Cheslin Williamson

I hold formal qualifications in Financial Accounting, Corporate Governance and Business Leadership, complemented by over 23 years of experience in financial leadership and strategic facilities management. Although I spent more than 18 years in the Facilities Management industry, my experience (including technical exposure) and proficiency, is extensive and can be applied within other industries. In my previous roles as Regional Financial Manager and Senior Facilities Manager, I developed a unique dual-lens approach, balancing technical infrastructure needs with rigorous financial governance.

Holding an executive leadership foundation from the Gordon Institute of Business Studies (GIBS) and a strong academic background in management and financial accounting, I am adept at leading cross-functional teams toward continuous improvement. I have a proven track record of overseeing and ensuring that infrastructure, assets, workforce and other resources, are adequately managed. I would welcome the opportunity to discuss how my strategic and commercial acumen can contribute to your organisation's tactical and financial objectives.

Chief Project Officer - Platinum Group of Companies

(2025-01)

Platinum Group of Companies operates within the IT sector, supporting restaurants and convenience stores within the sub-Sahara African fuel industry. The company delivers end-to-end solutions, specializing in the supply, installation and support of point-of-sale (POS) systems, including hardware deployment, software development and configuration, network setup, and ongoing technical support. As the Chief Project Manager, the key responsibilities are:

• Lead end to end project delivery of POS system installations across multiple client sites within the fuel and energy industry, primarily for the Astron/ Freshstop brand.
• Manage the project scope, timelines, budgets and resources to ensure successful and timely deployments.
• Coordinate cross-functional teams including technicians, network engineers, suppliers and client stakeholders.
• Conduct site assessments and developed detailed project plans, including infrastructure requirements and risk mitigation strategies.
• Ensure proper configuration, integration, and testing of POS systems.
• Act as the primary point of contact for clients, providing regular updates, managing expectations and resolving escalations.
• Facilitate post-installation support handover to the technical and support teams.
• Drove continuous improvement by refining project processes and enhancing service delivery standards

Senior Facilities Manager - Tsebo Facilities Solutions

(2025-01 - 2025-03)

Although this position was a short-term contract, I maintained the position of Senior facilities Manager at a Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) company, called Teleperformance. The responsibilities incorporated overseeing and undertaking the strategic and operational management responsibility of six (6) Client sites, thereby ensuring optimal functionality, safety and efficiency to support the 24/7 high-performance business operations. Specific responsibilities included:

• Managed building infrastructure, including HVAC, backup power, electrical and plumbing, ensuring compliance with operational and health & safety standards
• Responsible for the vendor and contractor management, including performance monitoring and cost control for services.
• Led and mentored facilities teams, fostering a culture of accountability and service excellence and continuous improvement
• Developed and enforced business continuity and disaster recovery plans to ensure operational resilience
• Ensured compliance with health & safety regulations, company policies and emergency preparedness planning
• Managed facilities budgets, CAPEX and OPEX planning, identifying cost-saving opportunities without compromising service delivery

Key Account Manager - FM Solutions (Pty) - A Subsidiary of the AFMS Group (Pty_ Ltd

(2020-01 - 2024-12)

The overarching attributes applicable to the position of Key Accounts Manager is to provide the insight and understanding to the operational key performance drivers and to contribute to building the strategic client retention solutions and integrate these with the sales, business development, service excellence & people management processes. Assigned contracts of responsibility over the five (5) year period, included: Department of Health Western Cape: The Hospital of Hope- CTICC (Covid 19 Field Hospital), South African National Roads Agency (SANRAL) Western Region, South African National Roads Agency (SANRAL) Eastern Region, The Foschini Group (National and Cross Border HVAC Contract covering 1478 stores across various Foschini Group brands), World Network Services (WNS)

• Developing and implementing retention strategies for the business and client portfolios ensuring Client retention and revenue growth of existing Clients
• Performed the due diligence Identification and facilitation of contracts at risk.
• Negotiating renewal of contracts with sub-contractors, including price negotiation
• Close interaction with senior executives advising of Client requirements
• Assist operations team with Tenders, Proposals and Business Development. Tender lead for SANRAL contracts, which were successfully obtained for five (5) years.
• Foster positive and effective employee relations in line with the company culture.
• Responsible for Health, Safety and Environment Site inspections and audits. (Officially appointed as a 16.2)
• Compiling of Service Level Agreements
• Ensure 90% Client satisfaction rate, coupled to a contract churn below 3%

Senior Facilities Manager (& Financial Manager - PPP) - Tsebo Facilities Solutions - a Division of Tsebo Outsourcing Group

(2015-01 - 2020-12)

This position encompassed the full operational and full financial management responsibility of 2 Public Private Partnership (PPP) companies, contracted to a 12-year PPP with the Department of Health-Western Cape. The primary PPP clientele consisted of the Lentegeur Psychiatric Hospital and the Western Cape Rehabilitation Center (WCRC) situated in Mitchells Plain, Cape Town. Specific responsibilities, without any limitations, include the following:

• Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) company management- both Operational and Financial responsibility
• Supplier Management and ensuring SLA alignment
• Project Management application and adherence
• Full Financial Management, including taxation, as well as relating to the Public Private Partnerships environment and Governmental (Public) process/ requirements (PFMA exposure)
• Reported on facilities performance metrics, including incident response times and cost efficiencies
• Staff & People Management: direct staff = 18; indirect staff = 210
• Audits - Financial Audits: Year-end (External) and Half-yearly/ Interim (Internal)
• Audits - Operational Audits: Assets Condition, National Core Standards, ISO, Health and Safety

Regional Financial Manager - Tsebo Facilities Solutions - a Division of Tsebo Outsourcing Group

(2007-01 - 2015-12)

As the Regional Financial Manager, I was responsible for the financial functioning of 3 Private Companies (Subsidiaries & Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV's)), as well as 15 facility management contracts within the private and public sectors. These included long-term contracts with The Clicks Holdings Group, SANLAM, PEPKOR, Old Mutual, and British American Tobacco (BAT). Specific responsibilities encompassed the following:

• The full financial function and responsibility. This includes internal and external audit (year-end) preparation, as well as financial statement analysis & presentation.
• Financial process formulation and implementation
• Responsible for the accounts receivable and accounts payable functions, including managing the staff assigned to these departments
• Preparation of monthly management accounts and reporting
• Preparation and presentation of budgets and forecasts
• Sign-off of monthly General Ledger reconciliations
• Cash Flow management
• Taxation compilation and submissions, including Income Tax, VAT, Secondary Tax on Companies (STC)
• Advisory to the monthly Board of Director meeting

Financial Manager - HK Manufacturing (Pty) Ltd

(2000-01 - 2007-12)

Full Financial Function inter-alia Accounting, Tax, Audit, etc. for a company operating within the clothing manufacturing industry.

Assistant Debtors & Administration Manager - Nutri Stahl Cookware (Pty) Ltd

(1996-01 - 2000-12)

Responsibilities included, Debtors, Cash books, Year-end audits

Senior Certificate - Grade 12 - Belhar Senior Secondary School (1989-01 - 1989-12)

National Diploma - Company Administration - The Peninsula Technikon (now CPUT) (1994-01 - 1994-12)

BTech Degree - Cost & Management Accounting - The Peninsula Technikon (now CPUT) (2000-01 - 2000-12)

GradCG - Corporate Governance - The Chartered Governance Institute of South Africa (CGISA) (2001-01 - 2001-12)

Postgraduate Diploma - Management Studies - The Management College of South Africa (MANCOSA) (2003-01 - 2003-12)

Diploma - Leadership Development - The Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS) (2011-01 - 2011-12)