The leading provider of digital technologies and IT services is throwing its weight behind the CFO Awards. MakwaIT Technologies will be sponsoring the Young CFO of the Year Award at this year’s CFO Awards.
Speaking about the significance of this award, COO of MakwaIT Sharon Maasdorp said: “We are an emerging business that is youth-founded, so we appreciate the value youth can bring to any industry, whilst looking up to older and experienced folk.”
Since entering the country’s technology industry in 2012, MakwaIT has been on a mission to empower businesses and organisations through digital transformation. The company has grown to become one of the fastest growing technology system integrator companies in South Africa, by enlisting the skills of young people as part of its growth strategy.
“With more exposure to tech, younger individuals have a different insight into tech’s uses and possibilities, and they can impart this into their work environments through challenging the status quo,” shared the company’s CFO, Ahmed Moola.
Since joining the company in June this year, Ahmed has seen to it that through his role as a CFO, the benefits of tech are enjoyed by the entire team and organisation through multi-skilling and knowledge-sharing.
Furthermore, to ensure a steady supply of various talent offerings, Ahmed outlined the tactics that businesses may use to empower and nurture the upcoming generation of finance professionals.
“One should be intentional in an approach to encourage diversity. Look for people of different backgrounds, skills, experiences, and ensure HR are consulted in this process.
“Do not be shy to engage other stakeholders in the organisation to ensure that finance staff obtain a well-rounded education within the business,” Ahmed also mentioned.
According to Ahmend, the CFO should ensure that all team members are adequately trained, and understand all roles of finance within the business.
With more than 15 years of experience in both finance and IT, Ahmed is a great benefit to the company's efforts to integrate IT and address related financial issues.
He advised how CFOs can make better use of digital technologies within their multi-generational finance teams.
“The most basic technology can simplify the operational landscape, using digitisation, automation principles and automating standard reporting. These are bedrocks that one should always have an eye on, and the teams should constantly assess their current processes to look for improvements,” he said.
Ahmed also emphasised the importance of constant learning and updating with the trends, to keep up with advancing technologies.
“One needs to ensure that one stays abreast of tech changes and then adequately use the capacity created to become value-adding partners,” he advised.
Engage with ERP suppliers on a constant basis, Ahmed said, in order to understand technology improvements that have been successful with their customers.
Evolution is constant amongst the tech providers, he noted, and as AI is advancing, the ability to do analysis is constantly improving.
Ahmed concluded by expressing his commitment to the developments made through AI, adding that these technologies enable finance teams to improve their business insights and free up more time to research other aspects that need to be tackled within the business.
The 2024 CFO Awards are taking place on 13 November at the Inanda Club in Sandton.
