South Africa is a place where hope has always insisted on existing, even when history tried to silence it. It is a country stitched together by the courage of ordinary people who rose from extraordinary challenges, where communities learned to build dignity from scarcity and dream beyond their circumstances. Its soil carries stories of resilience, of families who turned struggle into strength, and of young minds who dared to look beyond what was visible and imagine what could be created. Leadership born from such ground carries a special weight, shaped not only by ambition but by an intimate understanding of inequality, opportunity, and the responsibility to widen the doors for others.
Patricia Stock CA(SA) emerges from this very heritage as a leader whose work unites purpose with impact. As CEO of the South African Institute of Chartered Accountants, she stands at the helm of one of the most influential professional bodies on the continent, guiding more than sixty thousand members across South Africa and abroad. Yet what sets her apart is not the scale of her position, but the spirit behind it. She is a leader shaped by lived experience, grounded in service, committed to fairness, and driven by the belief that progress is only meaningful when it advances the lives of many. Her journey from the townships of Pretoria to the global accounting stage is both a personal triumph and a reflection of the possibilities that emerge when resilience finds direction.
A Journey Rooted in Hope
Patricia grew up in South Africa, a country full of hope but equally shaped by deep social and economic challenges. Raised in the townships of Pretoria and educated in the public school system, she experienced poverty as a lived reality. Yet, these very circumstances became the foundation of her purpose. She believes her life is a testament to overcoming hardship, recognizing opportunity, and transforming adversity into a story of impact. Her lived experience continues to anchor her commitment to creating access for others and shaping solutions to the country’s social challenges.
A Dream That Grew into Leadership
From a young age, Patricia dreamed of becoming a chartered accountant, imagining herself as a “doctor of business.” Through bursaries from the Auditor General’s office and opportunities created by training programs, her dream took shape. Today, she leads the very profession she once aspired to join. For her, this transition from learner to leader represents a journey of purpose, grounded in giving back and enabling others to realize their own potential.
Cultivating Change in a Changing Nation
Patricia believes deeply in the power of a growth mindset. Early in her career, she worked at the Auditor General of South Africa, gaining insight into South Africa’s public sector, regulatory frameworks, policy processes, and the crucial relationship between government and business. She maintains that a strong economy is built on a strong public sector, and her early exposure to this ecosystem became a powerful foundation for her leadership.
Her move to BDO South Africa marked a new chapter. There, she became an associate, later a partner, and was entrusted with leading transformation efforts across the firm. Given South Africa’s history, she saw transformation as both a responsibility and a privilege. She helped design strategies for workplace diversity, equitable access, and supplier development. She also championed outreach initiatives such as school adoption programs to nurture young talent and ensure opportunities were not lost due to a lack of awareness or support.
Sculpting Leaders While Safeguarding Tomorrow
Across every chapter of her career, Patricia’s passion for people development remained constant. She established her own firm, built an academy, and later merged with other smaller firms to scale impact. The merged entity eventually joined the MGI Worldwide network and became known as MGIRAS. Her work spanned assurance, advisory services and people development, reflecting her belief that leaders must enable the growth of others.
Her sense of responsibility extended beyond individuals. She believed that professionals must also serve the environment. This led her to become a certified ESG analyst, adding sustainability advisory work to her portfolio. She maintains that everyone has a responsibility to use their talents to solve meaningful problems.
Coaching as the Art of Awakening Voices
Although Patricia benefited greatly from mentorship, she realized the growing need for coaching. While mentorship shares experience, coaching unlocks personal discovery, agency, and confidence. She became a certified leadership and performance coach, aligning her passion for people with her purpose of helping professionals grow so that they, in turn, uplift those they lead.
Her leadership philosophy prioritizes influence, human connection, and learning at every level. At her previous firm, everyone, from cleaners to executives, was required to be engaged in learning. She saw potential everywhere and believed that even small opportunities, like learning computer skills, could transform futures.
