Sumina Chetty, Accountant
Accountant
Current Experience:
Accountant at LDM Quantity Surveyors Mar 2023 - Present · (2 yrs 11 mos)
Past Experience:
Bookkeeper at LDM Quantity Surveyors Feb 2025
Country of Residence:
South Africa
LinkedIn Profile:
Sumina Chetty grew up listening to the rhythm of calculators and the wisdom of balance sheets, her late father’s words still echo: “Everything has to balance.”
Today, she’s more than an accountant. She’s a core player in one of South Africa’s top quantity surveying firms, steering financial strategy through the stormy waters of milestone-based government payments. After a personal journey of resilience, capped by completing her BCom and earning her Senior Accountant role, Sumina is proof that discipline, balance, and belief can move mountains, or cash flow constraints.
What time do you usually wake up on weekends?
05:00 AM
Are you an early bird or a night owl?
Night Owl
How do you spend the first hour of your day?
I usually start my day by journaling, followed by some reading or learning time, and a short meditation to set the tone for the day.
What sparked your interest in accounting and finance?
Growing up, my late dad often brought work home from his role in the accounting department of a textile company. I would sit with him, playing with his calculator and watching as he worked through the numbers. I remember him always saying that everything had to balance. Those moments sparked my curiosity and, over time, grew into a genuine passion for accounting.
Can you share some key career milestones or defining moments?
One of my biggest career milestones was completing my BCom degree in 2023, especially after navigating a challenging personal period. Building on that achievement, a defining moment for me was being appointed as a Senior Accountant this year, which marked an important step forward in my professional growth.
What is your role within your company’s finance department?
I work as an Accountant within the company’s finance department.
How do you contribute to the overall financial strategy of the business?
I play an active role in supporting and contributing to the organization’s overall financial management and strategy.
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 managing cash flow, as many of our clients are government-based and fees can only be claimed once specific project milestones are completed. I addressed this by planning carefully around timelines, monitoring cash flow closely, and aligning expenses with expected milestone payments.
What tools or strategies do you use to manage the financial operations of the company effectively?
We use Sage Accounting to manage our financial operations, supported by close budget monitoring and strong internal controls to ensure accuracy and financial discipline.
Share your strategies for staying balanced, especially during busy periods
I aim to complete my work between 8 and 5, though occasionally it isn’t enough. When needed, I take work home, but I make sure it doesn’t interfere with quality time with my family.
What do you enjoy outside of work? Any hobbies or activities that help you recharge?
Outside of work, I enjoy taking walks along the promenade, exploring flea markets, and sharing laugh-out-loud moments with my kids, which always help me recharge.
Do you mentor or support other team members in the finance department? How do you help develop the skills of others?
At LDM, we are committed to “growing from within.” We regularly hold training sessions to stay updated on regulatory changes, enhance our systems, and foster an inclusive workplace culture.
What advice would you give to someone aspiring to work in a finance department?
Focus on developing skills that are truly yours, like your knowledge, integrity, and work ethic. Invest in yourself, and your results will speak for themselves. Build strong relationships with the key decision-makers in the business to create a strong, effective finance team and a reputable brand for the Accounts Department.
“I can. I will.”
Share a leadership lesson or a piece of advice that’s been valuable to you in your career.
A valuable leadership lesson I’ve learned is to understand your business risks and proactively develop strategies to mitigate them. Anticipate challenges and put processes in place to prevent problems before they arise.
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’m fascinated by astrology and enjoy exploring what the universe might have in store.
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 at work, it would be the ability to clone myself so I could handle multiple tasks at the same time.
What’s your go-to strategy for staying productive during long workdays?
My go-to strategy for staying productive during long workdays is to step away from the screen, take a walk, and pause to breathe and reset.
If you could relive one day from your career, which day would it be and why? What made that day special?
If I could relive one day from my career, it would be my first day at LDM. It was a proud moment to join one of the largest and most respected quantity surveying companies in the industry.
Sumina brings structure to chaos, heart to numbers, and vision to a finance department that’s serious about growth from within.
Whether she’s walking the promenade with her kids or mentoring through inclusive team trainings, her mantra remains unshaken: “I can. I will.”
Want to lead with balance, resilience, and bold accountability?
Join CIBA and we’ll show you how to turn your experience into economic impact, just like Sumina.
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