Sibeti Msariri, PEAS’ new Global Senior Finance Manager, who is based in our central office in Kampala, Uganda, shares highlights of his work before PEAS, what he hopes to achieve in his new role, and why he believes education is important.
What is your role at PEAS?
As Global Senior Finance Manager, I lead and coordinate all PEAS’ global financial processes, ensuring strong financial management, championing value for money and sustainability across the organisation with a strong focus on building financial models, systems, tools, and financial controls to drive strong financial performance, impact, and scale.
Can you share some highlights of your work before PEAS?
I have a wealth of financial management experience across multiple sectors spanning several African countries. I have previously served as CFO, tasked with driving expansion at a fast-growing start-up hospitality enterprise, and most recently held the Finance Director role at Spark Microgrants, an International NGO grounded in Community Driven Development, that enables communities to design and launch their own social impact projects. In that role I spearheaded the development of finance strategy across 3 countries and provided executive level finance direction, strategy, and counsel to senior leadership while working closely with the Finance and Audit Committee of the Board.
What are you most looking forward to in joining PEAS?
Learning and implementing the PEAS model and seeing and living the PEAS values in action and being part of an incredible and dynamic team championing for access, quality and sustainably delivered secondary education in Africa.
What do you hope to achieve in your role over the next year?
Strengthening our financial systems and tools and providing quality assurance and reliability of financial information to support scale and enable data driven decision making. I will also provide direct finance support to new countries on PEAS expansion radar and set up structures to ensure compliance with local financial regulations and establishment of strong financial practices.
Why is education important?
Education is the catalyst for change, empowerment, and development at an individual, national and global level.
What is the greatest influence on your career?
My family gave me the greatest gift by sacrificing their hard-earned financial resources to send me and my siblings to school. As a young boy, I had always wanted to be an instrumentation technician, but later in life, my “A” level accounts teacher, Esther Muchenje Mandizvidza, when she transitioned from the classroom to become Commercial Manager at BP, was my inspiration to pursue a career in accounting and finance.
What’s the best piece of advice you’ve been given?
“If you give a man a fish, you feed him for a day. If you teach a man to fish, you feed him for a lifetime.” This speaks to creating opportunities and empowering others to shine and thrive in life.