Beyond South Africa

What does it take to be successful in the rest of Africa? We asked four CFOs who were nominated for the 2016 CFO Awards to share some tips. Here’s what Bikash Prasad from Olam International, Johan Geel from Afgri, Mohammed Abdool-Samad from Illovo, and Osman Arbee from Imperial Group had to say on the matter. Bikash Prasad (right): look at the long term Bikash Prasad has quickly moved through the ranks and last year became CFO for Africa and the Middle-East at Olam International, a global agri-business operating from seed to shelf. Bikash has been a long-standing supporter of CFO South Africa and the panel of judges voted him as winner or the 2016 Moving into Africa Award, which he received out of the hands of Standard Bank’s CIB CFO Luvuyo Masinda on 12 May 2016. We asked him what it takes to be successful in Africa. “Look at the long term. You might have challenges in the short term, with the global economic slowdown and the slowdown in China impacting the continent, but the long term is looking very bullish and positive.” “To operate in Africa, you have to be a noble corporate citizen. You cannot be non-compliant. You need to really believe in sustainability and get a license from the community you want to work in, not just an official license from the government you are dealing with. We hardly ever run into any trouble because of that approach. Recruiting and developing talent is also crucial.”

Standard Bank treasurer Paul Burgoyne brought together a strong panel at the Finance Indaba Africa on 13 October 2016, to discuss accessing liquidity in Africa. The speakers included CFO and VP of Olam International, Bikash Prasad, as well as three Standard Bank team members: head of institutional sales Africa, Mark Kalil, VP for power and infrastructure finance, George Kotsovos, and global head: client solutions & distribution, global markets Steve Barnes.

Dr Martyn Davies explains why South Africa is struggling to regain growth levels, and what is needed to make us economically relevant again.

It is estimated that 330 million adult Africans lack access to basic financial services. In the face of an outstanding opportunity, an ecosystem of FinTech startups providing payments and money transfer solutions have grown to transform a cash-heavy payments industry on the continent.

Lafarge Africa has announced the appointment of a new CFO, Bruno Bayet (pictured), effective 1 October 2016. Prior to becoming CFO of Lafarge Africa Bayet was the Strategy Director; a position he held since April this year. Bayet, a Belgian, was Manager, Corporate Finance, with PwC from 1998 to 2005, and Senior Analyst in the Investments team of Groupe Bruxelles Lambert from 2005 to 2011. Before joining Lafarge, Bayet was an executive committee member of Enterprise Generale Malta Forrest (RDC) from 2011 to 2013, having gained over 15 years of experience in the construction and materials industry. He was appointed Director of Ashakacem Plc in later 2013, combining the role of CFO in September 2014. Bayet holds a Business Engineering degree from Universite Catholique de Louvain-la-Neuve in Belgium, and completed his Master’s in Business Administration at Georgetown University, specialising in Financial Risks Management.

Diversity in the workplace is both constitutionally mandated and fundamentally good for business. This was the message from award-winning Discovery Health CFO Brett Tromp, in a discussion moderated by Talent Africa’s Auguste Coetzer, at the Finance Indaba held at the Sandton Convention Centre on 14 October 2016.

The “Africa rising” narrative that dominated headlines ten years ago has taken an anecdotal beating, affected by the downturn in commodities, and several of the continent’s biggest economies being plagued with poor growth, both private and public corruption, and political bad news. But, investment wise, does that mean Africa is no longer a strong growth space? Do investors consider this bubble burst?

Connect Africa Payments is a B2B technology solution, connecting various payment networks. Members of the hub are able to facilitate cross-network transfers. The Kenya-based FinTech company is a silver partner at the Finance Indaba Africa. We asked Caroline Cherotich to tell us a bit more.

With well 30,000 people voting and an elite panel of 40 judges helping to determine the eventual winners, the African FinTech Awards 2016 (#AFTA16) are shaping up to be a “mind-blowing success”, to quote the man behind the awards, Alex van Groningen.

The Finance Indaba Africa 2016 is almost upon us and it is time to start looking at what exactly lies ahead at the Sandton Convention Centre on 13 and 14 October 2016. Every day until the event, we will shine a light on the parts of the amazing programme. Today: Finance for Africa, a two-day programme moderated by Didi Sehume, Treasury and Securities Services associate at JP Morgan.

Are you looking for a great job in a fast growing international company? You have found it. This is an awesome chance for young and talented computer savvy social media and marketing fundi. A great challenge for an enthusiastic professional that wants to make a real contribution to the company - CFO South Africa - and to the country.

Struggling South African clothes retailer Edcon has been taken over by banks and bondholders, including Standard Bank, Barclays Africa Group and FirstRand. Furthermore, creditors in Edcon have agreed to substitute R21 billion in debt for equity control of the retailer. The retailer has been struggling with an over-leveraged capital structure for years. Having been taken private in a R25-billion buyout by Bain almost a decade ago, Edcon has been unable to to grow at a fast enough rate to pay down debt.

Optical fibre connectivity provider Dark Fibre Africa (DFA) has expressed interest in buying state-owned Broadband Infraco, which provides high-speed fixed-line infrastructure. The government has been looking at rationalising and selling non-performing state-owned entities, with Broadband Infraco identified as one such company.

"It is clear that the techniques for detecting trends, and better predictions using Big Data, haven't as yet been mastered," says Chris Kamffer, director of Profectus Africa, a gold partner at the Finance Indaba Africa 2016 on 13 and 14 October 2016 at the Sandton Convention Centre in Johannesburg.

South Africa has regained its position as Africa’s largest economy in dollar terms after being bumped to second and then third place (with Nigeria in first and Egypt in second).

Barclays Africa CE Maria Ramos (pictured) recently announced that the bank will be partnering with clients, governments, NGOs and economic development agencies on a multimillion-rand shared growth initiative aimed at boosting education and skills development.

Dark Fibre Africa (DFA) has appointed Cilliers Steyn as its new CFO. Steyn previously held the position of CEO of Community Investment Ventures Holdings (CIVH), of which DFA is a subsidiary. Steyn takes over from Thinus Mulder, who has accepted the position of permanent CEO, following Gustav Smit stepping down. Mulder said of Steyn's appointment:

MTN has appointed Stephen van Coller (pictured) as vice president of strategy and mergers & acquisitions, effective 1 October 2016. Van Coller’s appointment comes amid various executive changes at MTN, including the recent appointment of Rob Shuter as CEO and the resignation of Brett Goschen as CFO.

Peter Matlare (pictured) has been appointed deputy CEO of Barclays Africa, effective 1 August 2016.

No matter what the question is, in Sneha Shah’s world, the answer always starts with the same two words: the customer. In an exclusive interview with CFO South Africa, the charismatic Africa MD of Thomson Reuters speaks about her time in New York, the challenges facing modern CFOs and about her drive to help transform Africa’s aid-based economies into knowledge-based economies. Most of the successful projects Sneha has run, delivered because of a firm focus on customers. “For me, the customer is a passion,” Kenyan-born Sneha Sanghrajka Shah reflects. “Too many companies start with their products and ideas, risking irrelevance when the customer needs change. You cannot afford to lose sight of the customer, so my team starts with the customer every day. Even HR, which many organisations would see as a back-office role, has customer-facing targets to meet.” The same rules apply for CFOs, says Sneha, as “they have had to become more customer focused in order to be able to manage the increasing burden of regulation and risk. But overall, there is a trend globally where CFOs are becoming much more market-aware and client-facing. CEOs are becoming less of the singular face to the market and more like coaches to a strong business focused leadership team, and this has led to CFOs and other C-Level roles evolving accordingly.” Reuters has had news reporters in South Africa since the 1860s, and the finance business here started in the 1980s. The name has become synonymous with FX trading across the continent, but Thomson Reuters actually does much more, across a variety of industries and customer segments. “For a global information company with strong roots on the continent, we definitely need to do a better job of sharing who we are and what we do,” says Sneha, as she lists the range of Thomson Reuters services that can benefit businesses and their CFOs. The firm brands itself as ‘the answer company’ and combines news, broad and deep content and industry expertise with innovative technology to provide information to decision-makers in the financial and risk, legal, tax and accounting, intellectual property and science and media markets.

“I’m speechless,” said Olam International CFO Bikash Prasad when presented with the award for Moving into Africa at this year’s CFO Awards 2016, held on 12 May at the beautifully bedecked Summer Place.

The latest economic update from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) has revealed that South Africa is now the third biggest economy in Africa, with Nigeria taking first place and Egypt second. According to the IMF, the weak rand, which worked against South Africa in the conversion to dollars in the IMF report, is the reason for the country’s drop to third place.

