Abu Dhabi is looking to strengthen its FinTech position with a flurry of initiatives, including a tie-up with Switzerland and an innovation challenge for startups.

Nishant Saxena won two Awards at this year’s CFO of the Year Awards – High Performance Team and Young CFO of the Year. He received this recognition because he took Cipla’s struggling, low-margin, sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) unit and turned it into one of the most profitable pharma players in South Africa. In so doing, he completely transformed the finance department, creating a high performance team in the process. Nishant shares his top tips for creating an efficient team.

Westcon-Comstor Southern Africa has announced that it has appointed Rakesh Parbhoo as the new CEO of WestconGroup SA. Parbhoo joins the company after an almost two-decades-long tenure at Dimension Data, most recently holding the role of chief information officer for Dimension Data Middle East & Africa.

Financial services firm Old Mutual has said that it intends to list two units in London and Johannesburg in 2018: Old Mutual Wealth (OMW) and Old Mutual Limited (OML).

Bidvest’s recent acquisition of First Data Resources South Africa (FDRSA) will catapult it into South Africa’s world of business banking – a market currently dominated by FNB, Nedbank and Standard Bank.

Mukuru has joined Finance Indaba 2017 as a silver partner and will make its debut at the event at the Sandton Convention Centre in October.

Barclays Africa Group will collaborate with nine FinTech companies to explore promising new technology-based solutions that could prompt significant improvements for consumers and in bank services.

Thomson Reuters has launched a dedicated Decision Africa app that provides financial professionals with comprehensive market and data leading up to and after the elections in Kenya (8th August), Angola (23rd August), Liberia (10th October), and Mali (29th October).

"As one of the leading ESD organisations in SA we can support finance professionals with entrepreneurial dreams and capabilities in their journey to develop sustainable businesses. The support we provide encompasses training, physical infrastructure in our incubators, and mentorship," says Nyasha Dzumbunu, CFO of Shanduka Black Umbrellas, a gold partner at the Finance Indaba Africa 2017 on 12 and 13 October 2017 at the Sandton Convention Centre in Johannesburg.

Martijn Aslander is a thought leader, public speaker and executive sparring partner with a unique ability to challenge business leaders and help them to think outside of the box.

“The biggest ambition that I have is to always leave a better legacy than the one I found when I took on a responsibility,” says Kenny Fihla, who took over from David Munro as chief executive of Standard Bank Corporate and Investment Banking (CIB) in May this year. “What will the next generation of people or leaders in my role think when they assume the responsibility that I’m currently fulfilling that forces me to think about my actions? I get obsessed thinking about that – the creation of a lasting legacy.”

Lonmin has said that it will cut costs and sell some assets in a bid to overcome a weak market and to preserve jobs. The cost-cutting measures include selling processing capacity of up to 500,000 ounces per year, the South African platinum miner has said.

Oxford University, one of the world’s most prestigious educational institutions, has launched an online programme to meet the growing demand for a formal FinTech course.

"We believe that the user is the true source of value in any business, and if you service them well you can grow them and they in turn will grow your business," says Kevin Mutiso, CEO and co-founder of Alternative Circle, a silver partner at the Finance Indaba Africa 2017 on 12 and 13 October 2017 at the Sandton Convention Centre in Johannesburg. Finance professionals and accountants register for the Finance Indaba for free with code FB2017! In the coming weeks and months, we will be chatting to all the Indaba partners, asking them why they are joining the event and what their most important message for finance professionals is. Do you want to hear how Alternative Circle can help with your KYC processes? Do you want to be informed about the latest and greatest in finance? Then don't miss the Finance Indaba Africa 2017. The Finance Indaba is the biggest annual event on the continent for financial managers and specialists who are seeking partnerships to drive progress. Thousands of delegates will gain valuable insights into realising financial performance and growth, becoming more efficient and accessing funding, among a host of other opportunities from leading players in financial services.

Netwin Systems has joined Finance Indaba 2017 as a silver partner and will make its debut at the event at the Sandton Convention Centre in October.

