Bright Mhazo “We are all capable of more than we think, and self-belief and confidence go a long way.” – Bright Mhazo
Being a finalist in the 2021 SAICA Top-35-Under-35 competition has opened doors, he says. “The exposure and networking has been great; it has definitely allowed me to interact with some awesome people. It’s been inspiring seeing first-hand the good work and impact of my fellow CAs, not only in their organisations but also in their surrounding communities and society at large. As for my career, this experience has definitely enabled me to be on a bigger platform and only great things can follow.” Bright believes he has been equipped by all those who poured into him. “I tell my mentees that with just their knowledge, they can empower their communities in big ways, as I was empowered. I am the living proof. Small acts culminate and make a big impact for the greater good, so that from wherever we are, WE rise.” After his father passed away, he had to make a mind shift from his initial childhood dream of playing cricket for Zimbabwe to a following a career that would not only offer financial independence but would also put him on a platform where he was continuously challenged, and which had to be solution oriented. Bright is an ambitious intrapreneur chartered accountant executive with over seven years of work experience. He is experienced in business operations, SaaS product management, business development, financial reporting and external financial auditing. Today, he is Director of Sales at Quick Consols, a company that developed a financial reporting tool for complex companies and
groups that need monthly and annual consolidated accounts. Before joining Quick Consols, his last role was as an audit manager at PwC and before that, he had worked abroad in the British Virgin Islands at BDO. “What I enjoy most about my career is the opportunity to find solutions to some of the challenges businesses face,” says Bright. As such he played a pivotal role in the development and design of the Quick Consols platform and customer base. His first task at the company was to assist in marketing and selling a minimum viable product that lacked many of the features and benefits that the market was looking for. “It was in all respects a bare-bones product designed to test demand. At that stage the company had no marketing strategy, no marketing material and no real idea on how to attract and sell to potential customers. I assisted in developing, from the ground up, the marketing material, lead generation engine, price points and sales techniques, which eventually formed the bedrock of the company’s marketing and sales function as it is today.” As the customer base grew, additional critical features were requested. Bright has been instrumental in driving some of those critical platform developments from a technical standpoint, combining his technical CA(SA) knowledge with his entrepreneurial spirit, and always placing himself in the customer’s shoes. This approach resulted in high customer satisfaction and retention that outperformed the market.
Bright Mhazo learned early on to focus on the bigger picture.
One morning in 2005, Bright Mhazo walked the streets of his hometown Bulawayo, Zimbabwe, with his older brother, Mudiwa. Mudiwa was on his way to work and Bright to his high school. They were talking about how their lives changed dramatically for the worse after the death of their father. His brother’s final words before they parted ways for the day have stayed with him through the years: “Even though we are not living the life we want now WE need to focus on the bigger picture”. At Gifford High in Bulawayo the motto was ‘From here, WE rise’, which led Bright to understand that as we ascend through life, ‘I am because we are’. Our successes, collectively and individually, are based on how we choose to pour into those around us, to uplift each other. We refer to Ubuntu, ‘Each one, teach one’ and ‘One hand washes the other’, but we need to understand what these mean, says Bright.
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ALUMNI IMPUMELELO
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