KPMG International has received all-star ratings for its shared services and outsourcing advisory capabilities on the International Association of Outsourcing Professional’s (IAOP) 2016 World’s Best Outsourcing Advisors list. Trevor Hoole (pictured), CEO of KPMG in Southern Africa, said of the achievement:

I remember reading somewhere that in order to be successful in business in Africa you need deep pockets, patience, resilience and nerves of steel. Having worked in this space I cannot agree more.

According to a recent report by Bloomberg, Barclays Africa Group says there is no lack of interest from buyers wanting a stake in the company. This after Barclays announced that it would be selling down its stake to less than 20% over the next two to three years.

Innovative ways to identify and develop top local talent in African countries were the hottest topic of conversation during an extremely insightful CFO South Africa event about Moving into (the rest of) Africa, hosted by Standard Bank at its impressive Rosebank premises on 16 March 2016. Vibrant CFO panel discussions alternated with insights from experts from Thomson Reuters and Spencer Stuart, while attending CFOs also had the chance to get involved.

Contrary to perceptions, there is a strong potential pool of great local business leaders in Africa," says Pratik Chandaria of Africa Advisory Group, a company specialising in recruiting executives and developing the next generation of leadership for Africa. "The strength of the leadership pool is defined by the potential you see in it. This means you have to be willing to give leadership talent the opportunity to develop; particularly in Africa where leadership skill sets are still developing. I rank the pool highly in terms of potential."

In the wake of its recent announcement that it was reducing its 62.3% stake in Barclays Africa, Barclays plc has announced its intention to exit its Zimbabwean operations.

Local talent, knowledge and understanding of the local context is crucial for businesses to be successful in African countries north of South Africa, says Kamal Patel, Head of Corporates & Partnerships at Thomson Reuters. Kamal is one of the exciting speakers lined up for our CFO event Moving into Africa on Wednesday 16 March 2016. To get to know him we contacted him - during a business trip in Ethiopia! - and asked him five questions.

People and knowledge are at the centre of attention during this year’s CFO event Moving into Africa, on Wednesday 16 March at the Standard Bank office in Rosebank on 35 Baker Street. CFOs who will their experiences on the continent will include Alexander Visser (Philips Africa), Mohammed Abdool-Samad (Illovo) and Greg Davis (Standard Bank Africa). Experts from knowledge company Thomson Reuters and executive recruiter Spencer Stuart are also at hand to provide insight.

The decision of Barclays Plc to sell down its 62.3% interest in Barclays Africa could be great for the African continent, says entrepreneur and investor Vusi Thembekwayo. He says the “South African government should step in” and create an opportunity for “a cohort of black investors that are pro-development and behind the National Development Plan”.

British bank Barclays has announced plans to gradually reduce its majority stake in the group's African unit due to net losses having more than doubled last year.

A Dutch “prophet of the future", a forward-thinking Barclays boss and a group of amazing South African FinTech pioneers engaged in some intriguing discussions and short presentations during FinTech Africa’s Blockchain event in Cape Town on 25 February 2016. The gathering of around 80 FinTech professionals and enthusiasts was hosted at the marvelous Rise innovation hub of Barclays Africa at the Bandwidth Barn in Woodstock.

In 2016 investors are even more likely to scrutinise the effectiveness of domestic policies, the strength of governance, the sensitivity to commodities price trends and the sustainability of debt burdens. In this fourth part of RMB's Africa outlook 2016, authors Celeste Fauconnier, Nema Ramkhelawan-Bhana and Neville Mandimika look at the financial markets, Eurobonds and currency risk, as financial markets are becoming more skilled at mitigating the unusual risks presented by African currencies.

In the face of waning economic growth, countercyclical fiscal policies are only viable in countries which boast low levels of public debt like Botswana. In this third part of RMB's Africa outlook 2016, authors Celeste Fauconnier, Nema Ramkhelawan-Bhana and Neville Mandimika look at the fiscal policy across the continent and the tax potential across Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA).

What do YOU know about the blockchain? Probably not nearly enough. Join us on 25 February 2016 in Woodstock, Cape Town, for an in-depth session led by world-respected experts as we delve into the revolutionary topic of the blockchain.

Hawkish monetary policies are likely across Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) and the temptation to manipulate interest rates will be on the increase in 2016. In this second part of RMB's Africa outlook 2016, authors Celeste Fauconnier, Nema Ramkhelawan-Bhana and Neville Mandimika look at the monetary policy across the continent and the measures that are considered to pursue echange rate stability.

According to FocusEconomics, provider of economic analysis and forecasts for some 127 countries, South Africa will be among the worst economic performers in Sub-Saharan Africa this year, with overall growth in the region expected to accelerate only marginally. FocusEconomics’ panel of economic analysts expects SA’s economy to expand by 1.3% this year and by 2% in 2017. The company said:

Africa is complex and diverse, so here’s a secret tip from Mohammed Hoosen Abdool-Samad, finance director at Illovo Sugar. “To succeed, you need to have a deep understanding of the political and macroeconomic landscape. This can only be done by having skilled and experienced local resources that understand the business environment. Overreliance on expats can result in the business being ‘unplugged’ from the local business environment."

Oil-exporting economies like Nigeria and Angola will continue to be hardest hit when it comes to the slowing momentum of GDP growth in Africa. In this first part of RMB's Africa outlook 2016, authors Celeste Fauconnier, Nema Ramkhelawan-Bhana and Neville Mandimika look at the expected real GDP growth in selected economies and the long list of risks to growth.

The recently released 'Agility Emerging Markets Logistics Index 2016' offers interesting insight into worldwide markets. It also pegs consumer spending by a fast-growing middle class as important a growth driver for Africa as mineral and resource demand. In the survey, industry executives ranked South Africa, Ghana, Kenya and Nigeria as the most promising markets in Sub-Saharan Africa. According to the more than 1,100 executives who responded to the survey, poor infrastructure, lack of power generation and corruption pose the greatest risk to African economies.

According to the 2016 Allianz Risk Barometer, which surveyed over 800 risk managers and insurance experts from more than 40 countries, the top three leading risks for businesses in Africa and the Middle East are macroeconomic developments (44%), market developments (44%) and changes in legislation and regulation (32%).

CFO South Africa will be the sponsor of the Reporting Accountants category during the 15th DealMakers Annual Gala Awards Banquet on 16 February 2016 at The Ballroom of the Sandton Convention Centre. Regarded as the Oscars of the South African M&A world, the awards celebrate the best performing M&A services firms over the past year.

A conversation with Bikash Prasad always includes exclamations like “I am passionate about Africa” and “we are very bullish about the continent”. The finance wizard, nominated for the 2015 CFO Awards, readily dishes up facts and figures about Africa’s economic opportunities. “Olam’s investment in Africa in the last five years is over a billion dollars. It is humongous.”

Insurance group Sanlam recently launched a new division called Sanlam Corporate, which will offer its corporate clients a comprehensive employee benefits solution, including life, health and general insurance, financial planning and advice, among other things. The division will be headed by Junior John Ngulube (pictured), former CEO of Munich Reinsurance Company of Africa.

Bikash Prasad has already been incredibly successful in restructuring and growing Olam International's business in Southern and Eastern Africa, notably striving to employ and develop as many local talents as possible. Recently the first hour supporter of CFO South Africa was promoted to Senior Vice President and CFO for the whole of Africa, still based out of Durban. We asked him 5 questions - here are his answers.

“Business grows and finance improves through a focus on systems – that is my thesis,” says Wayne Koonin, group finance director at Omnia. With 15 years of turnaround experience in the mining industry and a small team of trusted advisors in tow, he recently joined the South African chemicals group and identified digital transformation as the lever to “take the business to the next level”.

In this Expert Insight, our business advisor in Ghana, Eric Osei, talks CFOs through some investment considerations for international businesses that want to set up shop in the West African country. He outlines the natural resources, investment incentives and advantages of doing business in Ghana.

In this Expert Insight, our business advisor in Ghana, Eric Osei, talks us through the relevant rules and regulations for international businesses that want to set up shop in the West African country. He also outlines the 2-step registration process.

As deputy chief executive officer and finance director, David Hodnett is the right hand of CEO Maria Ramos at Barclays Africa. In an exclusive interview with CFO South Africa, he speaks about his love for detail, his relationship with Ramos and the creation of Barclays. He also reveals how he very deliberately chose to plot his career path via risk management roles and why he sees the way he deals with people as a reason for his success. “I believe in accountability and giving people space to operate.”

In an effort to secure a foothold in one of the continent's fastest-growing economies, Standard Bank – Africa’s largest bank by assets, with a presence in 20 countries – has opened an Ethiopian office.

Regardless of whether you're on the tech side or the finance side; cyber security or wealth management; pay attention, because Barclays Africa is on a mission to take start-ups up a notch, and they've launched a brand-spanking-new partnership to do just that.

