Speaking at the recent CIO Day in Johannesburg, iOCO Technology Group CFO Ashona Kooblall said organisations must strengthen the strategic partnership between CFOs and CIOs to turn disruption into measurable business value, while managing risk and maintaining flexibility.
The relationship between CFOs and CIOs is becoming increasingly important as organisations accelerate digital transformation and seek competitive advantage through technology, according to Ashona Kooblall.
Speaking during a panel discussion titled How agile leaders turn disruption into competitive advantage at the event, Ashona said finance leaders are now far more technologically aware and focused on driving efficiencies through innovation.
She explained that many organisations were actively pursuing disruption strategies through digitisation, artificial intelligence and technology-led efficiencies. According to her, this has created a stronger need for collaboration between finance and technology leaders.
“The CFO and CIO partnership is super important. Taking the conversation forward around value creation is going to be key to your profile moving forward,” she said.
Ashona encouraged CIOs to move beyond highly technical discussions and engage more directly with business priorities and measurable outcomes. She said technology leaders should position their initiatives in terms of tangible value creation for the organisation.
“Getting closer to your board members and the C-suite, talking about what your key priorities are over the next year and how you actually move away from the technical discussion into a more business case discussion around how you transform your priorities into tangible and measurable outcomes for your organisation,” she said.
Ashona added that while artificial intelligence was expected to significantly disrupt organisations and improve efficiencies, leaders also needed to carefully manage risk.
Navigating cybersecurity threats
She said CFOs remained focused on protecting organisations while simultaneously delivering shareholder value. Cybersecurity threats, regulatory changes and operational disruptions all required businesses to maintain strong governance and adaptability.
“So, I stand firmly on the fact that the relationship between CIOs and CFOs out there has to be super strategic, well-focused and in the game of value creation for your company,” she said.
She also highlighted the importance of understanding different audiences when presenting technology investment cases to boards and committees, advising CIOs to explain not only the opportunities created by disruption, but also why flexibility was necessary when managing budgets and long-term investment plans.
According to Ashona, organisations often approve substantial technology budgets with the expectation of achieving greater efficiencies, improved customer experiences and stronger profitability. However, unexpected events such as regulatory changes, system failures or cyber threats can quickly alter priorities.
She also added that leaders should build flexibility into their business cases and operational planning so that organisations can respond quickly during periods of uncertainty or crisis without repeatedly seeking additional approvals. She then continued to explain that leaders should continuously evaluate progress, identify where pivots may be necessary and maintain open discussions with CFOs to rebalance priorities when required.
“Actually, you need to come over every week and just look if you are tracking against your priorities and see where your starting point is and if there is anything you need to change and importantly have a discussion with your CFO to rebalance, re-pivot, if you require,” she said.
