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Rodney Feris

Skill plus Impact equals Passion –Balancing the books of life with Rodney Feris

In the world of accounting, anything less than perfection is unacceptable. Rodney Feris, senior techno economist at Namdeb, shared his journey of how he handles failure and how he chooses to live a life of impact.

From a very early age, Rodney had a flair for numbers. In Grade 2, or “Sub B, as it was known”, his teacher took him to the Grade 3 classroom to show off his ability and acumen with mathematics. His school career featured passionate educators who saw his potential and fanned the flame.

Rodney speaks about a teacher that had a strong influence on the direction of his life. “My accounting teacher in Grade 8, Mr Julius, was a driving force [saying]: ‘You need to go and become a chartered accountant!’ He just kept pouring water on the seed.” Already at such a young age, Rodney knew he wanted to go into business as an accountant.

“I grew up in a family where we didn’t have everything, but we did have opportunities to further and improve ourselves. That dream of furthering myself, of improving myself –that was the passion that drove me towards accounting.” To fulfil this dream, Rodney began his tertiary studies at UNAM in 2001 with a Bachelor of Accounting, followed by Accounting Honours at the University of Natal in 2003. In 2005 he became a chartered accountant and in 2006 he got his MBA from Stellenbosch. All in five short years.

Growing up with the reality that people can develop themselves and change their lives, Rodney found a passion for helping people to grow and improve themselves. “What motivates me the most is the passion to improve others... to make the world a better place. Every day you better not just yourself but you better others in your circle of influence.”

Whether it be his children, colleagues or someone he meets in passing, Rodney uses every encounter to leave that person better off. “We need leaders,” he says.

“Sometimes we get the sense that the world is in chaos because of a lack of leadership.”

As senior techno economist for Namdeb, Rodney has a significant circle of influence. This job title simply means that he is a project accountant for Namdeb.

“I look after the financial governance of the projects that Namdeb embarks on,” he says, “ensuring that each new project makes business sense and contributes to the Namibian economy at large.”

Rodney has some advice for those wanting to live a life of success and contentment: “The one thing that always took me further is the ability to fail forward. Failure is part of success! Do not see failure in a negative lens but see failure as a stepping stone to success.”