Karabo Mabusela

Operational Risk Administrator | Finance Governance | Strategic Risk Insights | Building Toward Risk Leadership

Johannesburg Metropolitan Area

About

A diligent and detail-oriented risk professional with a strong foundation in enterprise risk management, financial governance, and stakeholder reporting. I specialize in simplifying complexity, identifying control gaps, and delivering insights that drive strategic decisions. I’m a certified Operational Risk Manager (ORM, 2024) currently working in a fast-paced Finance COO environment, I bring a collaborative mindset, structured thinking, and strong ownership to my work. My experience spans assurance coordination, risk assessment, issue tracking, remediation monitoring, and executive reporting — all contributing to a resilient control environment. With a growing strategic lens and a passion for risk-informed decision-making, I’m steadily building toward leadership in risk and finance. I am especially driven by a people-centered approach to risk and believe in proactive engagement and clear communication as tools for long-term impact.

Experience

  • Absa Group (South Africa · Hybrid)
    • Risk Administrator
      Feb 2023 - Present · 3 yrs 5 mos

      As an Operational Risk Administrator, I support enterprise-wide financial risk management by strengthening the Finance control environment and enhancing strategic risk insights. My role involves: • Leading full-cycle risk assessments and identifying control gaps across finance operations. • Coordinating combined assurance efforts to enable successful audit outcomes and reduce overdue actions. • Developing real-time executive dashboards and risk reports to support data-driven decision-making. • Validating CPA assessments and aligning risk processes to Operational Risk Management (ORM) standards. • Driving proactive risk behavior through stakeholder engagement and regular risk awareness campaigns. • Maintaining risk policies and managing dispensations to ensure policy adherence and timely remediation. I take ownership of complex deliverables and communicate clearly across teams, building the foundation for a future leadership role in risk and finance.

    • Finance COO Learner
      Feb 2021 - Jan 2023 · 2 yrs

      In this foundational role, I supported operational risk functions across the Finance COO with hands-on exposure to policy compliance, reporting, and data governance. Key responsibilities included: • Maintaining registers for dispensations, breaches, and waivers to ensure policy compliance. • Capturing and updating data in the Operational Risk Management system to support visibility and tracking. • Assisting with audit preparation, compliance training reporting, and documentation reviews. • Creating and distributing internal communication materials to raise risk awareness. • Supporting annual data privacy documentation reviews and ensuring timely policy updates. This role developed my technical capabilities, attention to detail, and understanding of risk frameworks within a major financial institution — forming the basis for my current progression in risk administration.

  • Academic Tutor at North-West University / Noordwes-Universiteit
    Feb 2019 - Oct 2019 · 9 mos

  • Student facilitator at North-West University / Noordwes-Universiteit
    Feb 2018 - Oct 2018 · 9 mos

  • Sales Assistant at FOOTWEAR TRADING
    Nov 2016 - Jan 2017 · 3 mos