ERP Systems: Sage 300 Premium, Sage X3, Pastel , Sage VIP Payroll, CaseWare, Radixx Res , Aviator , AeroCRS , FMS
Rufaro Penelope Goredema
Harare
Summary
Skilled financial controller with over a decade of experience steering financial integrity, strategy and driving profitable growth across complex, multinational environments in agribusiness, aviation, and diversified industries. My expertise lies in transforming finance functions from operational cost centers into strategic partners that serve as a foundation for growth, risk mitigation, and investor confidence. I excel at translating complex financial data into strategic insights, partnering with non-financial executives to optimize resource allocation, capital expenditure, and market opportunities. By leading digital transformation within the finance function, I have consistently delivered significant gains in operational efficiency, reporting accuracy, risk management, delivering data-driven insights and maximising cash flows, directly contributing to enhanced profitability and enterprise valuation.
Overview
15
15
years of professional experience
1
1
Certification
Work History
Financial Controller
Seed Co Limited
10.2020 - Current
- Led financial reporting for a leading agribusiness firm, managing a 19-member team and driving transformative improvements in reporting, forecasting, and cost optimization.
- Financial Reporting: Orchestrated the accelerated month-end close, reducing reporting timeline by 20% through process automation, delivering speed-to-insight to the executive team.
- Forecasting & Budgeting: Directed the annual budgeting and quarterly forecasting processes, achieving 95%+ accuracy and providing the analytical foundation for critical strategic decisions on market entry and CAPEX.
- Cash Flow & Liquidity: Optimized cash conversion cycle, improving working capital efficiency.
- Compliance & Controls: Ensured 100% tax compliance, strengthened audit outcomes, and minimized risk exposure.
- Strategic Insights: Conducted industry/economic analyses, delivering actionable recommendations that boost profitability.
- Internal Controls: Strengthened financial governance, reducing risk through best-practice accounting standards.
- Team Leadership: Direct a high-performing finance team, fostering accountability and operational excellence.
Chief Accountant
Fastjet Zimbabwe
10.2019 - 09.2020
- Steered financial operations for the airline during a turnaround phase, ensuring compliance and cost efficiency.
- Financial Oversight: Managed monthly accounts, departmental cost tracking, and intercompany allocations aligned with transfer pricing policies.
- Cost Control: Implemented systems for cost sensitivity analysis, early detection of overruns, and cross-departmental cost-saving initiatives.
- Process Improvement: Advised on best operational practices to strengthen internal controls.
Management Accountant
Seed Co Tanzania Limited (Subsidiary of Seed Co International)
10.2016 - 05.2019
- Drove financial performance for the regional subsidiary through advanced reporting and strategic cost management.
- Reporting & Analysis: Produced monthly management accounts with variance analysis (sales, margins, OPEX vs. budget).
- Risk Reduction: Implemented policies that cut financial risk by 10% and achieved audit success with zero major findings.
- Budgeting & Strategy: Developed regional budgets and incentive targets; analyzed inventory/regional performance to guide business strategies.
Finance Manager
Nomad Aviation Limited (Tanzania)
02.2015 - 09.2016
- Managed finances for a safari airline, advising the MD on strategy, pricing, and operational benchmarking.
- Financial Leadership: Oversaw IFRS-compliant reporting, audits, and statutory compliance.
- Business Partnership: Collaborated with the MD on cash flow, sales analysis, and aircraft segmental performance.
- Pricing Strategy: Influenced pricing decisions through benchmarking and cost analysis.
Accountant
Quton Tanzania Limited (Seed Co Subsidiary)
01.2011 - 01.2015
- Pioneered finance department set up for a new subsidiary, integrating systems and processes.
- Department Startup: Built the accounting team from scratch, implementing Sage ERP and standardized procedures.
- Cost Optimization: Introduced target costing and throughput analysis, improving pricing strategies.
- M&A Support: Played a key role in financial due diligence during a merger.
Skills
- IFRS Compliance
- Financial strategy development
- Cash flow optimization
- Board reporting
- Budgeting & Forecasting
- Financial Modeling
- Profit enhancement
- Financial debt management
- Tax compliance
- Financial statement oversight
- Financial investment analysis
- Capital budgeting
- Risk management
- Variance analysis
- Cost and Management accounting
- Financial information systems
- Financial planning
- Process improvement
- Regulatory compliance enforcement
- Ledger oversight
- Month-end and year-end closings
- Internal controls development
Accomplishments
- Corporate Strategy & Growth: Executing scalable financial strategies that accelerated revenue growth year on year and expanded EBITDA margins and maximizing shareholder ROI.
- Profitability & Operational Excellence: Spearheaded enterprise-wide cost optimisation initiatives, identifying and eliminating operational inefficiencies to deliver over 20% in annualised cost savings.
- Governance & Risk Mitigation: Responsible for audit compliance, ensuring 100% adherence to IFRS and statutory requirements.
- Data-Driven Decision Support: Instituted an advanced FP&A function delivering 95%+ accurate forecasting and predictive financial modeling, directly informing critical investment and market expansion decisions.
- Executive Leadership & Alignment: Partnered with the Executives and management to set corporate strategy, led cross-functional initiatives to align financial resources with long-term business objectives.
- Board & Investor Relations: Authored all quarterly CFO Board reports and executive dashboards, transforming complex financial and operational KPIs into actionable insights that drove strategic pivots.
- Finance Transformation & Systems: Championed a digital finance transformation, automating core processes to reduce the monthly close cycle by 3 days and freeing up 20% of capacity for strategic analysis.
Certification
- Masters in Professional Accountancy -University of London
- Fellow Chartered Certified Accountant (FCCA) - Association of Certified Chartered Accountants
- Registered Public Accountant (PAAB) - Public Accountants and Auditors Board, Zimbabwe
- Certified Financial Modelling and Valuation Analyst (FMVA) - Corporate Finance Institute
- Bachelor of Accountancy (Hons)- University of Zimbabwe
Software
Financial Reporting & BI: Advanced Microsoft Excel (Power Query, Power Pivot, VBA)
Productivity: Microsoft SharePoint, Teams, Google
Languages
English
Native or Bilingual
Swahili
Professional Working
Shona
Native or Bilingual
Interests
Travel & Cultural Exploration , Cycling , Gardening
Timeline
Financial Controller
Seed Co Limited
10.2020 - Current
Chief Accountant
Fastjet Zimbabwe
10.2019 - 09.2020
Management Accountant
Seed Co Tanzania Limited (Subsidiary of Seed Co International)
10.2016 - 05.2019
Finance Manager
Nomad Aviation Limited (Tanzania)
02.2015 - 09.2016
Accountant
Quton Tanzania Limited (Seed Co Subsidiary)
01.2011 - 01.2015