Mark Godfrey has been nominated for a CFO Award for his work at supermarket behemoth Spar. He was last put forward for an award in 2015. The annual 'Oscars for South African CFOs', to be held on 11 May, recognises CFOs of listed companies, large corporations, state-owned entities and government institutions and awards them for outstanding performance and leadership.
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- Charl Keyter (Sibanye Gold) has been nominated for the 2017 CFO Awards.
Mark held various financial management positions at Spar after joining the group in 1996 and assumed the reins as CFO in October 2010. He was one of the driving forces behind the acquisition of Spar Africa, which paved the way for the group's African expansion. A B.COM CTA graduate of the University of Port Elizabeth, he qualified as a chartered accountant after serving his articles at EY and went to work in SARS's tax investigation unit.
JSE-listed Spar is one of the largest retailers in Southern Africa, operating seven distribution centres to over 1 000 independently owned stores via its own fleet.
In an interview with CFO SA, Mark shed light on the power of "the numbers".
"As financial professionals, we have the real 'story' of the business before us in the numbers - and as is often stated, knowledge is power. It is necessary to take the time to learn and understand the business through these numbers and to develop any appreciation for the financial relationships and trends that exist in the business - while at the same time using every opportunity to engage with colleagues and other members of the team to develop, test and refine your understanding of the business, its challenges and achievements."
