For Carien Claassens, OneStream Solution Lead at Sonum International Africa*, Women’s Day is an additional opportunity in the year to celebrate all women in all aspects of life. “Everyone experiences their own unique, tough circumstances. Where they have been, where they are and where they are going and we need to celebrate the journey!” In this profile, we get to know Carien a little better.
Who are you?
I am a mom, a wife and a business person. I feel it is really important that I carry myself to a high standard so that I am making a change wherever I go. I am someone who values goodness and wants to make a positive impact on the world and be a good role model for my kids.
Who is your industry hero and why?
I don’t have a specific hero, it’s more that I respect certain values in certain people. I admire people who are successful but are still humble – that’s key for me.
I find that most women who I encounter in the workplace are good at what they do because they are balancing time. They simply cannot afford to do a task twice so they do it right the first time. These are my industry heroes. The ones who are mom, sister, daughter, wife, executive and friend all rolled into one.
What’s your feeling for how Robotics and specifically software automation has changed the way business is conducted?
It has definitely made an impact and changed the way we work. The finance team is the most expensive and a vital aspect in most organisations. Streamline this and let them look at the hard stuff, analysis, investigation and make the organisation a better place. Robotic Process Automation is making a big impact on finance and will pick up speed in the months to come.
What’s the biggest game-changer that you anticipate happening in your industry?
I think people in finance are often comfortable in their degree and qualification. The big shift is for finance leaders to understand and become more comfortable with technology. Financial information needs to be available in realtime. Embracing technology such as AI and Robotics means that we can accurately use predictive analytics to empower key stakeholder to make informative decisions.
*Sonum International Africa works with companies to transform their traditional consolidation, forecasting & budgeting cycles into truly value adding business processes and streamline their Financial Close and Tax Reporting processes.
