For the past two years Prof Cameron Modisane, a North-West University (NWU) alumnus, has been breaking boundaries. After obtaining his PhD in 2019 from the NWU’s Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences, Prof Modisane became the first black person under the age of 35 to have a PHD in accounting in South Africa.

He has since been climbing the corporate ladder and cementing his career.

During October hundreds of congratulatory messages flooded his LinkedIn account after he announced his latest achievement: being appointed as an associate professor at the College of Accounting Sciences at Unisa.

In his new role he will be producing a new group of aspiring charted accountant students. He will also be supervising master’s and PhD students and conducting research.

“I’m very excited about mentoring up and coming accountants and auditors and growing into this new role,” says Prof Modisane.

“The accounting field doesn’t have many people who enrol for postgraduate studies, therefore I would like to supervise more students and ensure that there are qualified graduates who complete their studies up to doctoral level.”

He adds that he also wants to see the number of black graduates, particularly at a master’s and PhD level, increase.

Smashing the glass ceiling

Earlier this year Prof Modisane was also appointed to the board of directors of the South African chapter of the Information Systems Audit and Control Association (ISACA).

This international professional association focuses on IT governance by helping business technology professionals and their enterprises to realise the positive potential of technology.

His term as the Pretoria regional director continues until 2022. He is responsible for member engagement and chapter coordination, and activities within the Pretoria region. He is also part of the board’s Academic Relations and Education Committee responsible for advancement through partnerships with individuals, organisations, academic institutions and professional bodies.

The NWU applauds Prof Modisane on his new appointment and looks forward to seeing the mark he is going to make.

Prof Cameron Modisane is definitely going places.