Flourence Matimati, national credit manager at Veolia Environmental Services, was honoured as the 2024 Credit Professional of the Year by the Australian Institute of Credit Management (AICM), a recognition supported by Illion.
Cathy Gosling, Illion’s commercial director, highlighted their ongoing support for credit professionals, noting that the award acknowledges both experienced leaders and emerging talent in the field.
Matimati joined Veolia during a period of system integration, working on a complex data migration to SAP S/4HANA.
“The challenge for me was looking at the data, making sure that we have clean data for the migration,” she said.
The task involved restructuring and reformatting data to ensure a smooth transition, especially when older systems had inconsistent formats, complicating customer payments.
Matimati believes her recognition stems from her “dynamic leadership skills” and her focus on fostering a supportive team environment. She shared her commitment to promoting psychological safety.
“You need to be able to have team members feel safe... to openly admit if somebody has made a mistake and learn from mistakes,” Matimati said.
She recounted a story of a team member who was initially reluctant to speak up but ultimately grew to lead projects under her mentorship.
Winning the award has had ripple effects within her organisation. Matimati explained that, “when I won… it changes their mind, and now there’s a promotion on doing membership for the team members.”
Her win has spurred Veolia to support professional memberships for her team, fostering an environment of continuous learning.
Matimati views this award as “just the beginning,” emphasising her commitment to leveraging this platform for positive impact within her organisation.
She sees the award as a step towards further growth, supported by AICM’s educational opportunities, which she believes will bring valuable benefits to her business.
Watch the full interview here:
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