Andrew Portmann, a distinguished professional in the accounting and business sectors, completed his articles at BDO in Umhlanga, gaining invaluable exposure to a diverse array of SMEs and large corporations. Throughout this experience, he acquired insights into the complexities of initiating and developing companies, learning from inspirational business leaders.
Since completing his articles, Andrew has cultivated extensive global corporate sector expertise, working across four continents. Leveraging his qualifications as a Chartered Accountant (SA), he has emerged as a well-rounded business leader, contributing significantly to the accounting, financial services, SaaS, and business process outsourcing sectors.
Andrew’s leadership is marked by a proven track record of effective strategic decision-making, consistently delivering target-driven bottom-line results, and generating shareholder value for clients and investors. He has led globally diverse teams and operations, employing an inclusive management approach across the UK and South Africa. His contributions include providing business process outsourcing services and SaaS products to major firms in the UK and South Africa’s largest retail credit providers. Andrew is committed to being an impactful leader, utilising his business ventures to uplift the communities where he operates.
As the CFO in a group of companies focused on the insolvency industry in South Africa, Andrew co-founded a company in late 2019, currently known as Alpha BPO. This venture focuses on providing opportunities for highly skilled South African graduates to work on behalf of international professional companies and has experienced substantial growth, now employing over 300 staff members in professional services outsourcing.
Driven by his passion for SaaS, Andrew played a pivotal role in developing and implementing the only bespoke CRM for debt review in South Africa. Additionally, he initiated his own software development company, creating tailored systems for insolvency in the UK.
In recognition of his outstanding contributions, Andrew Portmann was honoured at the SAICA Top 35-under-35 awards—an annual recognition program organised by the South African Institute of Chartered Accountants. On the 25th of November, he clinched a category award for Develop, further highlighting his excellence in the field. This accolade adds to the list of achievements that showcase Andrew’s dedication to innovation, leadership, and social responsibility.
Andrew’s commitment to South Africa is further exemplified through his charitable initiative, the Sprout Foundation, co-founded in 2020. This foundation focuses on youth empowerment and addressing unemployment through projects encompassing workplace readiness and job expos, feeding programs for underprivileged children, and improvement initiatives for less-privileged schools.
