"CFOs tend to think of the Deloitte business as providing audit, assurance and tax services, but we also have a strong human capital consulting business and a risk advisory business with a strong capacity around cyber, general risk management and forensics," says Kevin Black, Executive Partner for Clients & Industries at Deloitte South Africa, a platinum partner at the Finance Indaba Africa 2016 on 13 and 14 October 2016 at the Sandton Convention Centre in Johannesburg.
Deloitte has more than 220 000 professionals at member firms delivering services in audit, consulting, financial advisory, risk management, tax, and related services in more than 150 countries and territories. Revenues for fiscal year 2015 were $35.2 billion. CFO South Africa MD Graham Fehrsen calls Deloitte a "global powerhouse" and says that he is "proud to see the company join the Finance Indaba and share know-how and networks".
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In the coming weeks and months, we will be chatting to all the Indaba partners, asking them why they are joining the event and what their most important message for finance professionals is.
Do you want to hear more about Deloitte's full suite of services? Do you want to be informed about the latest and greatest in finance? Then don't miss the Finance Indaba Africa 2016.
Why will you be present at the Finance Indaba?
"The Finance Indaba is a fantastic event. It is great to see that CFO SA is finally doing something like this. We think that there is a massive need for finance professionals in the country to come together to meet their peers and see what providers are out there in terms of helping them with their decision-making. We think it is a fantastic platform and networking opportunity and we are looking forward to being involved in the Finance Indaba."
What will you be talking about?
"CFOs are a big target market for us. We're going to be having digital and innovation specialists speak on one or two of the panels. Innovation and mapping out a digital roadmap are so important. Our digital teams help organisations understand and embrace all these emerging disruptive digital technologies.to ensure that they continue to be competitive and relevant. We've got speakers talking about disruption and your business's digital journey and will also feature Ajit Kambil, who runs our global CFO programme.
"CFOs are being called upon to fill expanded leadership roles these days. Boards and CEOs want CFOs to do more and be their strategic partners. CFOs are having to oversee critical operations like IT and human resources in their finance organisations and given these demanding expanded roles, there is a significant amount of pressure on them. We have created a CFO transition lab, which helps newly appointed CFOs, including those with prior experience, to make an efficient transition into the role. In the lab, we talk to CFOs about transitional experiences, dealing with legacies, prioritising, coming to grips with confidences issues and talent in their teams, relationship-building and formulating a 180-day plan for the role. We've done 40-50 of these labs in South Africa over the last year to great acclaim.
"We will also be talking about how to use time properly and be less operational and more strategic in your outlook as a CFO. We will be showcasing the full suite of Deloitte services. CFOs tend to think of the Deloitte business as providing audit, assurance and tax services, but we also have a strong human capital consulting business and a risk advisory business with a strong capacity around cyber, general risk management and forensics, as well as a significant outsourcing business. Currently CFOs are looking at optimizing operations and cost-saving opportunities, for which we have a full suite of services."
What are the challenges you can help finance professionals with in 2016?
"Operationalising innovation in businesses. helping organisations with their digital roadmaps and our CFO programme are the areas of focus."
You've been with Deloitte for 24 years. Can you tell us about some of the changes within the organisation over the years?
"Deloitte has been best known as a traditional tax, audit and assurance business, but more than half of our business is now in advisory services. We were voted the largest full-suite consulting organisation in the world. It's been the growth of the advisory business within our organisation to be just as big in revenue terms as our audit and assurance business. The other change that has been significant is transformation. We are now 31% black-owned in terms of partners in Southern Africa, with a workforce that is about 50% black. We've achieved significant success in this regard. We are also now an integrated African business in 15 countries in the East, West, Central and Southern regions of the continent. A truly pan-African firm with significant operations across the continent, we function as a single business, instead of a federation of country-based divisions."
Deloitte has achieved record-breaking growth over the past five years. What has been key to this success?
"Clients are at the centre of our organisation. Our purpose is to make an impact that matters. The only way you can achieve this is if you are distinctive and the undisputed leader. You have to have a very a deep client-centric approach. Our aspiration to be the undisputed leader has been fundamental to our success.
What qualities does Deloitte look for when hiring finance professionals?
"We are a highly regarded employer and have a very distinctive internal culture, which is conducive to success and which the leadership is constantly nurturing. We look for intelligent people who are passionate, motivated and who want to be the best. They should be looking to ask questions and have a hunger to work with us."
