“Invigorating!” That is what CFO of the Year 2015 Deon Viljoen called his first few months as CFO of Discovery, where he started in May this year, following a tough but celebrated tenure as Alexander Forbes CFO. “It has been a lot of fun, it has been busy, it has certainly been no controlled arrival,” said Deon during a recent CFO Summit in Johannesburg.
Deon is passionate about the CFO role and has been a member of the panel of judges for the CFO Awards since 2016. He guided Alexander Forbes, the country's largest retirement fund administrator, through a delisting and a relisting in a period of just seven years.
Deon specifically noted the vast difference between the strategies of Alexander Forbes and Discovery. He said:
"Both companies have very valid strategies but they are very different. Alexander Forbes has focused on trimming down to its core, while Discovery is taking a core competency and expanding it to geographies and sector, building on its shared-value model."
One of the biggest tasks that Discovery has set itself is the launch of a bank under its financial services umbrella. Deon plays a crucial role in that. "It has been brilliant to work with [CEO] Adrian [Gore]. We have a phenomenal team," he said.
