CFO South Africa Newsletter | Thursday 4 February Dear CFO South Africa Member, Read Exclusive CFO South Africa Articles Skilled local resources key in Africa, says Illovo CFO Mohammed Abd... CFO South Africa spoke to Mohammed during an exclusive interview after the CFO Awards 2015, for which he was nominated. Mohammed has been instrumental in driving the strategy to transform Illovo “from a traditional pure sugar business into a business that is fully integrated into downstream activities such as co-generation, ethanol and furfural production". He says refinancing a loan in Zambia was one of the toughest decisions he had to make, but it has led to significant savings despite volatile currency risk. Krishnan Raghunathan (WNS): great CFOs have entrepreneurial flair “A good CFO is an effective controller, but also has an entrepreneurial flair,” says Krishnan Raghunathan, global Chief Capability Officer at business process outsourcing giant, WNS. Krishnan is one of the speakers at CFO South Africa’s Get Smart in 2016 event on 23 February 2016, flying out of India especially for the occasion. In preparation for the event, we spoke to him about his interesting job title, his professional achievements, his take on the position of CFO, and the role finance leaders should play in Business Process Outsourcing (BPO), which incidentally is being accepted as Business Process Management (BPM) the world over. Judges 2016 CFO Awards swap notes during exclusive dinner The mood was warm and jovial during an exclusive dinner for the panel of judges of the 2016 CFO Awardsand winners of last year's awards, hosted by CFO South Africa at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Rosebank on 27 January 2016. The gathering allowed the judges to prepare for the judging process for this year's prestigious awards, but - most of all - gave them an opportunity to catch up and network. The dinner brought together the CFOs of the Year from 2014 and 2015, Simon Ridley (Standard Bank) and Deon Viljoen (Alexander Forbes), and a host of other business leaders. Read more exclusive articles on CFO.co.za - RMB's Africa Outlook 2016 – GDP growth in a slump - CFO Anoj Singh appointed Eskom treasurer - Lamelle research laboraties takes the next step with 4Most - CIMA updates the Certificate in Business Accounting - Sub-Saharan Africa seen as promising consumer market, says Agility ... - SA reports trade surplus of R8.2 billion - Ratings outlook for Africa 2016 RSVP CFO Event "Get Smart in 2016" Tuesday 23 February 16.00 - 20.00 - Summer Place - Sandton We invite you to join us for the CFO South Africa event Get Smart in 2016 - Move like a butterfly - sting like a bee. How can we improve the agility and resilience of your organisation in volatile and uncertain times? How do you create flexibility and ensure your scarce resources are allocated to the most critical tasks? Join us as we consider the options available to CFOs in creating agile, flexible and responsive finance functions and organisations. Finance functions that are 2016 and 2017 ready and are able to deliver superior value to the business. Program 16.00 Opening & Reception 16.30 Master Class - Move like a butterfly, sting like a bee Do you sometimes wish you could be as fast and flexible as a startup? Without losing the strength and stability of a well established corporate? Let’s investigate and discuss if and how we can make this possible! The answer should be somewhere in the way we align our People, Process and Technology. Some questions to consider: Is BPO the answer to flexibility? It might offer us the solutions to time, accuracy, transparency and business partnering challenges. What about the possibilities of new technologies like cloud solutions? Or is the answer in the way we manage people? Speakers: Specialists from KPMG, Oracle & WNS. Panel: Bikash Prasad, CFO Olam International, Belinda O'Neill, Executive Finance MTN & Sean Doherty, CFO IB Standard Bank. 16.30 Public Sector round table smart government Being able to provide an outstanding service and experience to citizens is an important task for governments around the world. Not only does it make for happy citizens but it also saves costs, time and improves the morale of civil servants. Restoring citizens' confidence in public institutions means demonstrating competence in providing better value for their hard-earned tax money. What can finance teams in government do to improve agility and customer focus? How can you allocate scarce resources to ensure critical tasks are assured but your organisation remains forward looking and customer centric. Facilitated by KPMG - with Edson Magondo, Director KPMG. 18.00 CFO Café Interact, learn, connect and discuss the challenges that you are facing with your peers over a drink at the CFO Café. Build your network and meet other top CFOs and financials. We offer you a great afternoon of peer to peer discussions and knowledge sharing. Register here now. Sponsors CFO South Africa Event: Continuous Professional Development Points Did you know all events of CFO South Africa are eligible for SAICA CPD points? By attending CFO South Africa's events and training courses you will stay compliant. Visit Finance Indaba Africa Visit the Finance Indaba 13 & 14 October at the Sandton Convention Centre and boost your profits by 100%. Finance Indaba Africa is the biggest annual expo and conference for finance professionals. It brings together peers technology suppliers, platforms, banks, tools, specialists, CFOs and thought leaders. Over 5,000 visitors tap into a wealth of resources, knowhow and inspiration. Gain unparalleled insights. Cut costs dramatically, send sales & productivity through the roof and boost your company's profits by 100 percent. RSVP NOW HERE. We are calling for speakers Are you enabling businesses to cut costs, boost sales, productivity and company profits? Don't miss out the chance to connect with new prospects, to brand your company and to become more successful. Share your ideas at the Finance Indaba and help the country grow. Please contact Graham Fehrsen at [email protected] or at +27 11 083 7515. Also read more about the call for speakers. Diamond Partners CFO Awards 2016 - Reserve your table now Buy a table for the CFO Awards and meet 300 of South Africa's leading CFOs. Demonstrate thought leadership, extend your network and develop business. You are seated with CFOs and finance directors from the top companies of South Africa. You are also more than welcome to join the CFO Conference preceding the CFO Awards dinner with your colleagues. Join us Thursday 12 May 2016 at the beautiful Summer Place. Don't wait too long, first come, first served. Become a partner or attend with your finance team and buy a table here. For more information check out CFOAwards.co.za. Join the ultimate peer to peer advisory network Various CFOs and finance directors from Eskom, Nedbank, Transnet, Alexander Forbes Standard Charered Bank, Hollard, Absa, Servest, Business Connexion and Super Group are members of CFO South Africa. Your peers understand best the issues you face and the challenges that impact your business. Together you will share your experiences at CFO South Africa’s events and help you advance in your career, company and knowledge. Get introduced to experienced colleagues that are happy to share their knowledge with you. Peer-to-peer consulting is by far the best and most cost effective way to help you solve problems. Are you interested? Please see our membership page for more information here. Upcoming CFO South Africa Events Join the CFO Events with inspiring hosts and experts who will share their insights and experiences with you. Register now for these events and boost your company, network, career and knowledge. CFO South Africa Events in 2016 Feb 23 Johannesburg | Get Smart in 2016 Mar 16 Johannesburg | Moving into Africa in 2016 Apr 6 Johannesburg | Capital & Finance May 12 Johannesburg | CFO Awards 2016 Register now for one of the upcoming CFO South Africa Events. Please note that all our CFO South Africa events are for senior financial executives. CFO South Africa offers Platinum memberships to CFOs and finance directors. For more information please have a look here and contact Jurrien Morsch at [email protected]. Stay connected with CFO South Africa Follow CFO South Africa on Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook Stay up to date on what is happening in the world of finance by following us on Twitter @CFOSouthAfrica, LinkedIn and Facebook. Next to that you can keep track of newly published interviews with CFOs and CEOs. Feel free to contact us Any suggestions or comments are welcome. Kind Regards, Graham Fehrsen Managing Director CFO South Africa | [email protected] To control which emails you receive from CFO South Africa, please change your email preferences at cfo.co.za by selecting under settings "I do not want to receive emails from CFO South Africa | Finance Professionals South Africa"