Governance as a Backbone of Strong Institutions
Patricia’s governance journey began early through voluntary service. She contributed to Ripple Reading, an initiative focused on improving literacy through reading as a tool for language understanding. Her return on investment was witnessing learners improve in comprehension and confidence.
She later served on the board of the Financial Sector Education Authority (FASSET) and on Boards and Committees across public, private, and listed institutions. Her work spanned audit committees, organizational strategy, and national education mandates. She considers governance essential for organizational sustainability, financial health, and long-term growth.
Her expertise contributed to shaping the King Code of Good Governance, one of South Africa’s most respected frameworks of good governance. Being part of the committee that developed the King frameworks was a significant milestone, allowing her to influence national standards of governance.
Steward of a Worldwide Accounting Community
Today, Patricia serves as CEO of the South African Institute of Chartered Accountants. She leads a global membership of more than 62,000 individuals, including over 55,000 chartered accountants, with around 20 percent residing outside South Africa. Her role requires navigating diverse regulatory environments, global partnerships, and international bodies such as the International Federation of Accountants, the Global Accountancy Alliance, Chartered Accountants Worldwide, and the Pan African Federation of Accountants.
She strongly believes in Africa’s collective growth. Through continental bodies, she supports collaboration, capacity building, and opportunities arising from initiatives like the African Continental Free Trade Area.
Access, Equity, and the Cradle to Career Vision
Patricia champions SAICA’s cradle-to-career model, ensuring the profession supports learners from their earliest academic stages through to professional qualification. Through the Thuthuka Educational Upliftment Fund, SAICA partners with firms, corporations, and stakeholders to address historical inequalities by providing bursaries, resources, and wraparound support for students.
SAICA also works closely with the Department of Education and FASSET, reaching thousands of learners annually, particularly in mathematics. These efforts extend to teacher support programs and collaborative work with other professions to meet South Africa’s critical skills needs.
Well-being, Care, and the Future of the Profession
Patricia emphasizes that technical excellence alone is not enough. Wellness, care, and holistic support are essential to sustaining high-performing professionals. Under her leadership, SAICA intentionally integrates well-being into its strategic objectives, ensuring that members receive not only technical development but also support that strengthens their resilience and humanity.
Guarding the Trust That Holds a Profession Together
Patricia reflects on the responsibility of maintaining trust in the accountancy profession. She notes South Africa’s recent removal from the FATF grey list, an achievement that required strong cooperation between the public and private sectors. The profession played a meaningful role by providing training, guidance and support to ensure that policies were effectively translated into action. She sees this as a national win and an example of how the profession can contribute to strengthening institutions.
She is especially proud that the CA(SA) designation has been recognized as the most trusted chartered accountancy designation, for the second consecutive time globally. Maintaining this reputation is a responsibility she holds with deep seriousness, ensuring that ethics, competence, and integrity remain at the core of the profession.
The Weight and Wonder of Being the First
As the first female CEO of SAICA, Patricia recognizes both the honour and the weight of her position. She shares that being “the first” expands her responsibilities, particularly in shaping pathways for others. In addition to her role at SAICA, she also serves as the first President of the Forum of Advancing Women in Africa under PAFA. This platform allows her to unite women across Africa and the diaspora, creating spaces for collaboration, support and shared growth.
Yet she advocates strongly for balance. For Patricia, women’s empowerment must never translate into sidelining men. She believes that genuine progress happens when men and women co-create solutions, uplift one another, and avoid creating reverse forms of exclusion. Empowerment, to her, must always be inclusive.
A Voice for Healing in a World of Hidden Wounds
Patricia acknowledges the complex realities many individuals face, including issues such as gender-based violence. She emphasizes that these challenges affect all communities and can impact both women and men, even though men often remain silent about their experiences.
Through her work in advancing women in the accountancy space, she aims to help individuals overcome limiting beliefs, regain confidence, and move from a place of pain to one of purpose. She believes deeply that adversity can be transformed into personal power and meaningful impact when people are supported with empathy, understanding, and the right tools.
