Riaan matriculated at Beaufort West High School and obtained his B(Acc) degree at the University of Stellenbosch. He completed his audit articles in Stellenbosch at Wiehahn Meyernel (presently PricewaterhouseCoopers). During his learnership, he obtained the degrees B Compt and STR from UNISA. He passed his qualifying exam and qualified as a Chartered Accountant. Riaan is currently a Chartered Accountant (SA) and a Registered Auditor (SA), as well as a member of the South African Institute of Professional Accountants (SAIPA). He is married to Sunette and they have three sons.