Leading up to its imminent forum on China-Africa cooperation, China has pledged a whopping R660 billion ($50 billion), earmarked for various industrialisation projects in South Africa and Africa.

The challenge for African FinTech entrepreneurs is "doing things that are big enough", says seasoned FinTech entrepreneur Perry Blacher. According to him the best ones focus on the bottom of the pyramid. "A lot of entrepreneurs start businesses solely for the four million South Africans with money, while ignoring the 51 million who don’t have much in their bank accounts," he says. We spoke to Perry in the run up to our big FinTech Africa event in Cape Town tomorrow.

Kevin Johnson has rolled out ERP projects globally and previously held management positions in Australia and the UK within the Howden Group (Part of NYSE listed Colfax). In South Africa he recently had the opportunity to relocate, but decided to extend his stay because “my family likes the country and I felt my job wasn’t finished”. The job over the last few years has been exciting, it has entailed a lot of restructuring and modernization, particularly in the IT space. Because of the lack of growth in the mining sector Johnson – from Northern Ireland – has been part of the team that changed the strategy to focus on the aftermarket, something the CEO and he had done before in Asia Pacific. “Even though our revenue dipped in mining, our profit in this sector went up.”

The world-renowned startup accelerator Techstars has set up shop in Cape Town. As part of the recently announced Barclays Africa incubator Rise, Techstars and Barclays have partnered together to create a unique program for 10 promising FinTech startups. Applications are open until 10 January with program start on March 28. We spoke to Techstars executive director Greg Rogers about the program and his vision for FinTech in the continent.

Earlier this week, Barclays Africa announced its new physical and virtual start-up incubator, Rise. According to Barclays, Rise, a global community intended to facilitate FinTech innovation and collaboration, will take advantage of tech solutions not reliant on physical infrastructure, thus making it an ideal solution for Africa.

Your business success in Ghana can hinge on the way you speak about your family, the things you use your left hand for and your respect for religion. In this Expert Insight Eric Osei, business analyst and author of the recently published book Doing Business in Ghana, talks us through the sensitivities, intricacies and opportunities.

Three of Denel's senior executives, CFO Fikile Mhlontlo, CEO Riaz Saloojee and group company secretary Elizabeth Africa have been placed on special leave while the company undertakes an internal investigation.

FinTech Africa is back, with an event that promises to be bigger, better and even more inspiring than the July event in Johannesburg. Hosted by the University of Stellenbosch Business School Executive Development (USB-ED) at their Bellville campus in Cape Town, national and international speakers and panellists will shed their light on the f future of investing in FinTech in Africa. Whether you are an investor or a FinTech entrepreneur, the event on 20 October 2015 is one you should not miss!

Kellogg has agreed to purchase a 50% stake in Multipro, a Nigerian food distributor, for some $450 million. Costs associated with the Multipro deal will reduce earnings per share by 1 cent in the third quarter, according to Kellogg.

The African continent has become the most exciting global economic story over the past decade. That narrative has fuelled optimism in its member states, which are now vying for the attention of international investors and businesses. Ghana is one of those countries. In this Expert Insight Eric Osei, business analyst and author of the recently published book Doing Business in Ghana, lists 9 sectors that are great investment ideas.

According to a recently released McKinsey Global Institute report entitled, "South Africa's Big Five: Bold priorities to unleash inclusive growth", if we focus on better infrastructure delivery we could boost the country's annual GDP by some R260 billion by 2030.

At CFO South Africa we already know Greg Davis for a while, thanks to his great series of Expert Insights on:

Africa's largest retailer, Shoprite, has increased its market share for the ninth year running, meeting its profit estimates with a 10.8% rise in full-year earnings.

South Africa's fourth-largest insurer, Liberty Holdings, has announced plans to invest up to $80 million in two deals in Nigeria by end 2015. Casper Troskie, Liberty CFO, noted that the company has been negotiating with parties in Nigeria to acquire stakes in their businesses, and that Liberty has made good progress in this regard

Seven of the 10 fastest growing economies in the world are in Africa and although all sorts of risks need to be negotiated by investors and entrepreneurs in African countries, the continent is getting more and more conducive to business. Seyi Bickersteth, Chairman, KPMG Africa and National Senior Partner of the Nigerian Practice, has listed 9 mega trends that will shape the future of Africa. His original post was published here on the KPMG blog.

Ghana is generally considered as the well-behaved little brother of Nigeria by CFOs and investors from South Africa and across the globe. In this Expert Insight Eric Osei, business analyst and author of the recently published book Doing Business in Ghana, lists 10 reasons businesses should consider the friendly West African country.

Disruption, the value of failure, attitude, innovation and collaboration were some of the keywords during a riveting FinTech Africa event at GIBS Business School in Johannesburg on Tuesday 28 July 2015. With lifehacker Martijn Aslander as keynote speaker, FinTech guru Nicole Anderson and Wizzit CEO Brian Richardson as presenters and a bunch of the most exciting FinTech experts on a lively panel, the energy in the room was palpable. With well over 100 people from the FinTech ecosystem attending the event, we're already looking forward to putting together the next one.

“Mobile wallet use is finally getting to scale across Africa," says Dare Okoudjou, Founder and CEO of Mobile Financial Services Africa (MFS Africa). No longer a phenomenon limited to M-Pesa in Kenya, mobile wallets are showing their potential to transform financial services across the continent. "This presents an enormous opportunity to improve the remittance experience for Africans across the continent and for the diaspora abroad.”

South Africa should be “leading the charge” in the continent and create an environment that helps innovative FinTech companies flourish and draws investors willing to take risks. Globally, hubs are sprouting up for companies that disrupt the financial sector with technology and Africa is in danger of missing the boat. “The time is now,” says Nicole Anderson, the South African-born and educated CEO and Co-founder at FINTECH Circle Innovate in London.

“In 1997, Amazon CEO Jeff Bizos said: ‘This is Day One for the Internet. We still have so much to learn.’” Twenty years later, he still talks about the Internet as an uncharted world, with new surprises all the time. But if we accept that it is Day One and around midday in the USA and Europe, in Africa, it is still early in the morning,” Amazon Principal Solutions Architect Michael Needham told the delegates at the inaugural MyBroadband Cloud & Hosting Conference at Gallagher Estate in Midrand on 9 June.

In March CFO South Africa's principal sponsor KPMG brought a team of its most eminent tax experts from all corners of Africa to Johannesburg to speak to a gathering of CFOs during the Moving into Africa event in the Michelangelo Hotel in Sandton.

“It isn't so frightening north of the Limpopo. There are huge opportunities and huge talent," said Greg Davis, CFO Africa for Standard Bank, when he received the Moving into Africa Award at the 2015 CFO Awards. He dedicated the award to his Finance team across the continent and said he hopes that "other companies will join us in venturing into Africa”.

The role of Chief Financial Officer has never been more complex than it is today. This is due to the fact that the CFO’s operating environment is typified by managing stringent regulation, and managing increasing shareholder scrutiny and economic uncertainty.

Yesterday's Youth Day was a massive moment to reflect, not only for the country, but also for CFOs. First of all, the day remains a reminder where we come from - and how far South Africa still has to go. The Soweto Uprising against Afrikaans as school language - and by extension against the apartheid regime - started on 16 June 1976 and its violent repression took the life of about 176 South Africans. Not something we should forget.

The establishment of a free trade area in 26 African countries is going to be a revolutionary development for the continent. In this article Venter Labuschagne, Head: Trade & Customs at KPMG, outlines the opportunities and challenges the creation of the Tripartite Free Trade Area (TFTA) provide. By Venter Labuschagne, Head: Trade & Customs at KPMG Africa

African stalwart and Shoprite chief executive Whitey Basson is well known for looking on the bright side of risk in African markets. The tougher the country, the less competition there is likely to be, he maintains. He has benefited not just from early mover advantage in Africa, where the company is the market leader by far, but by leaving nothing to chance.

Ever since the American retail giant Walmart bought Massmart as part of their 'Africa strategy', there has been an idea that its brands like Game, Makro, Dion Wired and Builders Warehouse would be popping up like mushrooms across the continent. But is hasn't gone all that quickly. A recent Reuters describes the growth of Massmart as disappointing.

In March CFO South Africa's principal sponsor KPMG brought a team of its most eminent tax experts from all corners of Africa to Johannesburg to speak to a gathering of CFOs during the Moving into Africa event in the Michelangelo Hotel in Sandton.

In March CFO South Africa's principal sponsor KPMG brought a team of its most eminent tax experts from all corners of Africa to Johannesburg to speak to a gathering of CFOs during the Moving into Africa event in the Michelangelo Hotel in Sandton.

In January Greg Davis, CFO Africa at the Standard Bank Group, introduced his key principles for doing business in Africa and elaborated on being in control. In the following months he also wrote about interacting and influencing. In this Expert Insight he talks about the fourth and final principle: getting the most out of infrastructure.

