Women’s month is a big deal at atWORK. We’ve got a significant number of women in really important positions in our company, and they’ve all played a massive role in the success of atWORK.
But instead of focusing on the women who’ve made atWORK what it is, we thought we’d take a moment, this Women’s Day, to pay tribute to two of our most valued clients. So, we sat down with Leandra Botes from APS Wealth and Nicky Van Dalen from The People Company to hear a bit about their journey as women in finance. Over to you, ladies!
Leandra Botes: APS Wealth
atWORK client since 2013
Tell us a bit about what you do, Leandra?
I mainly work with investment clients. I’m based at APS’s Pretoria office but we’ve also got offices in Johannesburg and Somerset West. I always say that my clients work up north and retire to the coast…So it really helps to have a cloud-based solution that’s accessible from anywhere.
That’s good to hear! How long have you been using atWORK?
We started using atWORK in 2013. The whole practice uses the CRM system and the electronic filing, and to be honest we couldn’t live without it. I need to focus on seeing my clients and atWORK frees me up to do this. A robot cannot do holistic financial planning…but it can keep accurate records!
Together with a few others I also use atWEALTH to get monthly statements. In the past the admin team got all the info from Glacier, Momentum, Allan Gray and the like and manually put it into Excel. Now it’s available instantly on my screen. You cannot believe what a time saver it’s been for us.
Fantastic. Have you got any other tips to share with our readers?
I do! I reckon I use the Reminder function at least every hour of a working day, maybe even more often than that. Whenever I want my team to do something I just share a reminder with my admin manager. She can see where everyone is and who’s doing what, when. It’s a wonderful tool for practice management and owning responsibilities.
Very cool. Have you got any words of advice for young women just starting out in the industry?
Unfortunately I don’t have a profound answer to that one. I don’t see myself any different to the men around me. I just do my work and my colleagues see me as an equal. But I am also a wife, a mum and a friend – and making use of tools like atWORK frees up time for me to live the rest of my life.
Nicky Van Dalen: The People Company (TPC)
atWORK client since 2007
Tell us a bit about what you do, Nicky?
I’ve been in the industry like 100 years! I’m a founding shareholder of The People Company (TPC) which specialises in managing healthcare and employee benefits for mostly corporate clients. I’m based in Centurion, but TPC also has offices in Durban and Cape Town.
Awesome. And when did your atWORK journey start?
I started using atWORK in 2007. Our client base was expanding and I was drowning in paper. I thought there must be a better way… and I was right! We’ve been almost completely paperless since 2020 and I now have tens of thousands of clients on the system. As long as the internet’s working, anyone on the team can answer a query about any of our clients at any time. We would truly be lost without atWORK!
I also really value the personal attention we’ve been given by atWORK and their willingness to go the extra mile. Over the years, we’ve asked for a number of health-specific features and the guys at atWORK have always been happy to oblige.
Have you got any pointers on getting the most out of atWORK?
I’ve got loads of advice! But I think the biggest thing is just to use the system consistently. As long as everyone in the team uploads the info that needs to be there, you’ll be fine.
Finally, do you have any words of wisdom for women embarking on a financial career?
It’s all about perseverance, dedication and damned hard work. You need to decide whether you want a 9-to-5 job, or a career. If you’ve got the right attitude and you’re prepared to learn, opportunities will come. It’s also really important to just listen. Every time I have a meeting with clients in a boardroom, I find opportunities.
Thanks so much ladies – you’re a real inspiration!