Leading with Heart and Honoring with Truth
For Patricia, everything in an organization begins and ends with leadership. She believes leadership is dynamic, shifting with seasons, organizational changes, and human needs. During periods of transformation or uncertainty, she emphasizes the importance of compassion, trust-building, and patience, recognizing that people respond to change differently.
She distinguishes kindness from weakness. In her view, kindness means seeing people clearly, honoring their humanity, and understanding their circumstances. However, compassion must coexist with accountability. This balance of care and candor shapes her approach to leading teams.
Strength Crafted into a Collective Force
Patricia builds teams by focusing on strengths rather than weaknesses. She believes that every organization should invest in what their people naturally excel at while equipping them with foundational skills. Strong individuals, she says, create strong teams, and strong teams build resilient organizations.
She encourages leaders to recognize that leadership is not limited to titles. Every person in an organization leads in their sphere, whether welcoming visitors at the reception or managing strategy at the executive level. Leadership is shared, and every role contributes to creating the organization’s lived experience.
Patricia stresses that having a shared vision is not enough; teams must share a common understanding of what success looks like. Success, in her definition, is measured through impact. Who benefits from the work? What changes are achieved? For her, impact touches SAICA’s members and associates, students, the broader economy, and South Africa’s future talent pipeline.
This shared sense of purpose drives her leadership approach. It reminds her that leadership is, at its core, a responsibility to people, their growth, their livelihoods, and their dignity.
Leadership Anchored in Ubuntu
Patricia’s philosophy is grounded in the African principle of Ubuntu, which means “I am because we are.” She believes leadership must begin with recognizing the humanity of others, valuing people for who they are, and fostering a culture of respect and connection.
For her, leading people is a privilege and a profound responsibility. She is committed to seeing others, uplifting them, and ensuring that every individual within her sphere of influence feels recognized, valued, and capable of rising to their full potential.
The Entrepreneur’s Spirit Born from Resilient Roots
Patricia believes deeply in cultivating entrepreneurs within organizations. She encourages professionals to treat their roles as if they were running their own enterprises, making thoughtful decisions, caring for their teams, and going the extra mile to achieve meaningful outcomes. For her, intrapreneurship is about ownership, accountability and a mindset that sees possibility even in hardship.
This philosophy is personally rooted. Patricia often reflects on the resilience of her grandmother and mother, who ensured the family never went without food despite the hardships of poverty. Their resourcefulness, farming maize, selling produce on trains and finding creative solutions in the face of limited means, became formative lessons. These experiences shaped Patricia’s belief that growth begins with using what one has and building from small, intentional steps.
Forging the Future Architecture of a Trusted Profession
Patricia outlines several key priorities for SAICA, each grounded in the institute’s responsibility to advance the profession and strengthen South Africa’s economic and regulatory landscape.
One of SAICA’s foremost priorities is developing the profession’s capabilities in areas such as sustainability, artificial intelligence, and sector-specific skills. She emphasizes the importance of turning policy into practice, particularly following South Africa’s removal from the FATF grey list. SAICA is committed to sustaining this progress by helping members embed ethical and regulatory standards within their organizations.
A long-standing priority for Patricia is diversity, equity, and inclusion. Under her stewardship, SAICA continues to address representation gaps within the profession. From only three percent representation of underrepresented groups in 2002 to approximately thirty-seven percent today, progress has been significant, but she acknowledges that more work is needed for the profession to mirror South Africa’s demographics. SAICA remains committed to this work, especially through its cradle to career model that addresses access challenges in mathematics, education and professional training across all levels of the profession.
She also highlights SAICA’s responsibility to maintain a strong global voice, representing South Africa and Africa in international standard setting, policy forums, and global alliances. At the core of all priorities lies one unchanging principle, trust. Ensuring that members uphold integrity and ethical conduct remains central to Patricia’s vision.
