Sakshi Shukla

Sakshi, a naturalised citizen of Botswana, is an Associate Director who joined Grant Thornton in 2011. She reports directly to the Managing Partner and is involved in several firm wide projects that have assisted in the implementation of the global and firm strategy within Botswana, including implementation of strategic policies and processes pertaining to business development initiatives, marketing reach, and brand visibility.

Experience

Sakshi completed an internship with a Big 4 accounting firm where she worked in the Entrepreneurial and Advisory division. Her professional career, however, began with Grant Thornton where she gained experience of working as an Executive in Advisory, Assurance and Outsourcing teams. With her outlook towards marketing and public relations, the firm identified her as the appropriate resource to start and build the business development team to market the brand. 

Sakshi’s experience includes development of strategies, policies and processes for the team and firm as a whole in relation to branding and business development; development of annual team plans and budgets, and as a Team Leader contribute to firm-wide business plans; external relationships / networking; internal relationships - interpersonal and inter-departmental; team management (including recruitment, training, skill transfer, and performance management); conceptualizing operational work plans; managing projects; quality review and meeting deadlines; Grant Thornton International Limited (GTIL) liaison, including serving as Botswana’s International Liaison Director (ILD). 

On a firm wide basis, Sakshi is a part of the Managing Partner’s global strategy 2025 implementation team, responsible for development of internal communication and training. She makes recommendations for improving the firm’s competitive advantage and is involved in the local implementation of the network’s strategic initiatives. She also supports the sustainability goals of the firm, implementing solutions within the team to reduce the firm’s carbon footprint. She is the winner of Grant Thornton Botswana Experience Awards 2022 for “Sustainability Outlook”.

Sakshi collaborates with network member firms on cross-border international client pitches and is responsible for identification of best practices relating to MCBD that can be adopted locally. She has also collaborated with regional member firms to share best-practices followed in Botswana that have been recognised by the network (e.g., Botswana firm being the first in the network to implement WhatsApp for marketing).

Sakshi supports the growth objectives of all service line teams. This involves liaison with Team Leaders to understand their objectives, proposing and getting buy-in for various initiatives (proposals pitches, events, service profiling, people profiling, campaigns, etc.) to ensure optimum reach and win rates by utilising available resources or supporting identification of resources from within the network. Under her leadership, the MCBD team won the Grant Thornton Botswana Experience Awards 2022 for “Collaboration”.

Sakshi’s operational work areas include external marketing, advertising, promotions and branding, proposal templates-resources-pitches, identifying and responding to business development opportunities through various sources, external and internal presentations, corporate communications, client satisfaction research, client and corporate events, client data base management, client gain and loss tracking, internal marketing, national website management, CSR, implementing GTIL tools and disseminating GTIL information. 

Professional qualifications and memberships

Sakshi holds a Bachelor of Accountancy (BAcc) degree and Post Graduate Diploma in Business Education (PGDE) from the University of Botswana. She also holds a Diploma in Digital Marketing, and a Diploma in Social Media Marketing.  

Sakshi is a Fellow Certified Chartered Accountant (FCCA) of the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA) and Fellow Certified Professional Accountant (FCPA) of the Botswana Institute of Chartered Accountants (BICA). She has also attained a Masters in Business Administration (MBA) from the University of Derby. 

Sakshi has achieved the ‘Distinguished Toastmaster (DTM)’ award, the highest level of educational achievement in Toastmasters International.

Sakshi has completed the Emerging Leader Programme (ELP) 2017 offered by Grant Thornton International Limited and is currently enrolled for the Advanced Leader Programme (ALP) 2023/24. 

Technological proficiency

Sakshi has experience of operating various software, tools and developing templates for effective communication and to manage client relationships and digital marketing channels, such as EPiServer CMS, Greatsoft, and other applications for data analytics and social media management. She is also proficient in using Microsoft Office applications to analyse and present data and develop templates in compliance with brand guidelines.

Community involvement

Sakshi has served on the firm’s CSR Day committee for several years and is in charge of co-ordinating CSR activities of the firm. She participates in Grant Thornton’s CSR initiatives such as recently supporting Government’s Digital Transformation Strategy within the education sector by sponsoring a state-of-the art imported tech panel – a first for public schools in Botswana. Over the years, Grant Thornton has supported various local communities paying special attention to the upliftment of education in Botswana.

In her personal capacity, Sakshi is an active member of volunteer-initiated cultural/entertainment organizations and trusts such which support numerous charitable causes across the country such as President’s Housing Appeal, Lion’s International, Rotary International, Cheshire Foundation, Holy Cross Hospice and similar national and international organisations.

Presentations and publications

As part of her qualifications, Sakshi has conducted research studies and published reports on various topics, namely ‘Talent Management and Retention’ (MBA, 2016), ‘Investigating the Effect of Introducing Simulation in Business Classrooms’ (PGDE, 2009), ‘Customer Adaptability of Internet Banking in context to Botswana’ (BAcc, 2008).

She has contributed to Grant Thornton’s publications as a writer, and is editor of all thought leadership, and brochures released by the firm. Sakshi is a public speaker and has been the emcee / co-emcee of large-scale conferences / shows organized by Grant Thornton, Toastmasters Botswana, and various social and cultural organisations.

Sakshi is the team leader in charge of execution of the Private Business Growth Awards (PBGA) presented by Grant Thornton in association with Business Botswana and Botswana Investment and Trade Centre (BITC), since 2015. This award is unique to Botswana and the Grant Thornton network in Africa and is part of “Global Expo Botswana”. It encourages and honours the development of growing private businesses in the country and led to a partnership with USAID Trade Hub to present the “Botswana Exporter of the Year” awards. Sakshi leads the project, including award administration, promotional campaigns, public relations and event management. The quality and level of participation has increased by 625% since inception in terms of number of participants and increased by 400% since inception in terms of reach within the country.

Sakshi served as a member of the Finance and Administrative Committee of BICA in 2017/18. She also served on BICA’s 10th biennial international conference committee in 2017/18.

Sakshi served as one of the two Director of Toastmasters in Botswana in 2019/20, a non-profit educational organisation that facilitates development of communication and leadership skills. She served as President in 2018/19, Vice President Education in 2017/18, Vice President Membership in 2016/17 and Vice President Public Relations in 2014/15/16. Sakshi is a charter member of the firm’s corporate Toastmasters club, and co-sponsored the establishment of Corporate Toastmasters clubs in Stanbic Bank and Mazars.

Languages spoken

English, Hindi.