“He has played a fantastic role supporting Murray, Melissa and myself in really making good decisions,” commented DoughGetters co-founder Willem Haarhoff. DougGetters is a cloud-based accounting business, which, through its various franchises, provides a range of professional and business administration services from any location to any other location. It has gained prominence over the past five years for its pioneering digital and remote-working practices.

According to Haarhoff the importance of the human element remains crucial. “With automation and the increase in digitisation of businesses it is easy for people to lose the importance of that human element,” he said. “It has always been an important factor for us and Kenny has proven himself over and over again in helping to remind us of that, and to plug that gap.”

"Not to mention the good decision-making capabilities in helping to position us for the future,” Haarhoff added.

“I’ve now been given the opportunity to be at the forefront of something I believe is really big,” Coetzer commented on the appointment. Coetzer has a long and distinguished corporate background, having held various senior roles, including at the likes of Hollard, where he worked internationally on the business development side and served as a director on some smaller subsidiaries in the Hollard Group. “I really have a passion for growing a smaller business and being part of that action.”

 (l to r) Willem Haarhoff, Melissa du Plooy, Murray Barnetson and Kenny Coetzer

His wealth of past experience in this field will now be put to good use. “Accounting operates as one leg of helping small businesses. SMEs are the engine room of any economy, whether its South Africa, or Malaysia,  The United States or Korea, to provide them with the infrastructural skills, both the knowledge bank and the technology that have only been available to the big corporations to date, is really great,” he said. Coetzer added that on a personal level he has become very close friends with the three other directors, Melissa du Plooy, Willem Haarhoff and Murray Barnetson.

“To have the opportunity to work with them as a partner in business is something I did not imagine happening because I always thought I’d be somewhat of a solo player. This couldn’t have come at a better time however, because I’m really enjoying having all the company and friendship, the synergy, and the balance of banter and seriousness.”

Coetzer will continue to run his franchise while working closer with the bigger DoughGetters network. “I think what’s going to happen with my time is that I’m going to get a lot closer to the people at DoughGetters. I’m also going to spend a lot of time investing in the sort of human-to-human business skills of our franchisees and helping them ramp up their businesses to also feel like it’s built to last. In addition, I look forward to getting myself stuck into the other aspects of the business as we continue to expand beyond the borders of just a pure accounting firm to a multifaceted business support hub.”