The Greatest Finance Partner Who Ever Lived

Geoff was a chartered accountant. But he had personality.

It might sound like I’m describing two different people, but no, I assure you, it was just one.

Coffee With Geoff

When I went to see Geoff in the morning, it took us 30 to 45 minutes to get through the 

first coffee, only because the conversation was so engaging.

By the time we finished, we had to get a second cuppa so we could finally start working 

on the new budget-model build.

The company was so tight on costs that they only served Frisco. Geoff, being Geoff, used

his own cash and brought Jacobs coffee to the office for guests like me.

The Boy Scout Who Could Run a Factory

Geoff was a Springbok Boy Scout in his youth: practical, resourceful, and still involved 

in leading the next generation.

Weekends meant the Drakensberg, valleys, camping, building rafts, cutting wood. If you 

were ever stranded anywhere, Geoff was the guy you wanted at your side. And he would 

make it entertaining.

Social. Scientific. Business-savvy. Rugged.

The Factory Floor Moment

One day I went to see Geoff and he wasn’t in his office.

“He’s in the factory,” they said. I assumed they must be doing a stock-count. That 

made sense.

I needed to talk to him about a nuanced production variance for a dashboard I was 

building. So I went down to the factory, asked around, and they sent me to a packaging 

machine deep in the humid, noisy plant.

There was one guy standing at the machine and another under it. I could just see legs in 

blue overalls and grey gumboots.

It was Geoff.

Boots and All

He had come down to understand the same production variance. But when the operator 

told him the machine wasn’t working, Geoff didn’t call the production manager or log a 

maintenance request.

He grabbed a couple of screwdrivers and spanners, got under the machine, and within a 

few minutes it was working again. Productivity was back at peak levels.

(As WWE say to kids: “Please don’t try this at home.” I'd add: finance professionals, please don’t 

try this at work either.)

The point isn’t that finance should fix machines.

The point is engagement: skin in the game.

A mindset that says, “If productivity drops, I’ll jump in, boots and all, because I care 

about performance.”

The Man Everyone Wanted

Years later, our paths crossed again.

We were building a new budget system, and I needed his input. But there was always a 

queue of three to five business people standing outside his office.

They wouldn’t budge.

They didn’t want the CFO, HR, supply chain, IT, or legal. 

They wanted Geoff: their first and final point of resolution.

Why Everyone Lined Up for Geoff

• Fred came because one of his machines had burnt out. Geoff listened, figured out that an insurance claim was possible, and saved him a fortune.
• Shane needed to recover from a power failure. Geoff modelled overtime and production priorities to keep the line moving.
• Abdul had labour problems with a tough union. Geoff facilitated win-win negotiation points and avoided a strike.
• Mdu needed production-line efficiencies. Geoff pinpointed a bottleneck and helped resolve it in a week.
• Vuya couldn’t start a batch due to missing raw material. Geoff made a few calls, sourced it within 24 hours (20% costlier, but a no-brainer given opportunity costs), and kept the business flowing.

Geoff understood value.

Accountants with a cost-only mentality miss opportunities.

Business partners with a value mindset, like Geoff, see it in their sleep.

When the Factory Burnt Down

Towards the end of COVID, the KZN riots destroyed the factory. Geoff watched helplessly

through security cameras until the feed died, literally the last byte.

When the politicians wanted photo ops, Geoff was the one risking his life, driving

through chaos to meet them. They made empty promises. He never saw them again.

When the insurance payouts came, the multinational holding company made two calls:

1. Move their investment to another country.

2. Keep Geoff in the group.

That’s what happens to people like Geoff.

Pharaohs can’t help but promote them.

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The Lesson

Why can’t we all be like Geoff, the undisputed greatest finance partner?

Not because he fixed machines or drank Jacobs coffee, but because he had business

in his blood, people in his heart, and clarity in his mind.