Sanlie Middelberg’s academic credentials include a PhD in Management Accountancy, and holds a professional qualification of Fellow Chartered Management Accountant (FCMA) and Chartered Global Management Accountant (ACMA) with the global Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (CIMA). Sanlie’s research focuses on finance and management accounting mainly in the agricultural sector. This includes areas such as value chain financing, credit assessment, collateral and agricultural valuations. Sanlie has published a number of peer-reviewed articles in international academic journals and numerous magazines including Farmer’s Weekly and the Financial Management (CIMA’s member magazine).

Sanlie was awarded a research grant from the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (CIMA) in both 2017 and 2015. The first project is titled: Attractiveness of Zambian farm blocks for investment in agriculture, while the second project is titled: Value chain financing in agriculture: The case of Zambia. In 2016 Sanlie was awarded a Y-rating (young researcher) by the National Research Foundation. Sanlie currently serves as the chairperson for the CIMA Centre of Excellence (COE) which is a panel responsible for reviewing research applications and awarding research grants for CIMA.

Sanlie’s work experience includes 18 months in the investment banking sector in the United Kingdom and 5 years in the petroleum industry in South Africa as a refining accountant, internal auditor and senior internal auditor