CFO South Africa welcomes ACCA’s Pat Semenya to the 2021 CFO Awards judges panel.
The 2021 CFO Awards has yet another high-calibre industry professional on its judging panel in the form of ACCA South Africa head, Pat Semenya.
“I am honoured to be invited to join the panel of judges for the 2021 CFO Awards,” Pat says. “I hope my contribution will add value to this prestigious award process.”
She adds that she mostly looks forward to peer interactions amongst the nominees and champions in the sector. “It is through such platforms that commitment to the profession is re energised as we all learn about the work of other exemplary and aspiring CFOs.”
Asked what she is looking for in the outstanding nominees this year, Pat says:
“A good CFO is not just a ‘numbers guy’. A deep understanding of business and current affairs that impact on business today is imperative, coupled by a strong will to ensure that one is always doing the right thing by upholding the ethical and professional standards.”
She adds that, in the unpredictable times we live in, perspective on risk will be one of the traits she hopes to see, such as, “innovation and the willingness to try new things and take calculated risks to grow and or improve an organisation's financial position”.
Pat also believes that technology is central to how the world moves. “It would be good to learn from our nominees about how they optimised the use of technology, and its impact on their leadership and people skills.”
Pat has been with the organisation since 2015 and relishes her role, believing ACCA to be the world’s most forward-thinking professional accountancy body. “Accountancy is vital for economies to prosper, which is why we work all over the world to build the profession and ultimately make society fairer and more transparent.” She also serves on two boards as a non-executive director.
Pat majored in internal audit, accounting and information systems at the University of Johannesburg. She also holds an MBA from the Regenesys Business School. After completing her tertiary education, she was employed by KPMG as a trainee auditor. She progressed to finance roles and later cross-functional roles across several industries in the private and public sector.