Designing the Future Blueprint of a Smarter SAICA
Patricia is particularly excited about SAICA’s newly introduced strategy and target operating model. A major focus area is transforming SAICA into a more insight-driven organization. This includes strengthening research, developing sophisticated data capabilities, and using insights to support sectors both locally and globally.
She also highlights SAICA’s internal adoption of artificial intelligence and sustainable practices. For Patricia, technology must be implemented in a human-centric way, ensuring that people remain central to decision-making. The new operating model encourages personal growth among SAICA’s teams, equipping them to become champions of change and influencers beyond the organization.
Another priority is SAICA’s involvement in the Sustainability Adoption Readiness Working Group, for which SAICA serves as secretariat. Patricia views this as an important opportunity to shape South Africa’s future sustainability reporting landscape. Aligning the country with global reporting baselines, she says, is essential for accessing capital, maintaining competitive sovereign debt conditions, and positioning South Africa for long-term economic resilience.
A National Voice on a Global Stage
Patricia sees SAICA’s role extending beyond the profession into broader national development. With South Africa’s participation in global forums such as the G20, she believes SAICA must use policy recommendations to influence meaningful implementation at home. Her work blends advocacy, strategic partnerships, and a forward-looking interpretation of the profession’s responsibilities in shaping the country’s trajectory.
Building a Better South Africa Through Ethical Leadership
When speaking about South Africa’s current challenges, Patricia is candid. She identifies corruption as one of the most pressing issues, noting its impact on poverty, unemployment, and the erosion of public trust. She supports the business at OECD’s view that eliminating corruption would significantly improve societal outcomes.
Patricia advocates for the professionalization of the public sector, noting that while some professionals serve in government, more are needed. She acknowledges the difficulty of attracting and retaining skilled individuals in the public sector due to corruption and safety concerns. SAICA’s focus includes supporting whistleblower protection and strengthening ethical frameworks.
She also points to poverty, limited access to opportunities, infrastructure challenges, geopolitical influences, and the need for better allocation and utilization of capital. For her, each challenge presents an opportunity for solutions-driven leadership, thoughtful collaboration, and strengthened public-private partnerships.
Technology as an Enabler of the Profession’s Future
Patricia describes technological advancement, especially artificial intelligence, as one of the most transformative forces shaping the accounting profession. She notes that historically, heavy workloads defined the profession, particularly in assurance. Artificial intelligence and digital transformation now create opportunities for better work-life balance, strategic focus, innovation, and enhanced advisory capabilities.
She explains that universities are integrating artificial intelligence, gamification, and simulations into their curricula, while firms are embedding artificial intelligence into their methodologies. SAICA has updated its competency framework to match these trends and continues to offer learning programs for members.
Patricia does not believe artificial intelligence will replace professionals. Instead, she believes it will replace those who fail to adapt. Her view is that technology amplifies human capability and requires continual learning, strong ethical grounding, and an understanding of its sustainability implications. SAICA’s long-standing digital transformation journey laid the foundation for the responsible integration of artificial intelligence, which she sees as essential for data-driven decision making and strategic innovation.
Lighting the World from the Place You Stand
Patricia’s advice for young and emerging leaders centers on purpose, service, and meaningful action. She encourages leaders to live with purpose, to focus on the problems that deeply trouble them, and to begin making an impact exactly where they are without waiting for perfect conditions.
She emphasizes that leadership is not defined by titles but by influence, contribution, and the commitment to leaving people and spaces better than one found them. Purpose, she believes, is discovered through service to others.
A Life Led with Truth and Lifted by Gratitude
Patricia believes authenticity is essential. To her, every individual is a gift to humanity, and failing to show up authentically deprives the world of that gift. She also champions the power of gratitude, viewing it as a driving force that shapes one’s attitude, relationships, and long-term success.
She encourages acknowledging small and large contributions alike, noting that sometimes a simple expression of appreciation can be the most meaningful reward. Celebrating others, she says, is a profound act of leadership.
