William Grimes

After completing my BCom Financial Management Honours, I worked in finance and accounting roles, handling everything from accounts payable and receivable to reconciliations and full financial reporting up to the balance sheet. My experience spans retail, property, small business, and international financial services in both South Africa and the United Kingdom.

I served as Assistant Financial Manager for Blue Financial Services, a microlender, before broadening my experience in debt collections as a Portfolio Manager for operations in South Africa, Kenya, Swaziland, and Rwanda. I later became Operations Manager, overseeing 49 branches across South Africa during a major management and system transition. This role strengthened my analytical skills, particularly in Excel, reporting, and automation.

I was then headhunted to join GetBucks (later MyBucks) as Country Manager for South Africa, where I gained valuable experience in marketing, including Google, Facebook, and television advertising. As the company grew, my role evolved into Production Manager, Call Centre Manager, and Operations Manager.

During my time at MyBucks, we built South Africa’s best online lending platform, and at one point, I managed a 50-person team. We consistently exceeded targets, provided top-tier customer service, and managed risk effectively. Our business relied heavily on data analysis and reporting, ensuring real-time insights across multiple functions. I worked closely with web developers, drafting business requirement documents, leading weekly strategy meetings, and managing projects to improve system usability for both clients and employees.

I was then recruited as Production Manager (Call Centre Manager) at Credit Gateway, a credit bureau reseller specializing in financial rehabilitation solutions. My responsibilities mirrored those at MyBucks, but on a smaller scale.

Later, an opportunity arose to explore payroll lending in Europe, presented by a former financial services colleague from Spain. I transitioned to remote work, developing innovative financial solutions, but the project was eventually put on hold.

Since then, I have pursued various entrepreneurial ventures, gaining invaluable experience in forex markets, marketing, accounting (especially Xero), insurance, and raising capital for start-ups. While not all ventures materialized, the knowledge I acquired is priceless.

I am now eager to join a winning team and contribute my expertise and drive to a forward-thinking organization. I am a team player but can equally function on my own. Self-motivated and I find ways to motivate others.