With almost 150 students mercilessly massacred at the university of Garissa in Eastern Kenya last week, terrorism is suddenly top of mind again for (South African) businesses looking to move (further) into the continent. Within a week after the successful and democratic elections in Nigeria, the pendulum has swung back with a vengeance. Tourists are shocked and are cancelling their Kenyan safaris in droves, although places like the Masai Mara have been out of bounds for the Islamic extremists of al-Shabaab so far. Should CFOs show similar caution?

The way the Nigerian presidential elections have unfolded over the last few days must surely be the single best news in 2015 for CFOs whose businesses are - or want to be - active in West Africa. With bad examples from Kenya, Zimbabwe and Ivory Coast many feared the worst when it became apparent that the opposition candidate, Muhammadu Buhari, was about to win. The worst being last-minute election rigging and wide-spread violence. But none of that came to be, with outgoing president Goodluck Jonathan setting a valuable example for his peers and bowing out gracefully.

As an aside during our successful Moving into Africa event in the Michelangelo Hotel in Sandton, Sean Bennett, Head of UBS South Africa and Sub Saharan Africa, remarked that South Africans are not always welcomed with open arms in the rest of the continent. We are often guilty of talking about 'Africa' as if South Africa is not part of the continent, we are often guilty of arrogantly viewing the swath of land north of the Limpopo as largely undeveloped and we are often wrongly assuming that we have to import expats because of the purported lack of local talent.

Never speak to the tax authority in an African country without an advisor present, make better use of tax incentives and familiarise yourself with the local tax law and the people who enforce it. Those were some of the lessons during the extremely insightful Master Class at Thursday’s Moving into Africa event in the Michelangelo Hotel in Sandton. The CFOs present received a comprehensive overview of African tax affairs by some of the brightest tax minds on the continent, provided by KPMG.

Extra CFO South Africa Newsletter | Monday March 16 Learn how to succesfully move into Africa CFO Event Moving into Africa Thursday March 19th at the Michelangelo Hotel 16.00 - 20.00. Avoid the pitfalls - grab the opportunities. We will help you to explore the challenges and opportunities from regional tax developments with the foremost African tax specialists from KPMG. Tax strategies for growing your business in Africa. South African businesses are finding many opportunities to thrive within the developing markets in Africa. As as CFO there are many things to consider while planning for an international growth strategy. The key to success can be in the tax details. Join us to learn and share practical insight and cases that can help you take tackle your African tax strategy. Program: Start and Welcome CFO Event 16.00 - 16.45 Master Class 'Moving into Africa' 16.45 - 18.45 Presenters: • Greg Davis - CFO Africa Standard Bank • Devon Duffield - Chairman: Tax & Legal KPMG • Venter Labuschagne - Head: Trade & Customs KPMG • Richard Ndung’u - Partner and Head of Tax KPMG Kenya • Victor Onyenkpa - Partner KPMG Nigeria • Louison Kiyombo - Head of Tax and Legal KPMG DRC Panel: • Bikash Prasad - CFO Olam International • Sean Bennett - CEO UBS South Africa and Sub Saharan Africa • Colin Coleman - Head for sub-Saharan Africa Goldman Sachs CFO Public Round Table 'Change Management' 16.45 - 18.15 There is power in sharing stories and experiences with your peers. The challenges that face the CFO in the Public sector demands not only financial knowledge and expertise. Change management and empowerment are skills that will determine the future and success of the public organisation. In this round table we are going to discuss Change management and the role you can or want to play in continuous improvement. This exclusive get-together will offer you the unique opportunity to share your vision and ideas with top CFOs from the public sector. CFO Café 18.15 - 20.00 Join this event free of charge and don’t miss out on the CFO Event on Moving into Africa from 16.00 - 20.00 and register here. Sponsors CFO Event Moving into Africa & Round Table Public Finance: 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. CFO Awards 2015 - Reserve your table now Buy a table for the CFO Awards and meet South Africa's leading CFOs, demonstrate thought leadership, extend your network and develop business. You are seated with CFOs and finance directors from among others Advtech, Aveng, Barclays, Eskom, EOH, FNB, General Cable, Hollard, Liberty, Nedbank, Nissan, Novartis, Old Mutual, Standard Bank and Transnet. Are you a CFO? You are also more than welcome to join the CFO Conference preceding the CFO Awards dinner with your finance colleagues. Don't wait too long, first come, first served. Become a partner or attend with your finance team and RSVP here. For more information check out CFOAwards.co.za. 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 2015 Mar 19 Johannesburg | Moving into Africa May 14 Johannesburg | CFO Awards 2015 June 25 Johannesburg | Capital & Finance July 30 Johannesburg | Corporate Growth Sept 17 Johannesburg | Digital Transformation Nov 19 Johannesburg | Risk, Compliance & Control 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 and LinkedIn Stay up to date on what is happening in the world of finance by following us on Twitter @CFOSouthAfrica and LinkedIn. 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, Melle Eijckelhoff Director CFO South Africa | [email protected]

In January Greg Davis, CFO Africa at the Standard Bank Group, introduced his key principles for doing business in Africa and elaborated on being in control. Last month he explained the finer details of the second i: interacting. In this Expert Insight he talks about the third principle: influencing.

While South African CFOs are keen to help their businesses explore options in Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya, the Democratic Republic of Congo and other African countries, the prospect of governance and tax issues still fills many with trepidation. During our Moving into Africa event on Thursday 19 March in Johannesburg a impressive team of African tax specialists will ease your mind and talk about the latest developments. It is not too late yet to REGISTER for the event. This is the CFO event you can’t afford to miss!

CFO South Africa Newsletter | Thursday March 12 Dear CFO South Africa Member, Read Exclusive CFO South Africa Articles Exclusive: FirstRand's retiring CEO Sizwe Nxasana on CFOs, SAICA, B... Business power house, Chartered Accountant and Fort Hare graduate Sizwe Nxasana (57) started KwaZulu-Natal’s first black audit firm in 1989, listed Telkom at the JSE in 2003 and more than doubled FirstRand’s market cap to R295 billion in 2015, after becoming CEO in 2010. Last week he announced he will step down as CEO in September In an exclusive interview with CFO South Africa, Nxasana chats about the role of CFOs, SAICA, the economy and BEE. He also has some tips for ambitious CAs. CFOs of Barclays Africa, Discovery Health, Transnet and Santova int... March is the month that the judges for the CFO Awards 2015 interview most of the nominated CFOs, with the event - a conference and gala dinner - taking place on 14 May. Just in the last three days, the judges have spoken to the finance bosses of a bank, a health insurer, a state-owned company and a logistics business. 7 tips for CFOs who struggle to delegate The raison d'être of organisations is to enable groups of people to work together and achieve what they would be unable to achieve as individuals, on their own. Delegation is an age-old art − of assigning tasks and sharing responsibilities – and is therefore essential to organisation. Read more exclusive articles on cfo.co.za - Panel of judges for CFO Awards 2015 meet at JSE Limited Register for CFO Event Moving into Africa Learn how to successfully move into Africa Thursday March 19th at the Michelangelo Hotel. A world of opportunities await innovative organisations in Africa and South Africa. As the pace of development into the rest of Africa gains momentum, more and more South African and international companies are considering expanding their businesses into the rest of the continent, the opportunities are rife. Learn from how to successfully move into Africa by sharing the best practices of Standard Bank's CFO Africa Greg Davis and other experts. Join this next CFO Event in Johannesburg. Join this event free of charge and don’t miss out on the CFO Event on Moving into Africa from 4pm - 8pm and register now: - Register. Principal Sponsor CFO Event Moving into Africa: 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. CFO Awards 2015 - Reserve your table now Buy a table for the CFO Awards and meet South Africa's leading CFOs, demonstrate thought leadership, extend your network and develop business. You are seated with CFOs and finance directors from among others Advtech, Aveng, Barclays, Eskom, EOH, FNB, General Cable, Hollard, Liberty, Nedbank, Nissan, Novartis, Old Mutual, Standard Bank and Transnet. You are also more than welcome to join the CFO Conference preceding the CFO Awards dinner with your colleagues. Don't wait too long, first come, first served. Become a partner or attend with your finance team and RSVP here. For more information check out CFOAwards.co.za. 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 2015 Mar 19 Johannesburg | Moving into Africa Apr 16 Johannesburg | Capital & Finance May 14 Johannesburg | CFO Awards 2015 July 30 Johannesburg | Corporate Growth Sept 17 Johannesburg | Digital Transformation Nov 19 Johannesburg | Risk, Compliance & Control 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 and LinkedIn Stay up to date on what is happening in the world of finance by following us on Twitter @CFOSouthAfrica and LinkedIn. 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, Melle Eijckelhoff Director CFO South Africa | [email protected]

In January Greg Davis, CFO Africa at the Standard Bank Group, introduced his key principles for doing business in Africa and elaborated on being in control. In this Expert Insight he talks about the second principle: interacting.

