Soon this section will feature various Q&A’s with leading CFOs and Managing Directors of South African Industry. In the mean time, let us take the opportunity to introduce one of our editors by means of a similar Q&A, allowing her to introduce both herself and this brand new website.
Who are you and where are you from?
My name is Inge Abraham, a political scientist, who is originally from Amsterdam, the Netherlands.
How did you end up in South Africa and what do you do?
After having worked as a financial journalist for a few years, I moved to Cape Town late 2009 to work for an online city magazine on Cape Town. The transfer from financial journalism to travel journalism was made just as easily as it was to return to it. Currently I work as an editor for CFO.co.za and as a journalist on South African economy for some Dutch financial publications. I am a political scientist by nature, but was pulled into the world of financial journalism when I was working in China from 2006 to 2007. I was baffled by how rapidly and intensively the Chinese economy around me developed within only a year. I find that same energy of development and changes around me in South Africa today.
What is the idea behind www.cfo.co.za?
CFO.co.za aims to increase the knowledge of CFOs in South Africa and by doing so, helping the country to develop further. The site will enable financial executives to exchange knowledge, share business opportunities, as well as to find jobs and personnel. It moreover will serve primarily as an online community and platform for networking than as 'just a website'. Additionally, it will offer a great variety in interviews, columns and guest articles on the financial and economic field of South Africa, to keep everybody in the industry in the loop and up-to-date.
Which people will be interested to follow CFO.co.za?
CFO.co.za will be an interesting site to bookmark for all finance professional working in South Africa that are interested in getting in touch with other South African finance professionals, who are keen to share knowledge, exchange business interests and open up business opportunities. Actually, it's for all of you who want to stay connected, up-to-date and in the loop on what's happening in South African industry.
Which finance professionals will readers come across on CFO.co.za?
In the next months we will be interviewing all leading CFOs and captains of industry in South Africa, both South African companies by nature and foreign companies with South African branches. Most companies are large multinationals listed on the JSE, although we eye for smaller to medium sized companies as well.
What do we want to know about these CFOs?
We are very interested in finding out how the business career of these professionals developed, how they experience being a captain of industry, what they consider musthaves for anyone in their position, what it is they find challenging in their daily business, their personal role models... and more. We want a quick peek into their lives and learn from them at the same time.
Is it possible for readers to get in touch with these 'established' finance professionals?
Absolutely! That's part of the core mission of CFO.co.za - to narrow the gap between all finance professionals out there.
What more can I find on the site?
The site will feature interesting upcoming events, guest articles and overviews of South Africa's top performers in the industry. And for more information, be sure to follow us on Twitter.
What can we expect from CFO.co.za in the near future?
We currently are looking for interesting guest bloggers for regular editorial contributions. And we hope to publish the first interviews with CFOs and Managing Directors within the next month!
How much does it cost for me to sign up for CFO.co.za or to post an ad or blog?
Nothing at all! Again, CFO.co.za serves as an open online community, all you have to do is sign up, and after that, the stage is yours! So go to www.cfo.co.za now and sign up!
