Former Soccer Institute player Dalton Appolis is making his mark as financial analyst at the South African Reserve Bank (SARB).

His career at the SARB began in 2011 when he joined the cadet graduate programme.

“I applied when they came to give a presentation to all BCom final-year and honours students at the Mafikeng Campus,” says Dalton.

When he was shortlisted for the interview process, he was not surprised: for both his undergraduate and honours BCom degrees in economics, he had graduated cum laude.

Joining the money game

“Once I passed the interview phase, my journey at the bank began. We were required to do an advanced diploma in central banking and also gain workplace experience in one of the departments. I chose to work in the Exchange Control Department, now known as the Financial Surveillance Department.”

“At the end of the programme, one had to pass the advanced diploma with a mark above 75 percent and also do well in the chosen department to be considered for permanent employment. I managed to achieve this and started permanently at the SARB in 2012,” says Dalton.

Scoring several goals

His work achievements include being promoted the following year, in 2013, and being chosen out of around 170 employees for the 2015 Head of Department award.

In 2017, he was involved in the inward listing review project that the Minister of Finance announced during the February 2017 Budget Speech. He explains that inward listing is the listing of equity, debt and derivative instruments that are issued by non-residents and certain categories of South African issuers.

The task team comprised representatives from the SARB and National Treasury.

Seconded to Switzerland

From December 2018 to 1 January 2020, Dalton was seconded to Switzerland, where he worked on a project for the Committee of Payments and Market Infrastructures of the Bank for International Settlements.

“During my year of secondment, I was involved in many papers that were presented to the committee, including papers on climate change and wholesale payment fraud.”

Working in central banking was not his original career ambition. Dalton came to the NWU as a soccer player at the Soccer Institute but could not find a team to play for professionally.

“It was never my intention or dream to work, as my passion has always been to play soccer. I am however very happy that I took my studies seriously during my time at the Soccer Institute. Not everyone can play professionally and my education definitely helped open other doors of opportunity for me.”