Trellidor has announced the appointment of Jennifer Erasmus as its chief financial officer and executive director, effective 1 July.
Jennifer Erasmus has spent the last six months working alongside the people whose processes she will soon oversee. She joined Trellidor in a finance executive capacity in 2025 as part of a planned leadership transition, deliberately embedding herself in the manufacturing business’s day-to-day operations before stepping into the CFO role.
“That transition period has been invaluable,” she says. “It allowed me to get involved in the operations and understand how the business functions. Now I can move towards a more strategic, value-driven focus – but with the operational insight to make it credible.”
Her immediate priority is spending time with every head of department to understand their challenges and objectives, ensuring financial strategy is grounded in operational reality.
“Operating in South Africa adds complexity – the market wants consistency, but our environment is anything but predictable,” Jennifer notes. “Managing that narrative with credibility requires staying close to the people and the data.”
Jennifer succeeds Damian Judge, who steps into the chief executive officer role following the retirement of long-serving CEO Terry Dennison at the end of June.
A qualified chartered accountant and former Mazars audit partner, Jennifer brings deep technical expertise and a conviction that strong relationships and open communication enable swift, informed responses to the unknown.
“Everyone operates differently, and it’s important to understand what motivates each individual,” she says. “What brings out the best performance in one person may not work for another.”
Her first move as CFO will be to understand the daily processes of each member of her finance team, then look for opportunities to introduce efficiencies around reporting and controls. The goal: shorter reporting timelines, improved data quality, and quicker, well-informed decision making across the business.
For Jennifer, the mandate is clear: build high-performing teams by creating environments where people feel both supported and appropriately challenged – then let the numbers follow.
