No going back after African adventure

"I came to PwC in South Africa in 1988 at the age of 26. It's now 26 years later and I'm still here," says Brendan Deegan, assurance leader for PwC Africa. "My initial contract was for a two-year period and while I returned to our Dublin office during1991/1992, I decided to make South Africa my long term home, drawn by the excitement of a new country embarking on a new and often bumpy journey."

Deegan came close to signing a two-year contract with PwC in Bermuda but was swayed by the experience of his boss at the time who had lived in Africa for many years. “The people, the work ethic, the outdoor lifestyle and open spaces and, coming from Ireland, the climate, were major attractions for me,” he says. “The fact that most South Africans, like the Irish, are passionate about their sport was also a plus and I now get to support two successful national rugby teams.”

Deegan trained with C&L in Dublin and joined PwC in South Africa as a manager in the audit/assurance department. He became a partner in 1995. He was appointed head of the assurance practice in 2009. When the firm merged its African operations into one business unit in 2011, Deegan took over responsibility for the Africa-wide assurance business. “I live in Cape Town, without doubt one of the most beautiful cities in the world, with Claire my South African-born wife and our two daughters aged 10 and six,” Deegan says.

“There are approximately 8,000 people in our operation across Africa which is one of the larger practices in our global network. Every day is completely different in terms of challenges and opportunities and is probably the main reason I happily remain with the firm after 32 years.

“Working and living in South Africa is wonderfully rewarding and exciting. It is, however, a tale of two countries. On the one side is vast wealth – world class housing, hotels, restaurants, tourist destinations, airports, motorways as well as highly sophisticated telecommunications and financial services industries. On the other side, significant poverty and unemployment persist alongside some very poor service delivery in important areas such as health and education. Significant progress has definitely been made, but there is still much more to be done.”

Deegan says progress is also needed to stamp out corruption and to create an environment which will make doing business easier. “The remaining burning issue from a business perspective in South Africa is getting business and labour to work together – if this doesn’t happen, economic growth, and consequently employment, will suffer,” he says.

Deegan found no difficulty transferring between the business and financial world of Ireland and that of South Africa. “The work ethic, culture, and way in which financial advisors work with and deal with businesses is no different to that in Ireland or the UK,” he says. “Most people work significantly more than eight hours per day but, like Irish people, they also enjoy relaxing. It has not been difficult to integrate. South African people are generally very welcoming and one doesn’t feel like an outsider.

“Working and spending time across the African continent (north of South Africa) is also challenging and rewarding in many ways,” he adds. “African people are eternally optimistic that things will eventually work out for the best. Bearing in mind that a number of countries in Africa are currently some of the fastest growing economies in the world, there are many opportunities for Irish people to be successful here if they are willing to be taken out of their comfort zones and have a sense of adventure.”

Deegan says a chartered accountant qualification is generally required for someone to succeed and progress their career in finance in South Africa. The Irish qualification is very similar to the South African one and is accepted by employers there. Expertise in accounting and finance is in demand across Africa as a whole.

“Like most places in the world, Africa has its fair share of Irish people,” he adds. “I am a member of Business Ireland, Southern Africa which promotes business and trade between both countries. It is a very pro-active organisation that brings Irish business people living here together whenever possible. There is an energy in Africa that appeals to some but not to others. However, given the significant shortage of skills in many sectors across many countries, opportunities abound across the continent.

“Living and working in Africa is not like living and working in New York or London but it offers a host of benefits and experiences unavailable elsewhere. They say that once Africa gets into your blood, you can’t get it out and I believe that to be the case. The proof perhaps may be that all of the Irish people living in Africa that I have come across wouldn’t swop it for anything. Home is definitely here, but a big chunk of my heart still resides in Ireland.”