Sakshi Shukla

Sakshi is a Senior Manager who joined Grant Thornton in 2011 as Trainee Executive. She reports directly to the Managing Partner of the firm and has experience of having worked in the Advisory division, Assurance division, Outsourcing and Taxation division, and Marketing communications and Business Development division. She is involved in several firm wide projects that have assisted in the development of business acumen and know-how amongst our clients.

Experience

Sakshi completed an internship with Price Waterhouse Coopers where she worked in the Entrepreneurial and Advisory division. Her professional career, however, began with Grant Thornton when she joined as a Trainee Executive upon becoming an affiliate member of ACCA.

Sakshi worked in the Advisory services and Audit assurance divisions of the firm for 3 years, and later joined the Outsourcing and Tax, and Marketing communications and business development division in 2014 to pursue her passion and refine her skills in the field.

Sakshi has experience of managing the firm’s external marketing material and resources, advertising, promotions and branding, external and internal presentations, corporate communications, client satisfaction research, client and corporate events, client data base management, facilitating industry development with national industry champions, identifying and responding to business development opportunities through various sources, client gain and loss tracking, national website management and update in coordination with the external host, CSR, implementing tools and disseminating information provided by the international office, tender proposal templates and internal marketing.

Administrative responsibilities of the division also rest with Sakshi, including budgeting, cost control, planning, reporting, recruitment and training, staff talent and performance management, etc.

Sakshi has also been the Executive and later Senior Manager in charge of the Private Business Growth Awards (PBGA) presented by Grant Thornton in association with Business Botswana and Botswana Investment and Trade Centre (BITC), since 2015. This award is unique to Botswana, and the Grant Thornton network in Africa, and is part of “Global Expo Botswana”. The team leads the initiative from start to finish including award administration, promotional campaigns, Public Relations and event management. The quality and level of participation has increased by 400% since 2015 in terms of number of participants, and the reach within the country has grown from 5 locations in 2015 to 116 locations in 2019 covering all districts of Botswana.

Professional qualifications and memberships

Sakshi holds a Diploma in Digital Marketing, and a Diploma in Social Media Marketing. She also holds a Bachelor of Accountancy (BAcc) degree and Post Graduate Diploma in Education (PGDE - Business) from the University of Botswana. Sakshi has also attained a Masters in Business Administration (MBA) from the University of Derby.

She is a fellow member FCCA of the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA) and fellow certified professional member FCPA of the Botswana Institute of Chartered Accountants (BICA).

Sakshi served on the Finance and Administrative Committee of BICA in 2017/18, and also served on committee of BICA’s 10^th biennial international conference in 2017/18.

Technological proficiency

Sakshi has extensive experience operating various software and tools to manage client relationships and digital marketing channels, such as EPiServer CMS, Greatsoft, and other applications for data analytics and social media management. She is also proficient in using Microsoft Office applications to analyse data, prepare presentations, create brand compliant templates and ensure quality on different tasks.

Community involvement

Sakshi has been a member of the Private Business Growth Awards committee since 2015, as part of her role as Executive and later Manager in charge of the initiative. Presented in association with Business Botswana and Botswana Investment and Trade Centre, this initiative is Grant Thornton’s biggest corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) activity that encourages and honours the development of growing private businesses in the country.

Sakshi is also involved in various CSR activities of Grant Thornton in Botswana, the latest being support provided to Tshwaragano Primary School over the last 3 years on Grant Thornton annual CSR day. She has served on the CSR committee for several years, and is in charge of co-ordinating all other CSR activities of the firm.

In her personal capacity, Sakshi is an active member of volunteer-initiated cultural/entertainment organizations and trusts such as ‘The Bollywood Girls’ and ‘Sargam Trust’, which support numerous charitable causes across the country.

Presentations and publications

Sakshi participates in Grant Thornton’s CSR initiatives such as recently supporting Government’s Digital Transformation Strategy within the education sector by sponsoring a state-of-the art imported tech panel – a first for public schools in Botswana. Over the years, Grant Thornton has supported various local communities such as Learn to Play Bontleng community (2021), SSVP Christ the King Cathedral in Gaborone-west (2021/20), COVID-19 National Relief Fund (2020), Tswaragano Primary School in Old Naledi (2022/19/18/17).

Sakshi has served on the CSR committee for several years, and is in charge of co-ordinating CSR activities of the firm. In her personal capacity, Sakshi is an active member of volunteer-initiated cultural/entertainment organizations and trusts such as ‘The Bollywood Girls’ and ‘Sargam Trust’, which support numerous charitable causes across the country.

Presentations and publications

Sakshi has contributed to Grant Thornton’s publications as writer, and is currently editor of all thought leadership, and brochures released by the firm. She makes presentations both internally and externally on matters marketing the firm, brand, and the Private Business Growth Awards.

Sakshi has been a member of Grant Thornton’s corporate Toastmasters club, which has facilitated development of communication and leadership skills. She served as one of the two Director of Toastmasters in Botswana in 2019/20, and has previously served as Vice President Public Relations in 2014/15/16, Vice President Membership in 2016/17, Vice President Education in 2017/18 and President in 2018/19. She has achieved the ‘Distinguished Toastmaster (DTM)’ award which is the highest level of educational achievement in Toastmasters, and co-sponsored the establishment of Stanbic Bank Corporate Toastmasters Club and Mazars Corporate Toastmasters Club. She is winner of the 2014 Botswana Area Impromptu Speaking Contest.

As part of her MBA, Sakshi has completed a research and report on the subject of ‘Talent Management and Retention’, which has enhanced her abilities as a Manager.