About us

After obtaining his BCom degree at the University of the Free State Arend completed his articles at PriceWaterhouseCoopers in 2000 during his articles his affinity for software was evident by becoming a Pastel Certified Professional tasking him with database management, networks, warehousing , POS etc.

His career took him to various provinces whilst employed in the finance department of Murray & Roberts . He was also a practicing Accountant for 8 years until he and his brother Casper explored the possibility of making SmartPractice a reality. With grit and determination this software package designed for in house use flourished into the well-rounded and comprehensive package it is today.

Due to his background in Accounting and his affinity for everything IT Arend has the special ability to translate the needs of the accountants in such a way as to allow our programmers to code and address the essence of the challenges faced by our clients, he is also not shy to get involved with the backend structure if operationally required. Arend has been the Executive Director in charge of operations since SmartPractice was made available to our fellow Accountants.

Being in charge of operations and the dialogue with developers Arend is often the person prospective clients meet when they are interested in hearing how the SmartPractice modules can assist them with their needs. He has a passion for business development, has expert knowledge of business enhancement tools and cloud accounting and encourages dialogue with practicing Accountants in order to identify frailties and opportunities for growth.

Casper has a Bachelor of Commerce Degree in Financial Accounting obtained from the University of the Free State in 1999. He has subsequently obtained extensive accounting experience in the private sector.

Casper is one of the co-founders of SmartPractice but is also currently an Accountant in practice with a varied client portfolio consisting of small unincorporated businesses through to large companies and groups. He focuses on financial reporting and tax compliance.

He brings an important dimension to the SmartPractice team and with his calm and systematic approach, contributes to the objective of the company to elevate the equity of fellow accountants by rendering expert in- house product support through knowledge and experience of the highest professional level in all facets of accounting, taxation and management services.

Casper has the meticulous and crucial responsibility towards product development and quality testing of proposed amendments within SmartPractice. He is responsible for various invaluable product components within our software.

Casper and Ettean also keep the software relevant by utilising it in their own practices, emphasising the fact that this is an all-in-one toolkit for Accountants, by Accountants.

Ettean started his journey at the University of Pretoria where he obtained a BCom in Accounting in 2006 he chose the road less travelled and moved to the Garden Route. After gaining valuable Audit experience and completing his articles at Ernst & Young he founded his accounting practice in 2010. An office in George was the first priority after which an office in Oudtshoorn followed in 2012 and Mossel Bay in 2016. Ettean migrated his practice onto SmartPractice during 2015.

During early 2016 he was presented with an opportunity by SmartPractice (Pty) Ltd to be more directly involved as a non-executive director, later as the need arose he contributed where operationally required.

He takes the time to fully understand practitioners needs and desires, with a view to setting out a plan to assist them to achieve their objectives through his practice experience, detailed technical knowledge of the accounting requirements and challenges faced by accountants day to day.

Hugo completed his BCOM in Business Psychology through the University of Port Elizabeth in 1998. After completing his studies, he moved abroad where he worked as a Senior Product Manager at a Financial Software house. After a few years doing that, he took to other ventures and bought a restaurant while overseas and was the owner as well as the chef for a few more years. While running the restaurant he also did part-time work as a developer for the Real Estate industry.

After completing his ventures abroad, Hugo moved back to South Africa and worked for a local company doing development and software support. Hugo has been Head of IT and Software Development for SmartPractice since the very beginning. He is the developing hands behind the software and without him and his skills, SmartPractice would not be what it is today.

With his knowledge of the financial sector and development, Hugo brings more than just hours of coding to the table. He provides SmartPractice with new ideas and ways of making the system work well for accountants. He has led the development team with the sense of developing new skills and experiences.

Hugo has a passion for development and together with the other directors ideas, is able to bring many concepts to life.