Finance in the family (Part 1): Growing together from article clerks to CFOs

Caylynne Fourie 01 September 2020

CFOs Jaco and Elmarie Martiz found love in the general office for article clerks at KPMG.

These CFOs have ignored the theory that "opposites attract" in choosing their life partners and have opted for like-minded individuals who have made their own way in the field of finance. Together, these couples have grown as leaders, at home and in business.

Jaco Maritz is the group COO and CFO of global software company Syspro and is responsible for executing the company’s strategy through its regional structure. Elmarie Maritz is the group CFO of platinum group metals mining company Sedibelo Platinum Mines and focuses on managing the international group structure while executing on the development strategy for the company’s undeveloped assets.

Jaco and Elmarie met while completing their articles at KPMG. “He was the guy with the shy smile and beautiful blue eyes on the other side of the general office for article clerks,” Elmarie adds.

They both agreed that because they understood each other’s worlds, they could support each other through their studies and career changes.

Jaco explains that there are definitely advantages in understanding common challenges, especially when it comes to work pressure, but because they are in different industries and roles, they end up learning a lot from each other. “We both deal with business problems predominately and being in different industries means our conversations are more about business.”

Elmarie admits that it’s great to be able to use Jaco as a sounding board whenever issues are clouded or when she doubts her own judgement.

Jaco and Elmarie have two daughters, Katelyn (14) and Alex (12), that keep them busy outside of work, and while Jaco doubts that they will follow in their parents’ financial footsteps, Elmarie believes that the one daughter might still surprise them.

As a family, they enjoy spending time outdoors when they’re not working, whether it’s camping or mountain biking. “We were planning to be in Botswana if it wasn’t for the Covid-19 lockdown,” Jaco says.

With both Jaco and Elmarie working from home during Covid-19, Jaco ensures that he keeps a disciplined routine, making sure that he schedules the required personal and family time.

Elmarie enjoys jogging in the morning before she starts her day at work. “The fresh air helps me to focus and gives me the energy I need for the day ahead.” She also enjoys evenings with her family and reading a few pages from a good book to help her unwind after a busy day.

Caylynne Fourie

Caylynne Fourie is the managing editor at CFO South Africa. She has been delivering excellent content to the CFO community in a full-time capacity since March 2019, and as a freelancer for a year before that. She enjoys engaging with finance professionals and telling their stories through the variety of media in the CFO South Africa stables, including the CFO.co.za website, CFO Magazine, webinars, podcasts and other virtual events.