Born and bred in Polo-kwane, Derek Venter is a son of the city who has made his mark in the professional services industry.
Venter has been fortunate to have worked on a wide variety of clients and in metropolitan cities like New York, Toronto and Vancouver.
Venter specialises in auditing, accounting, B-BBEE Verification, consulting and is also a registered tax practitioner.
He has considerable experience in auditing large national companies, state owned companies, TVET Colleges and various owner managed entities.
He has also served as internal auditor to a bank and gained valuable experience in risk management and governance.
He is passionate about the outdoors and conservation. He is the treasurer of the Limpopo Honorary Rangers and also a qualified back-up trials guide for walking expeditions in dangerous game areas.
His father, who served as City Treasurer for many years, persuaded him to become a Chartered Accountant and he never looked back. He loves every aspect of his job and won’t change it for anything. “I want to walk with my clients every step of the way. Being there for them when they go through tough times is just as important to me as guiding them through their successes,” he says.
Married to Mariëtte, a fellow chartered accountant, Venter recently became a father for the first time and he beams when talking about four-week-old Suzaan. “I love being a father. This is a new adventure, a wonderful experience and a huge event in our lives.”
With 17 years’ experience under his belt, eight of these as partner in one of the big four audit firms in South Africa, Venter is sure to leave deep tread marks in Limpopo and the economic growth of Polokwane.
MARKI FRANKEN
>>marki.observer@gmail.com