Anton van Heerden is leaving his role at Sage Africa and Middle East, to be replaced by Pieter Bensch (pictured), who will be taking over as MD and executive VP of the region.

Airlines are a notoriously difficult business, with narrow profit margins and stiff competition. They are also prey to the volatility of oil prices, as well as fickle exchange rates. But for Kirsten King, a self-proclaimed Benoni girl who entered the “grey-suited” world of accountancy, this is a place not only for the day-to-day administration of finance but also for networking, learning, and a few strong cups of tea.

Blue Label Telecoms, a listed telco group, has finalised its recapitalisation of mobile operator, Cell C.

Do you want to keep up to date with the latest developments in finance, but you are short of time? Don’t worry. CFO South Africa weekly collects 10 of the most important articles from international media for your convenience.

Telecommunications giant MTN announced a return to profit in first-half interim results at a presentation on Friday, with total group revenue in constant currency increasing by 6,7% to R64,3 billion and headline earnings per share improving to 217 cents, compared to a 271 cent headline loss per share in the comparable period last year. MTN maintained its interim dividend at R2,50‚ the same as in 2016’s interim period.

Many CFOs worry that machines and robots may affect their jobs in the near future. Futurist Graeme Codrington, strategy consultant at TomorrowToday Global, believes they’re right to have this concern. Thus, CFOs need to partner with machines to make the most of the new world of work – and become more human to keep adding value, he says.

As at June 2017, Capitec bank hit nine million retail customers – a number which makes it SA’s second-largest bank (using this metric - customer numbers).

MTN has delivered improved results for South Africa, for the six months ending June 2017, returning to profit and increasing subscriber growth.

South African Airways (SAA) has appointed Vuyani Jarana, Vodacom Business CEO, as its new CEO. Jarana has been with Vodacom since 2012 and will join the airline as soon as Vodacom releases him from his duties. Jurana is the airline’s first permanent CEO since November 2015.

ThisIsMe has joined Finance Indaba 2017 as a silver partner and will make its second showing at the event at the Sandton Convention Centre in October.

Nigerian FinTech Flutterwave announced it has secured $10 million in Series B financing. Four investors contributed to the round: Greycroft Partners, Green Visor Capital, Y Combinator, and Glynn Capital Management. Flutterwave, founded by Iyinoluwa Aboyeji, provides technology, infrastructure, and services to enable global merchants, payment service providers, and pan-African banks to accept and process payments via any channel, including web, mobile, ATMs and POS. The company helps businesses in Africa go global by smoothening the exchange of funds in more than 150 currencies. The company revealed that it intends to use the funds to hire talent, build out its global operations, and accelerate its expansion across Africa.

“Every calamity is to be overcome by endurance,” wrote the great Roman poet Virgil. These are volatile times that require resilience to see them through. With this in mind, CFO SA is hosting a CFO Endurance Breakfast on 5 September 2017 at the Inanda Club in Sandton.

American International Group Inc (AIG), a leading global insurance organisation, has promoted Senele Mbatha to the role of chief financial officer.

Pulling off big projects is exhilarating, exponentially growing your profits is awesome, but are you achieving the GREAT thing? Are you building a better future? We spoke with Stan Slap, the world’s foremost thought leader on culture and leadership, who will be opening the Finance Indaba Africa on 12 October 2017, made possible by Clarkhouse Human Capital.

QuickBooks has joined Finance Indaba 2017 as a gold partner and will make its second showing at the event at the Sandton Convention Centre in October.

Nedbank, the fourth-biggest bank in South Africa by market value, posted a 3,7% fall in mid-year profit in a results presentation on Wednesday, with a sharp fall in its Ecobank holding muffling an otherwise impressive set of results.

A large merger between EOH Industrial Technologies and certain business of Powertech System Integrators has been approved by the Competition Tribunal, without conditions.

A recently released Deloitte report found that annual cash bonuses paid to the CEO and CFO over the last six years are considerable in relation to guaranteed pay, with only 12 percent of instances where a bonus was not awarded to either executive over the last six years. The report also found that increases to CEO guaranteed pay over the last five increase periods exceeded inflation by a considerable margin on a compound annual growth rate basis.

