SA CANEGROWERS HONOURS ITS FINANCE AND ADMINISTRATION EXECUTIVE OLIVIA FINNEMORE
Colleen Dardagan
“We were together at the local club getting ready to watch the rugby on Saturday when the news about Olivia and her family filtered through. Many of us knew them so the news of the death of Olivia, Gareth and Garth and the condition of Harry were a real gut punch…”
Pastor Udo Lütge – Time of Reflection – Olivia Finnemore
Finance and Administration Executive at SA Canegrowers Olivia Finnemore is remembered as a friend and a leader whose family were paramount in her life.
SA Canegrowers’ Finance and Administration Executive Olivia Finnemore (44) was a mother whose family was at the centre of her existence while at the same time, according to those who knew and loved her, she was a diligent, careful and dedicated professional with high integrity who pursued top class standards.
Olivia died on Saturday afternoon, August 31, together with her husband, Gareth (44) and their eldest son, Garth (13), in a head-on collision on the R622 between Greytown and Mooi River in KwaZulu-Natal.
Olivia’s youngest son, Harry (12), the only survivor of the accident, remains in a Hilton hospital where his condition was described by doctors – at the time, of writing – as stable.
The family was returning from a school sports event at Wembley College in Greytown when the accident occurred.
Garth was a Grade 8 student at Michaelhouse and Harry is in Grade 6 at DPHS in Durban.
Garth would have celebrated his 14th birthday in a matter of weeks.
In a letter informing South Africa’s sugarcane growers about the accident, SA Canegrowers’ CEO, Dr Thomas Funke, described Olivia as a colleague, a friend and a leader who was an enormous asset to the country’s cane-growing sector.
“Olivia and Gareth were the most selfless people that I ever encountered. They always put others’ needs ahead of their own. At work, Olivia prioritised the needs of the growers and always made sure the reputation of the organisation remained at the highest level. She never accepted failure to perform as an option,” he said.
SA Canegrowers held two prayer meetings in the week following the accident, one for the organisation’s staff, and the second for growers and the extended sugar industry.
At these meetings Olivia was fondly remembered as a friend, a leader and a reassuring presence in the organisation who demanded very high standards from her team but was also always ready to listen, teach and encourage.
Throughout her academic and professional career Olivia excelled. She was head girl at St Catherine’s School in Empangeni, Dux when she matriculated in 1998 and was awarded the Monika Fahn trophy for the student who embodied the values espoused by the school.
She then enrolled at the University of KwaZulu-Natal’s Pietermaritzburg campus where she completed a BCom Accounting Honours (1999-2001). During her university years Olivia was awarded a Dean’s Commendation for outstanding academic performance.
In 2003 and 2004 Olivia completed the Part 1 and Part II Qualifying Exam for the South African Institute of Chartered Accountants (SAICA). Where she was placed 1st for Part I exam and achieved 1st place in KwaZulu-Natal.
In her professional career Olivia started out as a Senior Auditor at Deloitte South Africa in 2003 before moving to London in 2006. She worked for Credit Suisse from 2006 to 2009 as an Internal Auditor before returning home to work at SA Canegrowers as Director: Economic Services.
In 2013, Olivia chose to spend time with her family and left SA Canegrowers, only to return in February 2015, when she was appointed Finance and Administration Executive, a position she held to date.
The SA Canegrowers’ staff and growers continue to hold the Finnemore and Essery families in prayer while extending their condolences to them all in this time of extreme grief and pain.