This week's Expert Insight comes from Greg Davis, CFO Africa at the Standard Bank Group and one of the nominees for this year's CFO Awards. He shares some key principles for doing business in Africa and elaborates on one of them.

Yesterday I had the privilege of chatting to Casper Troskie, the experienced CFO of Liberty Holdings. He re-affirmed what CFOs have started telling me over the last year or so: communication skills are a crucial asset for a Chief Financial Officer or Finance Director these days. Whether talking to investors, customers, unions, analysts or the general public, a simple, transparent, unison message from the board – and all other employees of a company– is very important. These days, particular attention is being paid when a CFO opens his or her mouth. A CFO that can communicate clearly and confidently is therefore in an extremely powerful position.

I am a little bit biased, but for me the biggest CFO news this week was the fact that several members of the panel of judges for this year’s CFO Awards have committed themselves to adjudicate the 2015 CFO Awards as well. As of today, we have been able to confirm the involvement of top CEOs Asher Bohbot (EOH), Victor Sekese (SizweNtsalubaGobodo), Jonathan Lang (Bowman Gilfillan Africa), Delphine Maïdou (Allianz GCS Africa), Claudelle von Eck (The Institute of Internal Auditors South Africa) and Rob Otty (Norton Rose Fulbright South Africa). Prof. Ben Marx (University of Johannesburg) is also on the team again.

Professional services firm KPMG will be the principal sponsor for the next year of CFO South Africa, the dedicated networking and knowledge sharing platform for CFOs and Financial Directors. In addition to sponsoring six events, KPMG will be also be the main partner for the 2015 CFO Awards, a prestigious gala event that recognises leaders in South Africa’s finance world.

CFO South Africa Newsletter | Thursday October 2 Dear CFO South Africa Member, Read Exclusive CFO South Africa Articles CFO of the Week: MTN’s Brett Goschen, part 1: successfully playing ... After conquering Nigeria and Ghana for MTN in various CFO and CEO roles, Brett Goschen was ‘redeployed’ last year as Group CFO. Today we publish PART 1 of an exclusive interview with Goschen, in which he talks about the business support role of a CFO and the challenges a mobile telecommunications multinational faces. Also read Part 2 of his interview: Stick to ethical business in Africa. Miles Fisher, partner at Mazars: passion for audit “As an auditor you have the opportunity to get exposure to numerous companies and industries,” says Miles Fisher, partner at audit and advisory firm Mazars. Fisher is a Chartered Accountant (SA) with a real passion for auditing and says he is always ‘lecturing’ young talent not to leapfrog into the business environment too soon. “People often don’t realise the massive learning opportunities the position of auditor offers. Careers: Fredericks CFO Telkom, Stewart moves to Tesco Deon Fredericks was appointed as Chief Financial Officer of Telkom, the country's biggest fixed-line telephone group that is in the process of reinventing itself. Fredericks is not entirely new to the job. As Deputy CFO he had been acting in the position since October last year, when CFO Jacques Schindehütte was suspended. Fredericks is a big fan of CFO South Africa, as evidenced by his raving testimonial on our website. Read more exclusive articles on cfo.co.za - Microsoft seeks conversation with CFOs to “see magic happen Join CFO Event Risk, Compliance & Control November 13 at the amazing Cape Town Club CFO South Africa invites you to join the last CFO Event of 2014 on Risk, Compliance & Control together with 100 other CFOs. How do you take the lead in letting your company achieve its goals in a way that is open, honest, ethical and principled. How can you contribute to build and implement systems designed to detect and prevent compliance breaches and how do you lead the development of a strong compliance culture. CFOs should consider embedding a thoughtful awareness of risk and compliance in their organization. Listen to best practices to help the company stay in control of the risks it chooses to take. Join this event free of charge with several Master Classes, exclusive Round Tables and a list of very interesting speakers and attendees: - Bob Head, CFO of SARS - Ivan Meyer, Minister of Finance of the Western Cape - Alan Winde, Minister of Economic Opportunities of the Western Cape Don’t miss out on this last CFO Event of 2014 from 4pm - 8pm and register now. Discuss with your peers issues on Risk, Compliance & Control. Partners CFO Event Risk, Compliance & Control: 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. Join the ultimate peer to peer advisory network Various CFOs and finance directors from Eskom, Nedbank, Transnet, SAB, Nike, Standard Charered Bank, Hollard, Absa, 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. Reach 15.000 CFOs in the first CFO Magazine South Africa CFOs want to know your story Showcase your work and that of your company via CFO Magazine and demonstrate your added value to 15.000 CFOs, finance leaders and their direct reports as well as hundreds of international investors looking in how to move in to Africa. Get the undivided attention of the top financial decision makers and deliver the latest insights on improving the finance function. CFO Magazine: Knowledge and know-how for CFOs Read the latest insights from award winning CFOs: Simon Ridley, Standard Bank, Anoj Singh, Transnet, John King, EOH, Colin Brown, Super Group and Aarti Takoordeen, JSE and also featured interviews with Nedbank's CEO Mike Brown. Covered topics: - Who are South Africa's leading CFOs? - How do successful CFOs move into Africa? - Why should you transform your finance function and how can you do it? - How do you attract and retain talent? - Who are the preferred advisors to South African CFOs? - How do you make the shift towards the digital world? You should not miss out. Put your company in the spot light, get your message across. Advertise or get interviewed for CFO Magazine. Interested? Contact Jurrien Morsch at [email protected] 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 2014 Nov 13 Cape Town | Risk, Compliance & Control CFO South Africa Events in 2015 Feb 19 Cape Town | Moving into Africa Mar 19 Sandton | Get Smart in 2015 Apr 16 Sandton | Capital & Finance May 14 Sandton | CFO Awards 2015 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 working in companies with revenues exceeding 100 million rand. 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 and LinkedIn Stay up to date on what is happening in the world of finance by following us on Twitter @CFOSouthAfrica and LinkedIn. 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, Melle Eijckelhoff 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"

CFO South Africa Newsletter | Thursday September 25 Dear CFO South Africa Member, Read Exclusive CFO South Africa Articles CFO of the Week: Rofhiwa Irene Singo: I am known as CFO Clean Audit Popularly referred to as “CFO Clean Audit”, Rofhiwa Irene Singo leads the Finance Department at the Department of Mineral Resources, and has a remarkable story of perseverance to tell. Irene, as she prefers to be called, has been instrumental in turning around the failing financial reporting at three public institutions and prides herself in having achieved these under very difficult conditions. “I always knew that I could do it, hard and smart working paid the price. The name CFO Clean Audit resonates well with me and I like it,” she says. Lesley Plaistowe, Partner at IBM: Cloud lightens your balance sheet "You don’t want your balance sheet weighed down by assets,” Lesley Plaistowe, Partner Financial Services at Technology firm IBM told the CFOs that attended our Digital Transformation event on 11 September in Johannesburg. During an inspiring presentation – Digital Transformation and New Business Models – Plaistowe chatted to the finance leaders about the enormous possibilities that the latest technological solutions have to offer. Also join our next CFO Event on Risk, Compliance & Control November 13 in Cape Town to enjoy more Master Classes from interesting speakers. Register here. Meet Chantelle Booysen-Fourie, community manager for CFO South Africa “People prefer to do business with people they like and trust,” says Chantelle Booysen-Fourie, CFO South Africa’s highly energetic Community Manager. “This has been my experience throughout my life and my career,” she reveals, explaining how well this thinking aligns with her new challenge of connecting CFOs and further growing CFO South Africa into a trusted place for finance leaders to meet, share and learn. Read more exclusive articles on cfo.co.za - Editorial: CFO South Africa!!! Thank you..."It is a great experience sitting and sharing notes with other CFOs" Join CFO Event Risk, Compliance & Control November 13 at the amazing Cape Town Club CFO South Africa invites you to join the last CFO Event of 2014 on Risk, Compliance & Control together with 100 other CFOs. How do you take the lead in letting your company achieve its goals in a way that is open, honest, ethical and principled. How can you contribute to build and implement systems designed to detect and prevent compliance breaches and how do you lead the development of a strong compliance culture. CFOs should consider embedding a thoughtful awareness of risk and compliance in their organization. Listen to best practices to help the company stay in control of the risks it chooses to take. Join this event free of charge with several Master Classes, exclusive Round Tables and a list of very interesting speakers and attendees: - Bob Head, CFO of SARS - Ivan Meyer, Minister of Finance of the Western Cape - Alan Winde, Minister of Economic Opportunities of the Western Cape Don’t miss out on this last CFO Event of 2014 from 4pm - 8pm and register now. Discuss with your peers issues on Risk, Compliance & Control. Partners CFO Event Risk, Compliance & Control: 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. Join the ultimate peer to peer advisory network Various CFOs and finance directors from Eskom, Nedbank, Transnet, SAB, Nike, Standard Charered Bank, Hollard, Absa, 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. Become a Partner of CFO South Africa Meet top CFOs, claim thought leadership, create value and develop business. Accenture, Cliffe Dekker Hofmeyr, Oracle, IBM, InnoVent, ACCA, SNG, Readsoft, CQS, IQ Business and Transparent have supported CFO South Africa. Just like us, they believe we can contribute to the growth of their business and network in South Africa. As a partner of CFO South Africa you find yourself in a network in which you can contribute to sharing knowledge, seizing opportunities and growing your business. Are you interested in becoming a partner? Please contact [email protected] Partners CFO South Africa: 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 2014 Nov 13 Cape Town | Risk, Compliance & Control CFO South Africa Events in 2015 Feb 19 Cape Town | Moving into Africa Mar 19 Sandton | Get Smart in 2015 Apr 16 Sandton | Capital & Finance May 14 Sandton | CFO Awards 2015 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 working in companies with revenues exceeding 100 million rand. 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 and LinkedIn Stay up to date on what is happening in the world of finance by following us on Twitter @CFOSouthAfrica and LinkedIn. 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, Melle Eijckelhoff 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"