Investors should be wary of companies that dismiss their auditors as the fiscal year draws to a close, according to a new study by University of Notre Dame and Ohio University researchers.

SizweNtsalubaGobodo has joined Finance Indaba 2017 as a platinum partner and will make its second showing at the event at the Sandton Convention Centre in October.

Brian Egan (pictured), Dangote Cement Group chief financial officer, has been appointed as the executive director, finance. According to the company, his promotion follows the “significant contribution he has made to the group”.

SekelaXabiso has joined Finance Indaba 2017 as a platinum partner and will make its second showing at the event at the Sandton Convention Centre in October.

Nishant Saxena successfully took Cipla’s sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) entity from a struggling, low-margin organisation to one of the most profitable pharma players in South Africa. The success yielded double success at the CFO Awards in May 2017 for the Indian expat, who played a key role in shifting the strategy and improving the finance team. “Finance is like an internal venture capitalist responsible for ensuring the right returns on investment, and as Cipla’s largest acquisition ever, all eyes were on South Africa’s performance.”

Cisco has appointed David Meads (pictured) as the new Vice President of its Middle East and Africa operations. Meads, in this newly created role, will oversee the execution of the company’s strategy in these two regions, ensuring the technology leader maintains its momentum at the forefront of digital transformation efforts.

Alternative Circle has joined Finance Indaba 2017 as a silver partner and will make its second showing at the event at the Sandton Convention Centre in October.

FinTech start-ups are set to break funding records in 2017, as record as insurance, wealth management, lending and blockchain-related companies attract unprecedented investment.

Vodacom’s Till Streichert, CFO of the Year 2017, talks us through six of the biggest issues he has faced while being a CFO. “I love my job and the profession.”

Convergence Partners Investments announced this week that it has exited its investment in Dimension Data, a specialist IT services and solutions company.

Telkom has announced its plans for the recently spun out subsidiary, Gyro, which was made responsible for managing the company’s masts and towers, as well as its property development and property management services, from 1 April this year.

Eskom’s board of directors yesterday suspended CFO Anoj Singh (pictured) after the state-owned entity received threats from lenders saying that they would recall their loans if no action was taken. Allegations of corruption at the power utility recently implicated the CFO as the ongoing ‘Gupta leaks’ scandal plays out.

Qlik Master Reseller has joined Finance Indaba 2017 as a gold partner and will make its second showing at the event at the Sandton Convention Centre in October.

Total and Worldline have signed binding technological, commercial and financing agreements with African FinTech InTouch.

The CFO Summit Series is an initiative from CFO South Africa to encourage networking and knowledge-sharing among finance professionals. Having only having been launched this year, with four instalments thus far, the series has taken off, with amazing feedback from guests.

PPC has announced that its CEO, Darryll Castle (pictured), has "agreed to part ways", with immediate effect. According to a statement, Johan Claassen, MD of the cement maker’s South African operations, will take over as interim CEO until a permanent appointment can be made.

Futuresense has joined Finance Indaba 2017 as a silver partner and will make its second showing at the event at the Sandton Convention Centre in October.

Assuming the mantle of CFO can be a nerve-wracking experience. The first 100 days can be among the most challenging and stressful of your career. All too often, organisations expect new hires to sink or swim and use their own initiative to get by. At the same time, this period represents an enormous opportunity to deliver quick wins and position yourself as a rising star.

The SABC has appointed an interim CEO and an interim CFO: Nomsa Philiso and Thabile Dlamini have been appointed acting CEO and CFO respectively. This, following the recent resignation of James Aguma (pictured), who had served in both these executive roles.

“I would encourage every incoming CFO to find a way to do some deep thinking as to who they are and how to fill the role,” says Andrew Mackie, Deloitte’s new Head of Audit & Assurance for Africa, comprising 15 countries and 185 partners. In this interview, Andrew talks to CFO South Africa about his passion for audit and transformation, the balancing act that finance executives have to go through every day, and how clarity of purpose and priority is what really matters for a leader.

