Alta Prinsloo

Chief Executive Officer

Alta Prinsloo became the Chief Executive Officer of the Pan African Federation of Accountants (PAFA) in 2020, bringing a wealth of expertise in strategic planning, capacity building, programme implementation, and partnership development.

Alta joined the International Auditing and Assurance Standards Board in 2002, where she served as Deputy Director before transitioning to the International Federation of Accountants (IFAC). At IFAC, she held various executive roles across governance & nominations, strategic planning, risk management, finance, operations & information technology, human resources, and intellectual property.

During her tenure, she oversaw a range of key initiatives, including the Accountability. Now. project aimed at enhancing transparency and accountability in the public sector, the IFAC Member Compliance Program, and initiatives supporting professional accountants in both business and small- and medium-sized practices. She also contributed to the Knowledge Gateway, promoting global knowledge sharing within the profession.

From 1997 to 2002, Alta worked at the South African Institute of Chartered Accountants (SAICA), where she became Technical Director in 2000. Prior to that, in 1996, she was with Amalgamated Banks of South Africa (ABSA), responsible for the professional development of its internal audit function. Earlier in her career, she worked in the national technical and training office of PricewaterhouseCoopers.

In addition to her leadership role at PAFA, Alta serves as a Professor of Practice in the Department of Commercial Accounting at the University of Johannesburg, and she is a member of the Advisory Board of the School of Accountancy at the University of the Free State. Furthermore, she chairs the Governing Council of the South African Journal of Accounting Research.