David Jacobus Niemann was born in 1983 and raised in Bloemfontein. He matriculated from Sentraal High School Bloemfontein in the Free State Metropolitan in 2001 whereafter he enrolled at the University of the Free State to study accounting. David completed his Bachelor’s in accounting in 2004 and his Honours in 2005 at the University of the Free State along with his Chartered Tax Advisor (CTA) qualification.

After university David had to choose an accounting firm where he could complete his articles. Instead of following the traditional path of applying to the ‘big four’ firms for his articles, David chose a different direction. He strategically decided on Havenga Rossouw Viljoen (HRV) Consultation Services, an intermediate audit and accounting firm situated in Bloemfontein. Here David saw the opportunity to get a wide range of experience in all areas of auditing and accounting and find an area of interest wherein he could further his career. During his time as article clerk, David made the acquaintance of the Sernick Group as part of the auditing team that worked on the agricultural company’s account. He completed his SAICA articles in 2009 along with his board exams and was promoted to Auditing Manager at the firm.

David kept on working with Sernick as a client of HRV and over time a good working relationship transpired between himself and Carel Serfontein, the then director of the Sernick Group. It was during one of his audit visits that Carel offered David the position of Group Financial Manager at Sernick; David accepted and started his career at the Sernick Group in July of 2011. In 2013 he was promoted to the group’s Financial Director and three years later David was offered his current position as Managing Director at the Sernick Group’s Country Meat Abattoir Division.

During his first four years at Sernick, David worked in every division of the company; this includes the Feedlot, Phase C Testing Station, the Bonsmara Stud and the Feed Factory before moving to Kroonstad where the Abattoir is situated. Not only did this experience give him a good lay of the land but also a firm understanding of the important role each division plays in the company’s profile. David has implemented a shared service system that’s allowed the company to streamline and consolidate its smaller divisions, thereby creating cost sensitivity, more financial stability and allowing the company to grow. As MD of the Abattoir, he’s also responsible for developing new product lines and new research projects on modern slaughtering practices at the Abattoir to improve meat quality. David performs well under pressure and brings a balance to the company through his conservative business outlook that’s served him and Sernick well. He enjoys the fast-paced tempo in which Sernick operates and innovates and hopes to one day expand the Abattoir to compete with larger companies.

David believes that Sernick is a dynamic company that’s not afraid to innovate which in turn allows the company to be resilient in tough economic times. As Managing Director of the Country Meat Abattoir, he’s thankful for the impact the comparatively medium-sized agricultural company has had on its immediate and greater environment. Nevertheless David believes the company is not limited in its size and that the Sernick Group has even more potential that will be unearthed in the years to come as the company continues to grow and diversify.