Five minutes with Valencia Serero

Tell us about yourself

My name is Valencia Katlego Serero. I work for the Baker Tilly office in Botswana and I was promoted to Senior Audit Manager in January 2021.

If you were not an accountant, what would you have liked to be and why?

Growing up I wanted to become a pilot. I was fascinated by aircraft dashboards, and the idea of travelling all over the world to my favourite destinations excited me. Being a pilot would have given me the opportunity to experience different cultures, personalities and environments in a way that most people never get to experience in their lifetime.

What made you begin your career in accounting?

For my junior high, my mom sent me to a boarding school 317.4 miles away from home; essentially in a different country. When I was in grade 8, I failed bookkeeping terribly. My mark was so terrible that I was probably the lowest in the class. The teacher called my mom and she had to drive all the way to have a meeting about the results. I never heard the end of the inconvenience it was for her and in an attempt to make the constant reminders of that incident end, I worked hard to excel in bookkeeping. Long story short, I ended up becoming good in accounting.

Tell us about an accomplishment that shaped your career?

By grade 12, I was the best in accounting - quite a turn from where I was just three years before. This led to me being part of the team that represented our school in the country’s fair. It was a great honour in those days to be able to represent the school and to top it off, we came out number one! That was an iconic moment in my life that made me realise that I could someday be a pioneer in the accounting field.

Who inspires you and why?

She made me believe in myself in ways at that point in my life I never thought I could, and she is truly the best sister a woman can ever ask for.Dr Precious Serero is my inspiration - not just because she is my sister, but because she is an amazing person with a gold heart. She is strong and fearless. She has supported me throughout and has always remained a constant in my life. She made me believe in myself in ways at that point in my life I never thought I could, and she is truly the best sister a woman can ever ask for.

How do you think the pandemic has changed the way we work?

The pandemic has brought technological advancements in the workplace. We have now moved to output-based ways of monitoring people’s performance. Before remote working, productivity was measured by attendance. In addition, we have learnt to be more adaptable as a nation -the pandemic has been one roller coaster of a ride! The constant flow of new information has forced us to quickly think on our feet to develop the best strategies to mitigate the effects of the virus on the workplace.

How can we create a winning culture throughout the Baker Tilly network?

The main thing we can keep doing is to ensure that all members of the network are aligned. Through regular training, seminars and events, we can help our staff embrace and develop a winner’s mentality. My belief is to improve the entity, you must improve the individuals. An example I love to give is what I like to call the plane theory. When you break down a plane you realise that is just a bunch of parts that in combination make an incredible specimen. However, for the final plane to perform at a high level, every individual part must be of the highest quality and only then can a plane be exceptional. I believe the same concept can be applied in creating a winning culture.

How do you see the future of the accounting industry changing?

In the future a lot of systems will be automated. I do not believe the future of the human accountant will be entirely replaced by automation, but our duties may change, and this may make our job easier. The number of hours spent working will reduce.

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Klaus Bauer-Mitterlehner		Ana Chalas