Former Bidvest Protea Coin CFO Helen Yiga; Metrobus CFO Luyanda Gidini and aspiring CFO and 2025 trainee accountant Sitholile Sithole, share their journeys – from accounting students to chartered accountants. They also reflect on why the CFO role is more than just cool!
The journey to becoming a CFO in South Africa almost always runs through the chartered accountant route, a notoriously tough path. All three acknowledge the hurdles students face.
For Helen, discipline is the critical challenge. “I found the main challenges to be the work-life balance and also the practical application of what we were learning,” she explains. “The pressure can be intense because you still have to deliver at work, yet the exams, the volume of content to get through, etc., are a lot. It really needs one to be highly disciplined in terms of study routines, perhaps with a study group to keep each other accountable.”
Luyanda, meanwhile, highlights the financial and social realities of South African students. “Most struggle to secure funding for their tuition and accommodation fees. This adds unnecessary stress to an already demanding course of work,” he says. Beyond funding, he points to the distractions of university life. “Balancing your time between the streets and the spreadsheets is no easy feat.”
Sitholile points to deeper systemic issues. “Many students begin their higher education journey without prior exposure to what I like to call integrated thinking,” he explains. “Traditional teaching methods often fall short in bridging this gap. Added challenges include studying in a second language and navigating large classroom environments.”
Yet, for Sitholile, overcoming these hurdles is what shapes character. “The path to becoming a CA(SA) is more than just academic achievement. It's a transformative journey marked by hard work, setbacks, and growth. Embracing these challenges fosters resilience and shapes both personal and professional character.”
The race to the top: how fast can one become CFO?
When asked if it is possible for a young person to reach the CFO seat in record time, this is what all three had to say.
Helen defines “record time” as 15 to 20 years, a fast trajectory given the traditional averages. “It is possible, but not easy,” she says. Her advice: gain wide exposure early on. “If they get early exposure to wide sections of finance like operational finance, reporting, treasury, risk, audit, etc. it can stand them in good stead.” Equally important is mentorship. “An important thing is having strong mentors and sponsors who can open doors and make you visible to decision makers.”
Luyanda offers himself as an example – he became CFO at 33. “I believe that my youth allowed me to guide the board, CEO and the rest of the team in finding creative solutions to complex problems,” he says. But he acknowledges that not every journey will be the same.
Sitholile takes a philosophical stance. “The journey to becoming a chief financial officer is as unique as the individual pursuing it,” he says. While the average South African CFO is between 46 and 55 years old, he points to exceptions like Ati Takudin, who became the youngest CFO of a JSE-listed company at just 32. “Record time is your own time. You get there at your own time.”
The CFO of tomorrow: more diverse, more digital
All three believe the future demographic of CFOs will look different, more diverse, younger and more technologically attuned.
“We are seeing the CFO demographic in SA evolving towards greater diversity, which I think is a good thing,” Helen says. “We will continue to see more women and more people of colour, as companies prioritise diversity. Also, these CFOs will not necessarily come from traditional finance routes. They will have experience in data analytics, AI-enabled decision-making, and digital transformation.”
Luyanda believes women will dominate the space. “They have a natural ability to be disciplined, they work twice as hard as men while getting half of the recognition, and they are willing to prove themselves time and time again,” he says.
For Sitholile, the defining feature of the future CFO is digital fluency. “AI is not just automating tasks, but is actually reshaping the CFO role into a proactive, data-driven leadership position,” he explains. “The next generation of CFOs will be those who can harness the power of AI to drive growth, manage risks, and lead organisations through an era of unprecedented change. The future is AI.”
So, are CFOs still cool?
From influencer to strategist, from guardian of compliance to driver of transformation, the CFO role is not only still cool, it may be cooler than ever.
What emerges from the voices of Helen, Luyanda, and Sitholile is a portrait of a role that is influential, aspirational and evolving. It remains demanding, with a steep path of study and long hours of discipline, but also increasingly diverse, youthful, and digitally empowered.
For South Africa’s next generation of finance leaders, the CFO seat is not just a destination, it is a platform to shape organisations, communities, and the economy at large.
And as long as the role continues to combine influence, impact, and innovation, it seems safe to say: yes, CFOs are still cool.
To read why all three agree that the CFO role is more than just cool, click here.