Decision Inc. has joined Finance Indaba 2017 as a silver partner and will make its debut at the event at the Sandton Convention Centre in October.

Anglo American Platinum (Amplats), the world's leading producer of the precious metal, reported a loss during the first half of 2017 due to a stronger local currency, impairments and lower sales, it said in its interim results statement on Monday.

According to a recently released report by PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC), CEOs of the top 10 JSE-listed companies take home an average pay of R24.6 million. CFOs, it said, earn around R13.8 million, and executive directors R7.7 million.

Network Recruitment has joined Finance Indaba 2017 as a silver partner and will make its debut at the event at the Sandton Convention Centre in October.

Global payments technology company Visa has partnered with Kenyan online payment gateway JamboPay to enable its merchants to facilitate mVisa Payments.

“It has been tricky to get politicians, our people and other stakeholders to understand that we can’t keep throwing capital at our problems. We need to focus on operational efficiencies,” says Transnet CFO, Garry Pita, winner of the Transformation & Empowerment Award at this year’s CFO Awards. Garry took over as Group CFO in February last year, replacing Anoj Singh, who was seconded to Eskom.

Hansal International recently launched its expansion into South Africa, Ghana and Kenya, simultaneously announcing that it has appointed Jo-Ann Pohl (pictured) as the company’s Chairperson for Africa. Jo is currently a consultant at property investment fund, Texton, a role she took up in May this year.

Do you want to keep up to date with the latest developments in finance, but you are short of time? Don’t worry. CFO South Africa weekly collects 10 of the most important articles from international media for your convenience.

ACS-Embrace has joined Finance Indaba 2017 as a silver partner and will make its debut at the event at the Sandton Convention Centre in October.

A thorough, smart and stealthy due diligence process is among the top ingredients for successful mergers and acquisitions. We spoke to finance executives and dealmakers about the homework a growth-hungry company needs to do. “Do two rounds of due diligence, put your very best finance team members on the deal and make sure you do your homework,” says Telkom Group CFO Deon Fredericks.

Following a call for nominations and elections for the first Africa regional board under the Association, Badibanga Promesse (pictured), regional VP Africa for CIMA, has announced that the following people have accepted their election and appointment to the new Africa regional board:

Ned Segal (pictured), who spent 17 years at Goldman Sachs Group, has been named the new chief financial officer of Twitter. The 43-year-old former banker, currently a senior vice president of finance at Intuit Inc., will take over the CFO role from Anthony Noto (who will remain chief operating officer) from September.

“There has to be a pretty compelling case as to why a company should list. You have to know why you're doing it because it's a costly endeavour both from a time perspective as well as economically,” said Richard Stout, Head of Equity Capital Markets Standard Bank. Stout was speaking at the recent CFO summit about sentiment in capital markets and whether initial public offerings (IPOs) are a useful avenue for raising cash in the current economic environment. “You're moving to an environment where you have a responsibility to a bunch of institutions that are going to expect you to execute a strategy and create value. I've done IPOs for the better part of 20 years and I think they are a great way of raising capital, but not every company should take that route.”

Nkonki has joined Finance Indaba 2017 as a gold partner and will make its second showing at the event at the Sandton Convention Centre in October.

Seven minutes. 300 million. $321 billion. Every seven minutes a new piece of regulation is introduced globally, the number of pages of regulation in existence and the number of dollars paid since the financial crisis of 2008. In an intriguing presentation at CFO Summit 4 at Summer Place in Sandton on Thursday, Thomson Reuters Africa MD Sneha Shah examined how the flood of regulation was impacting companies around the world and provided solutions for those that were struggling to cope with compliance.

In announcing its integrated financial results on Wednesday morning, Eskom declared that it was pleased to be continuing on the upward trajectory of the past few years. The power utility connected 207 189 new households to the national grid and managed to achieve a cost-saving of R20,2 billion in the financial year ended 31 March.

South African FinTech company Curve Technology Group has expanded to the UK with the opening of a new office in London.

