Online Reporter
Business Reporter
IN an era defined by volatility, uncertainty, complexity, and ambiguity – what experts’ term “VUCA” – it is easy to feel overwhelmed by the pace of change. Yet amid the disruption, a new generation of young professional leaders is rising to meet the moment, armed not with fear but with foresight, curiosity, and an unshakeable determination to shape the world of work for the better.
One such individual is Charles Makoni, a Chartered Global Management Accountant whose journey from Zimbabwe to New York City offers a powerful blueprint for how young professionals can not only survive but thrive in the age of artificial intelligence.
Like so many professionals, Makoni’s career trajectory was fundamentally altered by the COVID-19 pandemic. As the world retreated indoors and platforms like Zoom became the new office, he found himself grappling with an existential question familiar to accountants everywhere: Where does my profession go from here?
“I began to hear rumours about Artificial Intelligence as I was combing through the web, searching where I would go from here,” Mr. Makoni recalls.
At the time, he was enrolled in an Undergraduate Bachelors Honours Programme at Great Zimbabwe University’s Harare Campus. Rather than ignoring the emerging technological tide, he leaned into it. His undergraduate dissertation focused on Artificial Intelligence research, and he subsequently produced a second dissertation for his Master’s degree on automation and the evolving role of accountants in the face of AI.
“I produced two dissertations on accountants in the face of AI and automation,” he says, a testament to his early commitment to understanding the forces that would come to define his profession.
Mr Makoni’s research quickly moved beyond the ivory tower. In 2023, he was invited by the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Zimbabwe (ICAZ) to present at a session entitled “Emerging Technologies”. It was a pivotal moment.
“At that time, I was completing my Master’s dissertation. It was a totally new concept in my country; the industry was not giving enough attention,” he explains. “Through further reading, I understood that accountants needed to prepare and brace themselves because Artificial Intelligence would sweep across the industry one day. It was time to bring awareness to the industry, unpacking what it was.”
A global platform, A national message
By February 2024, Mr. Makoni’s profile had grown significantly. He featured on the Zimbabwe Television Network (ZTN), a broadcaster reaching 50 African nations and some 50 million subscribers. For Mr. Makoni, the opportunity was about more than personal recognition – it was a chance to influence policy at the highest levels.
“I needed the Governments all over the world to be aware of this as they were making policies,” he says. “I understood through reading that AI would come with risks, so I wanted them to put in place the policies that would protect citizens.”
His message was characteristically clear and forward-looking: “There is need for collaboration among the Government, the academia and the investors. We need to build our own data centres so that we are not left behind. We also need investment in energy, because as you are aware, Artificial Intelligence consumes a lot of energy. We also need people in the marginalised areas of our country – for example in rural areas – to access the internet.”
From pensions to policy
Mr Makoni’s influence has also been felt in the pensions industry. Serving on a pension fund at the time, he began to think futuristically about how AI could be integrated into pension systems. His presentation at the Zimbabwe Association of Pension Funds (ZAPF) Conference tackled pressing issues, including the impact of AI on pension processes, member benefit statements, proof of life for pensioners, data quality and accessibility, and governance frameworks.
Not content to leave the conversation confined to conference halls, Mr. Makoni ensured his insights were published in a pension fund monthly paper, recognising that “not many professionals could make it to the conference” and that “no stakeholder was to be left behind”.
Recognition and a Yew York Chapter
Mr Makoni’s contributions have not gone unnoticed. He was named among the prestigious “40 Under 40 Influential Young Business Leaders”, an award that arrived at a moment when, as he puts it, “all the impactful things were happening”.
Mr Makoni was drawn to the prestigious STEM programme at Fordham Gabelli School of Business, whose professors have held positions at London Business School, NYU Stern and other elite institutions. The curriculum, which includes cutting-edge skills such as Tableau AI, offered him the tools he had been seeking.
“These skills, you don’t get them anywhere,” he says. “Even the senior executives of every organisation are looking for professionals who are already equipped with this. That is what drew me to New York City.”
Mr Makoni is considering joining the Next Generation Committee, the Emerging Technologies Committee, or the Cybersecurity and Technology Risks Committee of the New York Certified Public Accountants (NYCPAs), where he will learn from senior directors and chief executives at Fortune 500 companies.
“Right now, in the field of accounting and Artificial Intelligence, senior management are looking for ways to streamline processes to provide financial reports without too much time passing, and producing error-free work by every department,” he explains.
“There is need for dashboards in companies that do this work. Building online platforms, software, and AI-ERPs that will simplify the work that corporations do – especially the accounting work – is the way to go. Come up with interlinked tools with AI that complement the work that human beings do.”
