Togetherness

Growing up, my family expected me to pursue a career in science and technology as tech jobs are held in high regard by a lot of people in Zimbabwe. But it wasn’t for me.

I wanted to do something different, something I was passionate about. For me, that was being a Chartered Accountant.

It was a big decision and meant moving to study in South Africa and overcoming the extremely high standards for qualification. Pass rates, especially for people of colour, are really low there. Only around one third of people who study for the exams qualify.

But I was determined to do it and I passed all my exams and qualified as a member of the South African Institute of Chartered Accountants. This gave me the opportunity to make another big move, to the Cayman Islands, to work for a Big 4 firm there.

Throughout different parts of my career I’ve experienced gender and racial exclusion, which has made me very passionate about inclusion and diversity.

When I moved to the UK in 2019, I was looking for a culture that shared my values, so I joined the Manchester Audit team and it was clear that Forvis Mazars was a diverse firm globally. I felt that my team wanted to be inclusive and make a difference.

Now I’m part of the Embrace Network and help colleagues manage the transition when they join the firm from different parts of the country, or the world.

My career has taught me that diverse teams perform better, so it’s vital to help people feel like they belong. And a big part of that is supporting one another so that everyone can do their best.