See full profile: Randburg Accountant - Stuart Robinson
Were you always planning to be an accountant and why?
No, originally I wanted to become an Aeronautical Engineer and only when at Wits University did I realise that even though I appreciate design, the number crunching and combinations etc. fascinated me - suppose financial engineering was what appealed to my creative side. I then signed articles with PriceWaterhouse (now PWC) where I was exposed constantly to the financial and operational sides of business. I then became an Accountant!!!
When meeting with clients do they mostly come to your own premises or do you mostly go their theirs?
I mostly go to my clients
What is your preferred mode of communication with your clients?
Email, Phone, Face to Face, Skype, WhatsApp
Have you ever done an online video call with a client?
Yes
What do you love most about accounting?
Interpreting current & historical results, identifying trends, highlighting risks & opportunities, forecasting the future, advising and assisting clients and their staff for an improved business.
Would you recommend accounting as a career for school-leavers, and why?
Yes it is a rewarding career both financially and intellectually.
What qualities should South African business people be looking for in their accountant?
Pro-active, positive leadership.
Describe your average client:
SME
How far away from your premises is your furthest client?
1000km
From your accounting experience, if you could cite one of the biggest reasons SME's in SA fail, what would it be?
Little or no free cash flow generation
What accounting software do you like best?
SAGE Cloud
What other software, online services or apps do you use?
Quickbooks, CreditRisk, Appian, Syspro, Office, online banking, Google, banking apps, etc.
Do you think the coming wave of automation in the next few years will steal some accounting jobs and why/why not?
Automation will (and have already) replace certain repetitive transaction processing through human interfacing but intellectual evaluation and review is still a long way off.
What is your opinion on Bitcoin?
Became another commodity traded.
What do you enjoy doing in your spare time?
Family & friends, photography, travel, sport, entertainment, art, etc.
What is the most interesting thing on your bucket list?
Hiking the Appalachian route and the El Camino
What has your experience been on FindanAccountant?
Very good!!
See how our other local South African accountants have answered the above questions.
