About Us

John Alexander

 

Originally from the Waikato, I qualified as a Chartered Accountant with Ernst & Young, Hamilton, back in 1986. After spending two years auditing with Ernst & Young in England, I moved to Auckland in 1990 where I have worked on business services, audit and taxation for a couple of medium sized chartered accountancy practices.

 

I formed JSA Audit back in 2006 and the audit practise is now based in Parnell and run by Mark Bezuidenhout and Paul Leighton. They continue to grow and develop the audit and review engagement practise. Our aim is to develop a long term and professional working relationship with our clients.

 

I am an active tennis player but have also found the less demanding activities such as golf, fishing, sports watching and visiting NZ Wineries to be particularly enjoyable.

 

Mark Bezuidenhout

 

I Initially qualified as a Chartered Accountant in South Africa through KPMG -Johannesburg Office. I spent a number of years in various Corporate Internal Audit Departments and also ran my own accounting and taxation practice for 2 years prior to emigration to New Zealand in 2004.

 

I joined JSA in April 2006 and have been involved as a CAANZ qualified auditor in all aspects of the audit and review process in both the for-profit and not-for-profit sectors.

 

My passion is with auditing and review work as it allows me the opportunity to interact with various levels of staff in the organization and to provide realistic recommendations to help improve their internal control environments.

 

When not at work I do enjoy spending time with the family, socializing and sharing a bottle of wine with friends around the BBQ. I also enjoy the occasional game of golf.

 

Paul Leighton

 

Originally from London I began my work in the in the construction Industry. I worked as a tradesman for close to 10 years, before I had an Epiphany (or an early midlife crisis), and decided the world of commerce was where and what I wanted to be involved in.

 

I studied at Auckland’s Unitec and gained a Bachelor in Business Studies degree and went on to become a Chartered Accountant.

 

I’ve been involved in audit and accounting for over 20 years and have been involved with some of New Zealand’s biggest privately owned companies. Predominately I work in the audit arena, but also offer structural advice, conflict resolution and mediation services, an area which I’m particularly
interested in.

 

Erika Lagto

 

I gained my bachelor’s degree in accountancy from University of Santo Tomas (Philippines) andGraduate Diploma in Professional Accountancy from Unitec Institute of Technology (NZ).

 

After completing Bachelors Degree in the Philippines back in 2008, I immediately took the CPA Exam and gained admission becoming a licensed CPA.

 

I began my career as an External Auditor with Grant Thornton Philippines, where I worked with large clients in various industries (Oil, Manufacturing, Retail and Real Estate).

 

After staying for two years in auditing, I wanted a challenge and moved into the world ofcommerce. Managing a team, I set up the company’s accounting system, internal controls andprocedures on the work done, reporting directly to the President of the company.

 

In 2015, I decided to pursue studying again and became a provisional member of CAANZ with hopes to become a fully qualified CA. I joined JSA in 2016 as I wanted to return to the world of auditing. I enjoy the “work-life balance”, approachable and great people to work with. In June 2019 I was admitted as a Chartered Accountant with CAANZ.

 

My attitude to clients is they pay the bills and must come first . I get a kick out of helping make audit procedures as easy as possible and hopefully give some helpful recommendations to help clients.

 

I am passionate about learning new things, languages and travelling into different places. When not at work, I usually spend time with family and friends, socializing and watching movies.

 

Luani Panceras

 

I joined the JSA Audit Team in March 2016.

 

I gained my Accountancy degree in the Philippines in 2008 and was admitted as a CPA(Philippines) in 2009.

 

When I graduated, I gained employment in an Accounting role for two years before switchingto an Internal Audit role in the banking industry for 4 years, rising to a Senior Manager’s role.

 

Since arriving in New Zealand in 2014, I have worked as an accountant in a small CA Firm for one year, before joining JSA in 2016.

 

The culture at JSA is one which I identify with easily, that is, giving the very best service i can. As an auditor, I will always go the extra mile to make sure clients’ needs are attended to appropriately.

 

When not at work, I spend time with family and friends. I enjoy shopping, travelling, and watching horror movies.

 

JJ van Schalkwyk

 

Originally from the Cape, South Africa, I arrived in New Zealand during Auckland’s big electric outage.  After travelling from Cape Reinga to Wellington, I decided to stay, completed the NZ Chartered Accountant professional requirements towards the end of 2002 and became a full CA in
2003.

 

My first introduction to JSA was as an audit contractor at the end of 2014.  My CA journey began in South Africa as a trainee accountant with Ernst & Young in the Cape. I spent a number of years as an audit contractor with audit practices in Johannesburg that specialised in audits of manufacturers.
My Zen is my family, animals, growing things and swimming.