German-based software giant SAP has appointed 25-year veteran Claas Kuehnemann (pictured) as acting managing director for Africa. This following allegations that the company's South African subsidiary paid a Gupta front R100 million in kickbacks for it to access lucrative state contracts. SAP has initiated an independent investigation into the matter, placing its SAP SA management team on administrative leave while the review is underway.

Shanduka Black Umbrellas has joined Finance Indaba 2017 as a gold partner and will make its debut at the event at the Sandton Convention Centre in October.

Agility is a word that is bandied about in boardrooms across South Africa, but how does one actually achieve it? How do you step away from your desk as a CFO and really get to grips with the business? Can you find out how the business ticks without abandoning your finance duties?

“The key to the success of the company is our people. If you have one client who is dissatisfied, you are not likely to get new business. Our people are key and we have been very lucky to get good people," says Wilfred Ngubane, CEO and founder of Ngubane & Co, a gold partner at the Finance Indaba Africa 2017 on 12 and 13 October 2017 at the Sandton Convention Centre in Johannesburg.

Former CFO Awards nominee Matone Ditlhake has left his role in finance at Groupe SEB to fill the CEO role at Optic Comm Networks, a company partly owned by The Wired Corp.

Deloitte, in its recently released fourth annual South African Restructuring Outlook 2017 survey, found that restructuring professionals are more positive about the economy but that retail, agriculture and construction sectors remain at risk.

ZAR X has joined Finance Indaba 2017 as a gold partner and will make its debut at the event at the Sandton Convention Centre in October.

Technology is moving at breakneck pace, with a significant impact on business and the world around us. It is imperative that CFOs have understanding of these rapid change in order to mitigate the risks and maximise the rewards. Here are five tips that can make this process easier, according to CGMA.

"DocFox provides a single solution - endorsed by global law firm, Norton Rose Fulbright - which gives a FSP of any size the assurance that they will remain compliant with ever-changing legislation, while simultaneously creating a seamless customer experience and reducing operational costs," says Ryan Canin, CEO of DocFox, a gold partner at the Finance Indaba Africa 2017 on 12 and 13 October 2017 at the Sandton Convention Centre in Johannesburg.

Sibanye Gold has announced that Robert van Niekerk (pictured) has been appointed executive vice president: SA Region. Van Niekerk's appointment follows the acquisition of Stillwater Mining Company in May 2017, and a subsequent transition of the Sibanye Group organisational structure from a divisional commodity structure to a geographical regionalised structure.

The Office of the Tax Ombud has joined Finance Indaba 2017 as a silver partner and will make its second showing at the event at the Sandton Convention Centre in October.

FinLeap, the startup platform behind Germany's solarisBank, has secured €39 million in equity capital to support its ongoing FinTech incubation programme. Next to the founding shareholder Berlin-based HitFox-Group, new institutional investors include the German insurer Signal Iduna, Japan's SBI Group and Dutch bank NIBC. Hannover Re, the third largest worldwide reinsurer, also raised its stake having participated in the platform's last €21 million raise.

Craig Sumption has been with Hatch, a global concern headquartered in Canada and supplying engineering, project and construction management services, process and business consulting and operational services to the mining, metallurgical, energy and infrastructure industries, for more than a decade. He assumed the role of Regional Director of Finance for the firm's African, European and Middle Eastern operations two years ago. A passionate finance man who knew very early on that he wanted to go into the field, the father of three's grasp of the numbers remains second to none. He shared his thoughts with us about volatility, moving into Africa and leadership.

Kumba Iron Ore has appointed Bothwell Mazarura (pictured) as chief financial officer and executive director, effective 1 September 2017. Mazarura takes over from Johan Prins, Kumba’s head of finance, who has been acting CFO since 11 May 2017.

Do you want to keep up to date with the latest developments in finance, but you are short of time? Don’t worry. CFO South Africa weekly collects 10 of the most important articles from international media for your convenience.

Karabina has joined Finance Indaba 2017 as a gold partner and will make its debut at the event at the Sandton Convention Centre in October.

