Alumni

Unisa alumna provides financial expertise abroad

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Tanya Geldenhuys

There is nothing that 48-year-old Tanya Geldenhuys likes more than creating and solving complicated information in Microsoft applications. Excelling with numbers, the Unisa alumna holds a Bachelor of Accounting Sciences Honours in Management Accounting. Geldenhuys says: "The qualification from Unisa provided me with the much-needed technical knowledge to apply for my current role abroad."

Originally from South Africa, Geldenhuys is a Finance Manager at Enrich Group Management Services in Te Awamutu, New Zealand. The Enrich Group is a family of organisations with common and complementary services that support people with disabilities, including those with autism and neurodiversity. They provide corporate and back-office functions such as human resources, information technology, marketing and communications to other organisations.

Geldenhuys provides financial advice and expertise to Enrich+, McKenzie Centre, Active+ Waikato and the Enrich Group. She explains: "I provide support to these organisations to enhance their capacity to meet the increased demand for disability services in the community." She adds: "By doing that, I enable the organisations to add value and provide greater workplace efficiencies. Also, I feel that I am making a difference in people’s lives."

Geldenhuys has worked in various sectors such as retail, manufacturing and reporting experience for small entities and large multi-nationals. Her position at the Enrich Group is her first for a non-profit trust. Remarks the all-rounder: "I enjoy working in Excel and always have a spreadsheet open. I do not just work on complicated formulas, but also design party invitations and write letters."

She states: "I love the structure and rules of accounting. The old type of accountant is changing, and the new type is largely about providing valuable expertise. The best part of my job is the budgeting process, in which I am completely hands on."

One of Geldenhuys’s strengths is her ability to focus even in a shared office environment, which can sometimes be loud and crazy. She describes herself as an approachable leader who enjoys keeping her team in the loop.

Geldenhuys asserts: "For me, Unisa, as an open distance e-learning institution, was convenient to study at and write examinations anywhere in the world. It is also fulfilling to have a qualification from an institution that is recognised anywhere in the world." She adds: "I would recommend the university and my qualification to prospective students across the globe. Unisa is a world-class institution."

In time, Geldenhuys and her family would like to become New Zealand citizens and cannot wait to call themselves "Kiwis", a national nickname referencing the flightless bird which is the national symbol of New Zealand. She concludes with a giggle: "Who knows? I might even support the All Blacks."

* By Nancy Legodi, Acting Journalist, Department of Institutional Advancement & Mary Anne Gill, Senior Communications Advisor, Enrich Group Management Services

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Publish date: 2022/08/03

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