CFO South Africa Newsletter | Thursday September 18 Dear CFO South Africa Member, Read Exclusive CFO South Africa Articles CFO of the Week: Jurgens Myburgh, new CFO at Datatec: “I strive to ... “I strive to be a multidimensional CFO,” says Jurgens Myburgh, who recently swapped an impressive career in Corporate Finance at Standard Bank for a role as CFO at information technology group Datatec. In anticipation of learning from more experienced peers, Myburgh has joined CFO South Africa as a platinum member. “It will be great to network with like-minded people, bounce ideas off experienced individuals, gather intelligence on best practice and stay up to date. You can’t afford to operate in a silo.” Jurgens is a Platinum Member of CFO South Africa, also interested in becoming a member? Check out our membership opportunities. Fascinating insights at CFO Event on Digital Transformation Digital transformation… For some CFOs and FDs the term equals headaches, internal resistance or pricey solutions. But other Chief Financial Officers have found out that the better use of modern IT solutions has equipped them to fulfil their role as true partner to the CEO. During a successful and well-attended event in the Tintswalo at Waterfall hotel in Johannesburg on Thursday 11 September, finance leaders had the opportunity to chat about the topic with peers and learn from market leaders. Also Join our next CFO Event on Risk, Compliance & Control November 13 in Cape Town Register here. Microsoft seeks conversation with CFOs to “see magic happen” "As a technology company, we don’t have enough conversations with the CFO,” confessed Rory Headon-Weeks. During CFO South Africa’s successful Digital Transformation event on Thursday 11 September, the Chief Technology Officer (CTO) of Microsoft South Africa gave the CFOs present some fascinating insights in the ways of the future. And he invited finance leaders to visit the Microsoft Technology Centre in Johannesburg and “see magic happen”. Read more exclusive articles on cfo.co.za - CFO South Africa meeting needs of private AND public CFOs: "This is the only independent platform that enables finance leaders... Join the last CFO Event of 2014 November 13 at the amazing Cape Town Club CFO South Africa invites you to join the last CFO Event of 2014 on Risk, Compliance & Control together with 100 other CFOs. How do you take the lead in letting your company achieve its goals in a way that is open, honest, ethical and principled. How can you contribute to build and implement systems designed to detect and prevent compliance breaches and how do you lead the development of a strong compliance culture. CFOs should consider embedding a thoughtful awareness of risk and compliance in their organization. Listen to best practices to help the company stay in control of the risks it chooses to take. Join this event free of charge with several Master Classes, exclusive Round Tables and a list of very interesting speakers and attendees: - Bob Head, CFO of SARS - Ivan Meyer, Minister of Finance of the Western Cape - Alan Winde, Minister of Economic Opportunities Don’t miss out on this last CFO Event of 2014 from 4pm - 8pm and register now. Discuss with your peers issues on Risk, Compliance & Control. Partners CFO Event Risk, Compliance & Control: 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. Join the ultimate peer to peer advisory network Various CFOs and finance directors from Eskom, Nedbank, Transnet, SAB, Nike, Standard Charered Bank, Hollard, Absa, 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. Become a Partner of CFO South Africa Meet top CFOs, claim thought leadership, create value and develop business. Accenture, Cliffe Dekker Hofmeyr, Oracle, IBM, InnoVent, ACCA, SNG, Readsoft, CQS, IQ Business and Transparent have supported CFO South Africa. Just like us, they believe we can contribute to the growth of their business and network in South Africa. As a partner of CFO South Africa you find yourself in a network in which you can contribute to sharing knowledge, seizing opportunities and growing your business. Are you interested in becoming a partner? Please contact [email protected] Partners CFO South Africa: 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 improve your company, network, career and knowledge. CFO South Africa Events in 2014 Nov 13 Cape Town | Risk, Compliance & Control CFO South Africa Events in 2015 Feb 19 Cape Town | Moving into Africa Mar 19 Sandton | Get Smart in 2015 Apr 16 Sandton | Capital & Finance May 14 Sandton | CFO Awards 2015 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 working in companies with revenues exceeding 100 million rand. 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 and LinkedIn Stay up to date on what is happening in the world of finance by following us on Twitter @CFOSouthAfrica and LinkedIn. 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, Melle Eijckelhoff 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"

CFO South Africa Newsletter | Wednesday September 10 Dear CFO South Africa Member, Last call for the CFO Event on Digital Transformation Tomorrow September 11 at the Tintswalo at Waterfall Can I also welcome you during this CFO Event together with 100 other CFOs? Discover succesfull IT strategies how to accelerate your ROI with BI, boost revenues and reduce costs and drive business agility. This exclusive get-together will offer you the unique opportunity to learn from new visions and ideas. Join this event free of charge with a Master Class with CFO Panel, Round Table and a list of very interesting speakers: - CFO of the Year winner Simon Ridley, CFO at Standard Bank - Young Talent Award winner Aarti Takoordeen, CFO at JSE - August van Heerden, CFO Retail & Business Banking at Barclays - Cedric Miller, CFO Personal & Business Banking at Standard Bank - Mthoko Mncwabe, CIO at Postbank - Magnus Taljaard, Head of Mobile banking at Standard Bank - William Yates, General Manager at IBM Global Financing MEA - Lesley Plaistowe, Partner Financial Services at IBM - Rory Headon-Weeks, Chief Technology Officer at Microsoft - Brett StClair, Country Manager at Google Enterprise Don’t miss out on this last CFO Event in Johannesburg in 2014 from 4pm - 8pm and register now. Discuss with your peers issues on Digital Transformation and how it can help your company! Partners CFO Event Digital Transformation: 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. Read Exclusive CFO South Africa Articles CFO of the Week: Siboniso Mdluli, CFO FNB Swaziland: Mobility cruci... “Professional mobility is the best thing for anyone who wants to grow and develop his career both from a professional and technical perspective. It is best way to broaden your global business knowledge and accelerate career advancement,” says Siboniso Mdluli, who joined FNB Swaziland as Chief Financial Officer after 10 years of professional accounting and finance experience at PwC. Mdluli recently joined CFO South Africa as a platinum member and is keen to learn and share experiences with peers from other companies. Siboniso is a Platinum Member of CFO South Africa, also interested in becoming a member? Check out our membership opportunities. Inspiring meetings with CFOs of Eskom and Minerals department It is widely agreed upon that what South Africa needs is inspiring leaders, most of all in the public sector and at parastatals. That this country is not short of the individuals who have been cut from the right cloth, became once again apparent during our recent meetings with Rofhiwa Irene Singo and Tsholofelo Molefe. These two impressive ladies have made the Chief Financial Officer role their own at the Department of Mineral Resources and at public electricity utility Eskom and both contribute to a better South Africa to the best of their capabilities. Read more exclusive articles on cfo.co.za - Nazreen Pandor, Business Development Manager Mazars: CFO South Afri... Join the ultimate peer to peer advisory network Various CFOs and finance directors from Eskom, Nedbank, Transnet, SAB, Nike, Standard Charered Bank, Hollard, Absa, 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. Become a Partner of CFO South Africa Meet top CFOs, claim thought leadership, create value and develop business. Accenture, Cliffe Dekker Hofmeyr, Oracle, IBM, InnoVent, ACCA, SNG, Readsoft, CQS, IQ Business and Transparent have supported CFO South Africa. Just like us, they believe we can contribute to the growth of their business and network in South Africa. As a partner of CFO South Africa you find yourself in a network in which you can contribute to sharing knowledge, seizing opportunities and growing your business. Are you interested in becoming a partner? Please contact [email protected] Partners CFO South Africa: 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 improve your company, network, career and knowledge. CFO South Africa Events in 2014 Sept 11 Sandton | Digital Transformation Nov 13 Cape Town | Risk, Compliance & Control CFO South Africa Events in 2015 Feb 19 Cape Town | Moving into Africa Mar 19 Sandton | Get Smart in 2015 Apr 16 Sandton | Capital & Finance May 14 Sandton | CFO Awards 2015 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 working in companies with revenues exceeding 100 million rand. 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 and LinkedIn Stay up to date on what is happening in the world of finance by following us on Twitter @CFOSouthAfrica and LinkedIn. 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, Melle Eijckelhoff 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"

