{"id":834583,"date":"2025-08-17T13:00:00","date_gmt":"2025-08-17T11:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/?p=834583"},"modified":"2025-08-15T16:29:49","modified_gmt":"2025-08-15T14:29:49","slug":"the-accounting-genius-who-quit-one-of-south-africas-biggest-banks-then-came-back-to-lead-it","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/banking\/834583\/the-accounting-genius-who-quit-one-of-south-africas-biggest-banks-then-came-back-to-lead-it\/","title":{"rendered":"The accounting genius who quit one of South Africa’s biggest banks – then came back to lead it"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Rand Merchant Bank chief executive Emrie Brown once left the bank to move to Cape Town start a family, but ended up returning within six months, and ultimately moved on to become its first female CEO.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Brown was appointed as the CEO of RMB in 2022, taking over from James Formby, who was recently named Pick n Pay\u2019s new chair. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

RMB primarily represents FirstRand\u2019s group activities in the corporate and institutional segments of South Africa and the broader African continent. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In addition, it has niche offerings in India and offices in the UK, the US, and China that focus on corridor business to the African continent.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Brown said that she didn\u2019t grow up with a corner office in mind for her future, given her modest background. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

She was the youngest of four children, with her father working on the railways. However, she quickly stood out due to her skills in mathematics. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Emrie went on to obtain an Accounting degree in 1990 from the University of Pretoria, and graduated cum laude as a Chartered Accountant (CA) from the then-Rand Afrikaans University in 1994. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

She believed that placing second nationally in the accounting board exams was essential in opening doors for her in her career. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

She worked for a year at auditing firm KPMG after graduation and spent a year lecturing before joining Nedbank in 1997. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

After four years, she moved to RMB, where she has remained until this day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Her first role in the group was as a transactor, specialising in various lending businesses, including property, cross-border finance and leveraged finance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She then became head of Leveraged Finance in 2006, before departing from the bank to move to Cape Town to start a family. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, after the first six months in the new city, she missed the bank so much she returned, heading up the Western Cape investment banking team. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Speaking to Financial Minds<\/a>, Emrie said “In the moment, I didn\u2019t appreciate the significance of it,” realising the value in being not only a mother, but also a highly successful businesswoman.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She would relocate again in 2015, moving back to Johannesburg after being appointed co-head of the Investment Banking Division, becoming the sole head in 2019. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

This role included Corporate Transactional Banking, Investment Banking and Coverage, which accounts for the most significant portion of RMB\u2019s total earnings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Under her leadership, the RMB Investment Banking Division won several awards, including:<\/p>\n\n\n\n