LEADERSHIP
REACHING FOR THE SKIES Clarissa Appana’s ability to channel her sense of adventure within any sphere she occupies has seen her go from a cadet pilot to a CFO, and led to many new opportunities. She tells Puseletso Mompei about her drive to empower other people to reach for the skies.
T
he determined country CFO of Lafarge Clarissa Appana hails from KwaZulu-Natal. Naturally inquisitive, she excelled academically from a young age and despite being the youngest of four children, her go-getter attitude made her a natural leader of the pack. Early on, the family suffered a loss which changed their trajectory. With the death of her father when she was just six, life became quite difficult. Her now single mom managed to maintain a home rich with principles and values, but luxuries were hard to come by. Determined to succeed, Clarissa bet on herself and set her sights on accomplishing her dreams. “From early childhood grounding and circumstances, I always strived to be my best and create a life that was better than where I was coming from. I saw the challenges that came my way as twists to navigate along the journey, not dead ends.” She recently went through one of her toughest periods when her mother, who had been her pillar, passed away suddenly in 2020. Still healing, she says these and other scars are what make her stronger and more resilient.
Finding her way A natural adventurer, Clarissa says she’s always loved space, been fascinated with nature and had a hunger for seeing the world. Ideally, she would have wanted to be an astronaut, but given the limitations of being in South Africa, settled on trying to become an airplane pilot. When South African Airways (SAA) released the application forms for cadet pilots in 1996, Clarissa
took the opportunity to sign herself up for the training programme. Her mother had also encouraged her to study something while she was training, in case her dreams of flying fell through. “I was adamant it would, but I listened to her,” Clarissa says. “B.Com was varied enough not to confine one to a single stream of career, my friends had chosen in that field, and my older sister had done her B.Com, so it made sense to study towards that degree.” In her second year of studying her and while on her way to volleyball practice, Clarissa came across banners for students to meet with PwC. “I hadn’t applied ahead of time, or had an interview slot, and I was dressed in volleyball gear – a stark contrast to the other students in their suits,” she explains. “A kind gentleman, James Dixon, the then partner at the PwC offices in Durban, approached me and asked if I would like to apply for post articles to be secured in my honours year of studies. I explained to him that I was going to be a pilot, so I would rather not waste his time.” James asked Clarissa if she had an hour to do the interview anyway, which she did. “The interview impressed him so much that he offered me a position to do my articles anytime I was ready.” While trying to complete her degree and going back and forth from Johannesburg for pilot training and testing, Clarissa also had to find a job during the little free time she had left. “I had to start taking out student loans and work after lectures on weekends at Luxury Cosmetics and Perfume Brands to pay for my studies. I also started tutoring in my third year at university.”