CFO South Africa Newsletter | Wednesday August 27 Dear CFO South Africa Member, Register now for the last CFO Event in Johannesburg for 2014 Thursday September 11 at the Tintswalo at Waterfall In the new digital reality, people have the opportunity to freely share their opinions, experiences, ideas, emotions and complaints en masse and anonymously. Markets have never been so transparent, putting the customer back in charge. How can we understand this digital transformation, and see the financial opportunities and consequences for the business? Join this event free of charge with a Master Class with CFO Panel, Round Table and a list of very interesting speakers: - CFO of the Year winner Simon Ridley, CFO at Standard Bank - Young Talent Award winner Aarti Takoordeen, CFO at JSE - August van Heerden, CFO Retail & Business Banking at Barclays - Cedric Miller, CFO Personal & Business Banking at Standard Bank - Mthoko Mncwabe, CIO at Postbank - Magnus Taljaard, Head of Mobile banking at Standard Bank - William Yates, General Manager at IBM Global Financing MEA - Brett StClair, Country Manager at Google Enterprises SA Don’t miss out on this last CFO Event in Johannesburg in 2014 from 4pm - 8pm and register now. Discuss with your peers issues on Digital Transformation and how it can help your company! 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. Read Exclusive CFO South Africa Articles Identify key priorities and challenges for today’s finance manageme... The finance organization is continuously evolving. Faced with meeting the needs of executive management, shareholders and regulators while ensuring the effectiveness and efficiency of their function, finance leaders and professionals must address a wide range of issues within a dynamic environment with seemingly endless changes in regulations and reporting requirements. We invite you to participate in the 2015 Finance Priorities Survey. Futuresense-directors Steven Hyslop & Simon Jackson: CFOs needs... I think the role of the CFO is becoming far more interesting and complex, says Steven Hyslop, founder and director of Futuresense, a high-end implementation firm for Oracle’s Hyperion solutions. “Our work always starts with a CFO wanting a solution,” adds Simon Jackson, his fellow director. Hyslop and Jackson recently spoke to CFO South Africa about the role of the Chief Financial Officer in driving digital transformation. Read more exclusive articles on cfo.co.za - The most innovative South African companies in finance - game chang... Join the ultimate peer to peer advisory network Various CFOs and finance directors from Nedbank, Transnet, SAB, Nike, Standard Charered Bank, Hollard, Absa, Business Connexion, Eskom, Super Group and Gauteng Department of Finance 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. Become a Partner of CFO South Africa Meet top CFOs, claim thought leadership, create value and develop business. Accenture, Cliffe Dekker Hofmeyr, Oracle, IBM, InnoVent, ACCA, SNG, Readsoft, CQS, IQ Business and Transparent have supported CFO South Africa. Just like us, they believe we can contribute to the growth of their business and network in South Africa. As a partner of CFO South Africa you find yourself in a network in which you can contribute to sharing knowledge, seizing opportunities and growing your business. Are you interested in partnering up? Please contact [email protected] Partners CFO South Africa: 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 improve your company, network, career and knowledge. CFO South Africa Events in 2014 Sept 11 Sandton | Digital Transformation Nov 13 Cape Town | Risk, Compliance & Control CFO South Africa Events in 2015 Feb 19 Cape Town | Moving into Africa Mar 19 Sandton | Get Smart in 2015 Apr 16 Sandton | Capital & Finance May 14 Sandton | CFO Awards 2015 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 working in companies with revenues exceeding 100 million rand. 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 and LinkedIn Stay up to date on what is happening in the world of finance by following us on Twitter @CFOSouthAfrica and LinkedIn. 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, Melle Eijckelhoff 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"

CFO South Africa Newsletter | Wednesday August 13 Dear CFO South Africa Member, Read Exclusive CFO South Africa Articles Mike Brown, CEO Nedbank: Brilliant CFOs are persuasive "The best CFOs are intellectually persuasive without being arrogant," says Nedbank CEO Mike Brown, a former Chief Financial Officer himself. In a candid interview with CFO South Africa Brown talks about himself, growth opportunities in the rest of Africa, the importance of small businesses to jumpstart the South African economy and the characteristics that set brilliant CFOs apart from merely solid ones. "You need to be able to read the tea leaves and persuade others about what this means for the future and what the organisation needs to do differently as a result." Lourandi Kriel, CFO Fintech: Carving out her own role “You’ve earned the position – but the trick is to turn it into a role,” says major asset rental financier, Fintech CFO, Lourandi Kriel: in conversation about how only optimal functionality and absolute efficiency gets the job done. “The responsibility to define his or her own role lies with the CFO,” says Kriel. “I really believe every Chief Financial Officer needs to tell the CEO what kind of CFO they want to be. As a CFO you have to see where you want to get involved, where you can best make a difference.” Join us for the CFO Event on Digital Transformation Thursday September 11 at the Tintswalo at Waterfall In the new digital reality, people have the opportunity to freely share their opinions, experiences, ideas, emotions and complaints en masse and anonymously. Markets have never been so transparent, putting the customer back in charge. How can we understand this digital transformation, and see the financial opportunities and consequences for the business? Join this event with a Master Class with CFO Panel members August van Heerden, CFO Retail & Business Banking at Barclays and Mthoko Mncwabe, CIO at Postbank and Keynote speaker and CFO of the Year winner Simon Ridley, CFO at Standard Bank. Don’t miss out on this CFO Event from 4pm - 8pm and register now. Discuss with your peers issues on Digital Transformation and how it can help your company! 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. Join the ultimate peer to peer advisory network Various CFOs and finance directors from Nedbank, Transnet, SAB, Nike, Standard Charered Bank, Hollard, Absa, Business Connexion, Eskom, Super Group and Gauteng Department of Finance 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. Become a Partner of CFO South Africa Meet top CFOs, claim thought leadership, create value and develop business. Accenture, Cliffe Dekker Hofmeyr, Oracle, IBM, InnoVent, ACCA, SNG, Readsoft, CQS, IQ Business and Transparent have supported CFO South Africa. Just like us, they believe we can contribute to the growth of their business and network in South Africa. As a partner of CFO South Africa you find yourself in a network in which you can contribute to sharing knowledge, seizing opportunities and growing your business. Are you interested in partnering up? Please contact [email protected] Partners CFO South Africa: 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 improve your company, network, career and knowledge. CFO South Africa Events in 2014 Sept 11 Sandton | Digital Transformation Nov 13 Cape Town | Risk, Compliance & Control CFO South Africa Events in 2015 Feb 19 Cape Town | Moving into Africa Mar 19 Sandton | Get Smart in 2015 Apr 16 Sandton | Capital & Finance May 14 Sandton | CFO Awards 2015 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 working in companies with revenues exceeding 100 million rand. 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 and LinkedIn Stay up to date on what is happening in the world of finance by following us on Twitter @CFOSouthAfrica and LinkedIn. 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, Melle Eijckelhoff Director CFO South Africa | [email protected]

“As a commercially-orientated CFO, I like to play a leading role in business which is why Sasfin is good fit for me. It offers opportunities to broaden my horizons and that is what appeals to me,” says Tyrone Soondarjee, Financial Director at Sasfin bank and the JSE-listed Sasfin Holdings Group. Speaking about the Group, Soondarjee says: “We understand entrepreneurs, because we are entrepreneurial ourselves.”

Most CFOs will agree that it would be ideal if the talents in their finance team could be freed up to support the leadership with acquisitions, shareholder engagement and other value adding activities. Outsourcing company WNS Global Services offers them exactly that opportunity, says Johann Kunz, Managing Director at WNS in South Africa. “Outsourcing of financial functions is slowly taking off in South Africa and will become a standard part of a CFO’s toolkit,” says Kunz.

“This job has given meaning to driving Financial Inclusion in South Africa and doing good as a corporate citizen,” says Philip Panaino, division president South Africa in International Markets at MasterCard. “It has always been a passion for me to contribute to a truly inclusive financial environment. Here I am able to do that, whilst working for a large multinational. For me it is a perfect marriage, the best of two worlds.”