Business decisions are frequently flawed. A KPMG study of corporate mergers and acquisitions – some of the highest-stakes decisions that executives make – showed that 83 percent failed to create any value for shareholders. What are the greatest cognitive and psychological pitfalls that lead to such bad decisions and how can you avoid these?

According to Thomson Reuters, the value of announced M&A transactions involving Sub-Saharan African targets reached $18.1 billion in the first half of this year – the highest since 2013. Inbound M&A reached a four-year high of $10 billion, with the US, the UK and China leading investments, while outbound M&A declined 39% to $1.8 billion for the first half of 2017.

Standard Bank has appointed Bulelwa Mdlophane as its new chief financial officer for Corporate and Investment Banking (CIB) Global Market. Mdlophane says the appointment as CFO came after she had been “filling in” the role for almost 12 months.

The City of Johannesburg’s chief financial officer, Reggie Boqo, who was nominated for the 2017 CFO of the Year Awards, has resigned. Reggie has said he intends to explore new ventures outside the Metro before his contract comes to an end in December.

ClarkHouse has joined Finance Indaba 2017 as a gold partner and will make its second showing at the event at the Sandton Convention Centre in October.

Ramasela Ganda is the first-ever municipal CFO to win at the CFO Awards. In Ekurhuleni Municipality, she introduced state-of-the-art technology and convinced politicians to not only focus the budget on social grants.

The new FinTech 2017: China, Asia and Beyond Report, released by CFA argues that, while FinTech companies were usually strong at technology and applications, they are mostly inexperienced in financial sector operations and therefore unlikely to completely replace the more conventional sectors of the financial services industry.

“There was a decrease in the overall size of South Africa’s shadow economy’s share of GDP since 2011; a positive sign that efforts to curb its impact have been implemented in recent years. But that’s the end of the good news, as the future trend is profoundly opposite,” says Pat Semenya (pictured), head of ACCA South Africa.

The Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE) has joined Finance Indaba 2017 as a gold partner and will make its debut at the event at the Sandton Convention Centre in October.

EY warns CFOs against over-committing to rapid-growth markets and letting the enthusiasm for using them as the torch-bearer for sustainable long-term growth bubble over. Here are a number of key lessons from the financial services giant that will be applicable for the just about any company and its CFO.

"With us, all clients’ foreign trade payments will be done fast, efficiently and seamlessly through our partner bank and unique online payment and trading platform," says Herman Bezuidenhout, CEO of BeztForex, a silver partner at the Finance Indaba Africa 2017 on 12 and 13 October 2017 at the Sandton Convention Centre in Johannesburg.

Addressing the July 2017 graduates of the Wits University Faculty of Commerce, Law and Management, Stephen Koseff, CEO of Investec Bank and a Wits University Alumni, said South Africans need to work together and find a new social pact that transcends ideologies and backgrounds, and unite under a common goal to tackle the country’s current and future problems.

Global beverage and snacks giant PepsiCo reported a slight increase in second-quarter revenue and profit, as its vital North American beverages division made gains, amid lower promotional spending and productivity gains.

Agile finance leaders are embracing a new operating model for finance that is responsive and change-ready and are championing digital technologies, while investing in new skillsets to provide the analytical capability for insight and strategic guidance the business requires in adopting new digital business models and ways of working.

"CFOs need to consider the role that digitalisation is going to play in business. The way business is done is going to undergo a fundamental change over the next five years. The next 12 months are going to be critical for organisations that want to digitalise. On a social level, CFOs have to consider the role they play in broader society. Gone are the days when we can sit back and say certain issues are for politicians, government or industry bodies. If you are CFO making decisions, you have a responsibility to play a deeper role in uplifting communities," says globally renowned public speaker, venture capitalist and entrepreneur Vusi Thembekwayo.

The Top 6 teams of the global edition of The CFO Case Study Competition 2017 have been selected. Some 2,300 entries were received this year, including both the CFO Case Study and the Junior National version for South African High Schools.

The rise of the FinTech industry may herald a significant upheaval to the financial services industry, and significant opportunities (and risks) await those who wish to participate.

