About

A History Of Customer Supremacy

“I started working for Maureen Todd [founder of Graemor] as a receptionist while waiting for my matric results,” explains Yvonne. She had been head girl at Nigel High School and had matriculated at a time in the country’s history when provincial boundaries were being redrawn. The town of Nigel found itself on the dividing line between Gauteng and Mpumalanga provinces and the resulting confusion delayed her claiming a bursary for a degree in criminology.

But it was while working at Graemor that Reece realised figures made sense to her, and that problem-solving and dealing with people were her strengths. The clincher came when a customer urgently needed financial statements drawn up or they would lose their overdraft facility, and Yvonne was the only person in the office. She took it upon herself, put together required records and saved the customer’s overdraft.

“It was from there that I began to take over the business,” she recalls.

Two years later, barely out of her teens, Yvonne bought the business and moved it to the centre of Howick, from where it began to grow.

In 2006, Nolands, a Cape Town-based auditors firm approached Yvonne with an expansion proposition. They were attracted to her company’s drive, tenacity and customer service ethic. A deal was struck and the companies merged, becoming Nolands Graemor.

“It has been my vision to have branches everywhere,” says Yvonne, “and I saw an opportunity for this with Nolands.”

However, legislation enacted in 2009 that disallowed accounting and auditing from being carried out in the same company forced Nolands Graemor to split. The two companies still maintain a professional relationship and Nolands is now one of Graemor’s associates. Yvonne has welcomed the return of full control and the opportunity for Graemor’s company culture to hold sway “like in the early days of Graemor”, she says.

A hallmark of this culture is a desire to treat employees and clients as a part of a big “Graemor family”.

As with Yvonne’s own career path, internal talent is actively developed and staff members are groomed to grow with the company.

“Kevin Naidoo started as an article clerk with us and is now heading our Gauteng branch,” says Yvonne, “and Leanne de Bruin, who started as our receptionist, is now Graemor’s managing director.”

“Growth of staff, and clients, is important to us at Graemor.”