“Africa should be a net food exporter, but it is a net importer at the moment,” says Bikash Prasad, CFO South and East Africa at Olam International, a Singapore-headquartered integrated supply chain managing firm and processor of agricultural products and food ingredients. The Durban-based Prasad has a passion for the continent. “We want to play an important role in the growth of Africa,” he says.

“We don’t have to reinvent the wheel,” says Deon Fredericks, Acting Chief Financial Officer at Telkom, Africa's largest integrated communications company. Fredericks joined the then state-owned landline monopolist in 1993 as a senior manager in internal audit and has worked himself up the finance ladder in an admirable fashion. Fredericks says he fully supports CFO South Africa’s mission to connect the country’s finance leaders. “CFOs are starting to play a more significant role, specifically on strategy. It is very valuable to learn from each other.”

KPMG boss Moses Kgosana briefly interrupted his annual leave on Wednesday to meet with CFO South Africa founder Alex van Groningen and discuss the challenges that face south African CFOs. “CFOs are our biggest supporters and customers, so I want to be part of their community,” Kgosana said. “We can share information and experiences about the challenges we face from different angles. And I can learn a lot from the CFO community.”

Introducing the CFO Awards Jury Delphine Maidou is CEO of Allianz Global Corporate & Specialty Africa, one of the largest and most renowned insurance and financial services providers in the world. Delphine is one of the 12 jury members who have committed to be on the jury for the CFO Awards 2014. Together with the other members of the jury she will decide on who will win one of the 7 prestigious CFO awards. The event will be held May 15 at the beautiful Summer Place in Johannesburg. For more information visit cfoawards.co.za

CFO South Africa Newsletter | Thursday 10th of October Dear CFO South Africa member, The 5th CFO South Africa Event Focus on Growth and Innovation Building social platforms and strengthening relationships amongst top professionals has been one of the key elements during the first year of CFO South Africa’s existence. Thursday’s event was the biggest, boldest and best event so far, providing network opportunities and a host of parallel breakaway sessions where the country’s CFOs and top finance professionals could discuss the challenges and opportunities of the present and future. Download the Presentations Ross Hampton, Divisional Director of CQS, "Tomorrow's CFO" Fred Axsel and Robert Brine, IQ Business, "Managing risk for growth" Victor Sekese, Chief Executive of SizweNtsalubaGobodo, "Never underestimate people" Upcoming CFO South Africa Event On April 3rd, our next CFO South Africa Event will take place, titled, "Capital & Finance". Take a look at our upcoming events and register now. Don't miss out on any CFO South Africa events as seating is limited. Read Exclusive CFO South Africa Articles Steven Cohen, Sage Pastel: “It is time for the CFO to realize that he or she needs to embrace the power of technology” “I can see that the role of the CFO is changing to go beyond accounting. The CFO is in a position to invest in technology and deliver new value to the company. To benefit from technology they need to wake up and smell the coffee." Cohen is passionate about the way digital technology changes the role of CFOs and finance professionals. Dalu Majeke, National Treasury Republic of South Africa: “Having a common goal for this country – is crucial” As the finance man of the country’s finance department, he knows what it’s like to work under pressure. “We don’t value popularity in the department, but we want to be able to present a stable financial framework in trying times.” More CFO South Africa Articles Brett Parker, MD Southern Africa of SAP, "Don't overcustomize" Steve Killick, Partner at PwC, "Boards want more than spreadsheets" Kuda Makoni, Manager of Deloitte Consulting, "Innovation key for South African banks" Shahied Daniels, Chief Executive SAIPA, "Growth in the corporate world" Lance Tomlinson, Assurance Leader Africa EY, "Responsibility at the top of the food chain" Natasha Bell and Chantelle Booysen, Cassel & Company, "How to retain talent" Natalie Zimmelman, AAT South Africa, "Vocational training crucial for finance teams" Grant Robson and Richard Angus, The Finance Team, "Finding the click" Claudelle von Eck, CEO of the Institute of Internal Auditors South Africa, "Partner with CFOs Showcase your work on CFO South Africa’s Website! Showcase your work and that of your company to 3500 members of CFO South Africa. If you are interested send an email to Jurrien Morsch at [email protected]. Stay connected with CFO South Africa Become a member of CFO South Africa Stay on top of current updates in the world of finance and keep track of newly published interviews with CFOs and CEOs by becoming a member on the CFO South Africa Website. Follow CFO South Africa on Twitter Stay up to date and in the loop on what is happening in the world of finance by following us on Twitter @CFOSouthAfrica. Also to keep track of newly published interviews with CFOs and CEOs. Feel free to contact us Do you have any requests, please let us know. Any suggestions or comments are welcome. Kind Regards, Melle Eijckelhoff Director CFO South Africa | [email protected]

“We are not living in the information age anymore, but we have moved into the communication age, where social media and relationships are becoming crucial elements of our daily work.” Those were the words of Aarti Takoordeen, CFO of the JSE Limited, who gave a snappy, thought-provoking presentation during the 5th CFO South Africa event, which took place in the Saxon Boutique Hotel in Johannesburg on Thursday 3 October.

The 5th CFO South Africa Event will take place on October 3rd 2013, titled 'Managing Corporate Growth.' CFO South Africa, in collaboration with Oracle, CQS, Transparent, IQ Business and ReadSoft, is organizing this event at one of the top-rated hotels in the world, the Saxon Boutique Hotel in Sandton.

“We have a philosophy of employing the best people. Our success is about people, not about technology.” Those are the words of Asher Bohbot, founder and CEO of the South African IT company EOH. Bohbot on Friday spoke with CFO South Africa and explained how he has managed to grow a company in 15 years from scratch to a market leader of 6,500 employees. “Our motto is: doing things right the first time.”

“Don’t take the first job you get offered, when you have just done your articles,” says Craig Thompson, Managing Director in South Africa for recruitment firm Michael Page. On Thursday Thompson met with Melle Eijckelhoff, director of CFO South Africa, the networking platform for CFOs and Finance professionals.

From left to right in the picture: Steffie Bosman (CFO SA), Peter Walsh (Servest), Melle Eijckelhoff (CFO SA), Kudakwashe Chipanda (Johnson & Johnson Medical), Eric van Marle (Transparent), Morrison Smit (Ardor SA), Ranga Mabgwe (Stewart Scott International ), Jobo Moshesh (SITA), Errol Campbell (Edenred South Africa), Amanda Albäck (Tongaat Hulett Starch), Mariette Ebersohn (Mango Airlines) and Carolina van der Ark (Transparent).

From left to right in the picture: Michael Van Straten (Servest), Ronel Van Dijk (Spur Group), Rolam Ait Si Birouk CFO (Ropetec), Ian Blackie (Wesgro), Liezl Myburgh (Sanlam Investement Services), Van Zyl Botha (Randgold & Exploration Company), Graham Meyer (Tellumat), Alain Ozan (Oracle), Callen Hodgskiss (HPCA), Pieter Bensch (Oracle), Bhavana Sewlall-Singh (Western Cape Government) and Melle Eijckelhoff (CFO SA).

Companies that operate in Africa are usually looking for accountants with broad experience in sectors like manufacturing and acquisitions to fulfil their CFO roles. “Those people are rare,” says Bradley Barr, founder and partner of recruitment firm CA Global. “We need candidates that have a complete background,” adds Hugo Lambrechts, who is in charge of executive search for the company.

Ted Baxter, CFO of Norton Rose South Africa, was educated in Harare, Zimbabwe and came to South Africa in 1982. After a short period in the banking industry with Nedcor, he joined a manufacturing company in the accounts dept and within 2 years became financial accountant. It was at this time that he embarked on his studies to become a Chartered Secretary and Administrator (A.C.I.S.) and qualified in 1988, being registered in United Kingdom and South Africa. He is also registered as a public practitioner with the Institute. Ted joined the Boart Longyear International Group, head office, and became the group's assistant company secretary, before being appointed as Admin Manager & a divisional director at Boart Longyear Research Centre, responsible for their financial and administrative affairs. The work was extremely varied exposing Ted to the world of technology and its application in business, the setting up of time and billing, special projects, costing systems and converting research from a cost centre to a profit centre, obtaining joint funding from the CSIR and the establishment of a research centre in Ireland through obtaining financing from the Irish government and the negotiation of tax incentives. Ted sat on a number of committees in the worldwide group including finance & internal audits and IT.

PetroSA is South Africa's national oil company. It owns, operates and manages South Africa's petroleum industry commercial assets. The company was formed in January 2002 from the merger of three previous entities, Mossgas (Pty) Limited, Soekor (Pty) Limited, and parts of the Strategic Fuel Fund Association.