Ramatlapeng takes over at Deloitte Botswana

… As Max retires

Following a long career at Deloitte, Max Marinelli, has retired as the Botswana Country Managing Partner on 31 May 2020. Max has served the firm for 40 years, serving as Botswana Country Leader since June 2007.

Max has contributed significantly in building the Deloitte brand in Botswana. Over the 31 years in Botswana Max has provided audit, tax and advisory services to some of the largest enterprises across all industries, including entities listed on the Botswana Stock exchange and some of the largest parastatals.  Max is a past Council Member and President of the Botswana Institute of Accountants, and during his tenure on Council he chaired the Technical, Tax and Disciplinary Committees of the Council.  Max has always been passionate about making a contribution to the profession, the firm and the success of Botswana and over the years has been involved in a number of national projects and has made a significant contribution to the development and mentoring of accountants both in and outside of the firm. He is a firm believer in citizen empowerment and has continuously nurtured young citizens into leadership positions, one of those esteemed professionals being his successor, Cecilia Ramatlapeng, who effectively took the reins on 1 June 2020.

“Those who know Max admire the impact he has made not only in the business, but also the people and the community at large. He has been an extraordinary leader, who has shown empathy, distinctiveness and precision when it comes to client service delivery and is known to always put people first,” Cecilia said. “I wish Max well and am confident that he will continue to make an impact in Botswana”. 

Cecilia is the first female citizen partner in an international firm in Botswana and coupled with her extensive industry experience, serves some of the largest private and public entities in Botswana. During her time at Deloitte, Cecilia has developed a strong prevalent reputation in leading multifaceted audit and financial advisory assignments, served in various leadership roles and has championed the training and development of future accountants within the Firm, including the Graduate Recruitment and Learning functions of the Firm. Cecilia is currently also serving as a Council Member and the Vice President of the Botswana Institute of Chartered Accountants. 

Responding to her appointment, Cecilia says, “Having spent my entire career at Deloitte, I am humbled to be given the opportunity to lead a dynamic group of people, who serve our clients with distinction each day. Our purpose has always been, and will continue to be making an impact that matters to our people, clients and communities. The market is volatile and uncertain and with that comes the opportunity for transformation which I look forward leading our team through. My focus will not only be to provide agile solutions to our clients in these transformative times, but to contribute substantially towards socio-economic development in Botswana and ensuring that talent development remains at the top of the business agenda.”

With talent development being at the top of the agenda, Cecilia further announced the promotion of Simon Hirschfeld to Director, effective 1 June 2020. 

Simon re-joined Deloitte in 2012 and has been responsible for leading Deloitte’s Consulting business with a focus on the Strategy and Operations business unit. He has vast experience across management consulting, strategy development, financial services, investment promotion and has delivered projects across multiple sectors of the economy.   Simon has made considerable input to the growth of Deloitte consulting, transformed talent through embedding a culture of leadership, coaching and development, and strengthened capacity within Botswana.S

Making an impact is core to the Deloitte culture, and Simon has always contributed to the country’s development and continues to serve as member of a high-level advisory committee aimed at, transformation and economic development.

“Simon has been instrumental in facilitating the development of our Firm’s strategy and overall growth of the Firm.  The commitment and energy with which he conducts his work has led to greater teamwork and improved morale across the Firm.” said Deloitte’s newly appointed Country Managing Partner, Cecilia Ramatlapeng.

Amidst the current challenging environment, Deloitte leadership remains committed to providing practical client solutions and driving transformation within the market.