According to the JSE, a two-year cost-cutting programme could see up to 14 percent of its staff retrenched.

Do you want to keep up to date with the latest developments in finance, but you are short of time? Don’t worry. CFO South Africa weekly collects 10 of the most important articles from international media for your convenience.

“Our platform exists to benefit finance professionals, so is designed to be usable and understandable by them. One of the most common comments we receive from CFOs and finance heads is their surprise in how easily they set up the platform and how quickly they began seeing results.” says Therese Tucker, founder and CEO of BlackLine, a silver partner at the Finance Indaba Africa 2017 on 12 and 13 October 2017 at the Sandton Convention Centre in Johannesburg.

A thorough, smart and stealthy due diligence process is among the top ingredients for successful mergers and acquisitions. We spoke to finance executives and dealmakers about the homework a growth-hungry company needs to do. “Ideally, the CFO shouldn’t only focus on the financials, there needs to be a cross-over. The CFO, along with other execs, can really help to join the dots in a deal,” says Charles Douglas, head of M&A at law firm Bowmans.

The Hollard Insurance Group, South Africa’s largest independent insurance group, has cemented its place as the second-largest short-term insurer with the completion of its R1.8 billion acquisition of the Regent Insurance Group from Imperial Holdings.

Alexander Forbes has announced three key executive appointments: Naidene Ford-Hoon as Group chief financial officer (GCFO), Christian Schaub as Group chief human resources officer (GCHRO), and Thabo Mashaba, who is assuming a new role of Group chief empowerment & transformation officer (GCETO).

South African FinTech ThisIsMe has set a new African record for the Financial Intelligence Centre Amendment (Fica) process. The process used to take as long as two weeks, but can now be completed in as little as three minutes.

Peregrine Holdings has said that, following CEO Jonathan Hertz stepping down as of end June, it has appointed Rob Katz as interim CEO, effective 1 August 2017. Rob was a nominee both this year and in 2016, for the CFO of the Year Awards.

Financial models are a pre-requisite to successfully identify risks, costs, opportunities and income streams. A financial model helps you to become profitable in a continuously changing business atmosphere. 100% of all CFOs agree that working without modelling is close to impossible. A thorough understanding makes your job easier, saves you massive time and will bring prosperity to your business. Not convinced yet?

EOH has joined Finance Indaba 2017 as a gold partner and will make its debut at the event at the Sandton Convention Centre in October.

Modern CFOs is being called upon to take a more prominent role in leading their organisations, in many instances, filling in for the CEO. As such, technical competency is no longer enough to succeed at the elite level and leadership qualities become more significant. We delved into our archives to bring you leadership advice from some top executives from a variety of industries.

Umar Banda, nominated for the 2017 CFO of the Year Awards, has been permanently appointed to the position of City of Tshwane CFO – a role he has filled in an acting capacity since 2014.

In the space of just a few years, Till Streichert, CFO of Vodacom Group and this year's CFO of the Year, turned Vodacom’s finance team into a flourishing intelligence unit. He is a textbook example of a finance executive who used the first 100 days of his tenure to make a swift and decisive impact on his organisation.

Accounting is a profession that lends itself to stereotypes, but there are a few that ring true for most accountants. There are those things that will elicit a knowing smile from accounting professionals across the globe, moan as you might about unfair stereotyping. You know you're an accountant when…

CFOs are an integral part of the corporate engine room. We live in difficult times – look at the conditions in Europe, the USA and back home in South Africa. CFOs have got to understand the heartbeat of their organisations and really feel the pulse, along with being connected to the external world," said Investec CFO Nishlan Samujh.

Audit watchdog, the Independent Regulatory Board for Auditors (IRBA) is investigating whether KPMG defied regulation when it audited a company owned by the Gupta family. This, after reports following an investigation by AmaBhungane and Scorpio revealed that government funds intended for empowerment projects in the Free State were instead used to pay for a Gupta wedding.

ACI Worldwide, a leading global provider of real-time electronic payment and banking solutions, and Alipay announced that they are launching Alipay in South Africa, via leading regional payment service provider (PSP) Peach Payments.