Sanele Makaula

Operational Risk Analyst with 7+ years of experience across banking and consulting, specialising in operational risk management, control assessments, risk governance, regulatory compliance, key risk indicators, and risk reporting. Proven ability to support risk committees, monitor remediation actions, identify control weaknesses, and strengthen risk and control environments within financial services organisations.

Operational Risk Analyst at African Bank (2024-06 – Present)

• Prepared and analysed monthly Key Risk Indicator (KRI) reports to support operational risk monitoring, trend analysis, and management reporting across assigned business units.
• Conducted operational risk assessments and control assessments in line with risk management frameworks, policies, and governance requirements.
• Monitored remediation plans and tracked corrective actions to closure, escalating overdue actions, control gaps, and high-risk issues to relevant stakeholders.
• Supported the implementation of operational risk policies, governance standards, and risk management practices to strengthen the control environment.
• Prepared Risk MANCO packs, captured meeting minutes, and tracked governance decisions and action items to support effective risk committee oversight.

Risk Analyst at Deloitte (2022-08 – 2024-05)

• Performed risk assessments and control assessments for financial services clients, identifying control weaknesses, process gaps, and key risk exposures.
• Supported governance, regulatory compliance, and risk advisory engagements by assessing control environments and documenting risk-related findings.
• Contributed to improved risk reporting, remediation tracking, and control enhancement initiatives across multiple client engagements.

Risk Officer at Makaula & Associates (2019-02 – 2022-02)

• Maintained risk management and fraud prevention plans to support operational resilience, internal controls, and compliance with business requirements.
• Monitored adherence to internal policies, risk controls, and regulatory requirements, supporting ongoing compliance and risk mitigation.
• Escalated risk issues and communicated control concerns to stakeholders to support timely remediation and informed decision-making.

Family Sabbatical (2017-10 – 2019-01)

Took a planned career break for family responsibilities while maintaining professional development and readiness to return to the workforce.

Operational Risk Analyst at WesBank (2016-06 – 2017-09)

• Managed operational risk across the VW and Toyota Financial Services portfolios, supporting portfolio oversight, risk monitoring, and control effectiveness.
• Identified process breakdowns, control weaknesses, and operational risk events, and supported the implementation of corrective actions.
• Performed risk analysis and loss trend reporting to identify emerging risks, support management insight, and inform risk mitigation activities.

Sales & Service Consultant at First National Bank (2013-08 – 2016-05)

• Delivered banking services, resolved client queries, and supported branch operations in line with service standards, compliance requirements, and customer experience objectives.
• Maintained high service quality and performance standards, contributing to recognition through a provincial sales and service excellence award.

BCom in Economics and Risk Management – North-West University (2012)