Wilma

Sometimes we don’t choose our calling; it chooses us. That is the case with Wilma Bezuidenhout, who grabbed every opportunity with both hands throughout her career. She’s worked at Royal HaskoningDHV for four years and currently wears three hats.

“At this stage, I’ve got three roles at RHDHV: credit control, procurement, and third parties. My career started when I worked at Bradlows, and my sister’s company needed someone to help out for a week. As it happened, they offered me a job, and that’s how I started doing credit control.”

When you’re given unexpected career opportunities, you can’t stay in an industry without having some natural affinity toward it. For Wilma, it’s problem-solving. She might not have planned a career in finance, but her ability to solve complex problems makes this the profession for her.

 “Credit control has much depth, especially when there are discrepancies in invoice amounts or payments that don’t balance. So I think the biggest part that I like about credit control is being able to sort out all the account queries and balances.”

What do you love about your job?

“The sense of accomplishment when collecting outstanding funds and also building healthy relationships with our clients and suppliers.”

What you put in is what you get out

Facing and overcoming challenges is nothing new for Wilma; if adapting were an Olympic sport, she would have a few medals. When she started doing credit control, she didn’t have a laptop or a work phone to communicate with clients, so she used her own mobile phone, jumped in, and once again, solved the problem.

 Today, Wilma enjoys having more convenient avenues and digital tools to help her solve challenges more efficiently.

What motivates you to come to work?

“Firstly, I’m a responsible person! But knowing that I get to solve problems and build relationships is a great motivating factor for me.”

“The lovely thing about RHDHV is that you don’t feel like you’re walking into a financial space. My colleagues are such warm people. So it’s nice to know that you don’t just have your own family, but a work family to learn from and grow with.”

 “This is the first company where I actually feel like people care. We’re like a family, and no one thinks they’re better than the other. We stand together to make the company successful.”