines.”
She says: “I am my own backup.”
That’s the kind of raw, unfiltered grit we rarely get to see behind the Silo Accounting title. Marianne isn’t just crunching numbers at Senwes, she’s navigating burnout, breakdowns, and the daily chaos of life with the same precision she brings to her Excel formulas.
What time do you usually wake up on weekends?
08:00 AM
Are you an early bird or a night owl?
Night Owl
How do you spend the first hour of your day?
I usually spend the first hour of my morning getting ready for the gym or enjoying breakfast with my husband.
What sparked your interest in accounting and finance?
My interest in accounting started in high school, thanks to an excellent accounting teacher, Linki Roodt, whose enthusiasm really drew me in. I quickly discovered that I enjoyed compiling financial statements, working through journals, tackling complex estimates, and analysing financial ratios.
Can you share some key career milestones or defining moments?
Some of my key career milestones include being in the Top 10 of my matric class in 2012, completing my articles at KPMG from 2013 to 2017, earning my BCompt degree through UNISA in 2016, registering as an AGA(SA) in 2023, and completing the SAIFM Safex exam in 2025.
Looking ahead, I plan to achieve several additional milestones over the next three years. These include further studies through Milpark, completing my CTA and board exams, and ultimately registering as a CA(SA).
Overall, my career has been both challenging and rewarding. I have gained broad and meaningful practical experience across finance and accounting, including financial reporting, auditing in both the public sector (municipalities) and private companies, tax calculations, tax directives and SARS submissions, as well as accounting for real estate, frail care centres, agricultural farming, and silo operations.
What is your role within your company’s finance department?
I am the Silo Financial Accountant. My role involves overseeing internal controls around purchase orders and petty cash claims, analysing general ledger accounts, preparing estimates and balance sheet reconciliations, and posting journals for corrections and cost centre allocations. I also compile annual tax packs and budget packs.
How do you contribute to the overall financial strategy of the business?
I contribute by helping provide a clear and accurate financial picture of the business. I prepare and distribute monthly silo and district reports, including income statements compared to budget and prior year figures, for review by silo managers.
I also support strategic planning through budget preparation, estimate calculations, identifying trends and patterns in historical financial data, and ensuring legal and regulatory compliance.
What is one of the biggest challenges you’ve faced in your role? How did you overcome it?
One of the biggest challenges I’ve faced is the risk of burnout, along with working in a diverse environment with people of different cultures, ages, values, and mindsets. Navigating these differences can be demanding, but I’ve learned to approach it with humility, patience, and respect. I make a conscious effort to remain unbiased, listen and learn from others, educate myself on different personality traits, stay clear of office politics, and focus on being a genuine team player.
Managing burnout has been more complex. Life often brings multiple challenges at the same time, personal, professional, emotional, and financial, all while expectations continue to grow. Balancing work, studies, relationships, health, and everyday responsibilities can feel overwhelming.
What ultimately helped me was a shift in mindset. I came to accept that I am responsible for my own path. I may not always get what I want, and there isn’t always a safety net, but I am capable of handling whatever comes my way. Instead of feeling defeated, I choose to keep going, work toward the life I want, and trust in my resilience.
What tools or strategies do you use to manage the financial operations of the company effectively?
I use a range of tools to manage financial operations effectively, including SAP, Excel, Excel4Apps, Qlik Sense, and reference materials and documents sourced from the JSE website.
Share your strategies for staying balanced, especially during busy periods
Staying balanced during busy periods isn’t always easy, but I try to be intentional about the basics. I make sure I get enough sleep, plan a Sunday family brunch, and create space for simple joys like watching comedies or calling my best friend. I allow myself to feel things when it gets overwhelming, even if it’s just a short cry, and I make time to walk, whether that’s in nature or even around a parking lot. I also try to be present when I eat, away from my laptop.
On a practical level, I look for ways to reduce pressure where I can. During the last financial year end, for example, I ordered pre-made meals for the entire month so I didn’t have to think about cooking or dishes while working longer hours.
What do you enjoy outside of work? Any hobbies or activities that help you recharge?
Outside of work, I really enjoy spending time with my husband, my four cats, and three dogs at home.
I started going to the gym this year, about four times a week since January, dedicating the first two hours of my day to myself before anything else. It’s made a noticeable difference in my health and overall happiness.
I also enjoy Sudoku, board games, puzzles, reading, hiking in nature, gardening, shopping, cooking, and the occasional “angry cleaning.” Sometimes I go cycling or camping, watch Netflix, and on occasion, I like playing GTA or Call of Duty on Xbox.
Do you mentor or support other team members in the finance department? How do you help develop the skills of others?
Not at the moment, but I make sure colleagues know I’m approachable and available to help with work-related questions. In the past, I’ve supported colleagues by helping them develop their bookkeeping skills.
What advice would you give to someone aspiring to work in a finance department?
My advice would be to first choose a niche area that interests you, such as commodity trading, banking, mining, real estate, automotive, medical, or agriculture. This choice can always evolve, but it’s a good starting point.
Key skills to focus on include advanced Excel formulas, bookkeeping, preparing tax and VAT returns, debt collection, and understanding the full creditor process from quotation to payment. Many of these skills can be developed on the job.
“I believe that my effort today, creates my success tomorrow. ”
Share a leadership lesson or a piece of advice that’s been valuable to you in your career.
One valuable lesson I’ve learned is to find a good mentor and use your time wisely. It’s also crucial to be intentional about who and what you surround yourself with, as your inner circle can either support your growth or hold you back.
What’s something surprising about you that isn’t in your professional bio? A hobby, interest, or fun fact?
Something surprising about me is that I occasionally enjoy playing Xbox games, like Zombies, Call of Duty, or GTA.
If you could have any superpower to help you in your job, what would it be? Predicting financial trends? Master multitasking?
If I could have any superpower for work, it would be the ability to teleport, so I could save time on travelling.
What’s your go-to strategy for staying productive during long workdays?
To stay productive during long workdays, I create a to-do list and focus on the most urgent tasks first. I divide the day into five segments, dedicating two hours to deep work before switching to another task. I take a five-minute break every 1.5 hours and keep my phone on silent to minimize distractions.
If you could relive one day from your career, which day would it be and why? What made that day special?
About six years ago, there was a day I went to speak with my previous boss about my next career move and a counteroffer I had received. Looking back, I realize that instead of resigning, I could have simply requested some annual leave. At the time, I was burnt out and dealing with personal matters, and I didn’t ask for support. I later regretted leaving, because my boss, manager, and colleagues had been like family, and I genuinely enjoyed the work I did with them. Now, we’re strangers, and it feels as though I’ve lived three very different lives since that day.
Marianne doesn’t pretend it’s easy.
She talks about burnout like it’s a battlefield, not a buzzword. She shares her tools, from Excel4Apps to angry cleaning. And she’s not afraid to say the truth: no one is coming to save you.
But here’s the kicker: she still shows up. Every. Day.
And that’s what real leadership looks like in the trenches of finance.
Want to stand out like Marianne?
Join CIBA and we’ll show you how to build a practice, and a life, worth fighting for.
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