UJ Alumni Impumelelo Magazine Edition 8

Nic Riemer I am exceptionally proud to hold the CA(SA) designation and winning this year’s SAICA Top-35-Under-35 overall winner award will allow me to showcase what the qualification has unlocked for me, from a business foundation to my networks in co-founding The Invigilator.

SAICA Top-35-Under-35 overall winner Nic Riemer (far left) with Freeman Nomvalo, CEO of SAICA. Photo: Theana Breugem It took a few seconds for the words to truly sink in that he was the year’s winner, says Nic Riemer, overall winner of the 2021 SAICA Top-35-under-35 competition. “Receiving this award is one of the proudest moments of my life. The journey to becoming a CA(SA) is a challenging one and hearing my name called out brought back memories of all those late nights put in studying and working towards my goal, and how absolutely worth it all those sacrifices were,” he says. Being included in the year’s competition was a truly humbling experience for him. The finalists were a remarkable group of individuals and seeing how each of them is flying the South African and CA(SA) flag high was an inspiration. Such moments make one pause and reflect not only on your own accomplishments but also those of the other finalists around you, he says. “One draws from that to fuel the fire even more in building and growing companies that have a positive impact on South Africa. The CA(SA) qualification has provided me with the foundation to truly excel in the business world and the competition brought likeminded CA(SA)s together to celebrate our success and build networks for future successes.

“I am exceptionally proud to hold the CA(SA) designation and winning the year’s competition will allow me to showcase what the qualification has unlocked for me, from a business foundation to my networks in co-founding The Invigilator.” One of the best decisions he ever made was to pursue his CA(SA) qualification at UJ, which gave him the skillset to achieve in the banking world and then opened doors to the partnerships and relationships necessary to create an application and company that he believes could change how education is administered globally. Nic, who is also a lecturer, an investment expert and Head of Investment Education at FNB, is best known as co-founder and CEO of The Invigilator, a proudly South African, mobile-first exam assessment tool that uses artificial intelligence to prevent cheating and collusion in remote online examinations and assessment. “I have used the CA(SA) qualification as a foundation to build my career. Without the crucial financial knowledge the qualification offers, I would not have been able to take my passions, turn them into businesses and roles and compete with the best financial minds in the country. “Creating The Invigilator application as a CA(SA) has allowed the next generation of accountants to utilise the application in completing their studies, thus allowing for future development

Nic Riemer, co-founded and developed The Invigilator app with two fellow academics, Dewald Joubert and Jurie Wessels, and his software engineer brother. Photo: Theana Breugem

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ALUMNI IMPUMELELO

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