Join the 'Oscars' for South Africa's CFOs

The winners of this year's CFO Awards will be announced tomorrow - know who's who.

This year's finance Oscars are backed by new partners PwC, Workday, Nike and Drayton Glendower.

Claudelle von Eck, CEO of IIA SA, talks about her five years on the CFO Awards judging panel.

Currently CEO of the Motus division, ex-CFO Osman Arbee will take over from Mark Lamberti.

Victor Sekese, CEO of SizweNtsalubaGobodo, shares his thoughts on five years of judging the CFO Awards.

UJ's Ben Marx has judged the CFO Awards for the past five years and reflects on this time.

The young executive has been instrumental in helping the insurance company implement its FinTech strategy and make key acquisitions

Ajith has been the CFO of EY Africa since 2007 and has had a distinguished career that includes stints in senior positions at the Kellogg Company, Megapro Marketing and SABMiller

One of the people behind the creation of the flagship Waterfall City precinct, Melt has been picked to become the company's interim CEO

Nkonki will be the sponsor of the Young CFO of the Year Award at the 2018 CFO Awards. The fast-growing black-owned firm will also partner with CFO South Africa throughout 2018 to help CFOs and finance professionals boost their knowledge, network and career.

Silindile joined the National Treasury in April 2016 from the Auditor-General of South Africa

Rian is part of the exco responsible for determining group and financial strategy.

Glenn was appointed to the role of CFO in 2015

The esteemed panel of judges of the CFO Awards chatted to the majority of the 2018 nominees during a jam-packed interview week, hosted at the Sandton offices of law firm Webber Wentzel.

The Port Elizabeth-born executive won the Finance & Technology Award in 2016

Pushpender hold a BCom degree from Bikaner University and graduated as a chartered accountant from ICAI in India

The rigorous interview process for the CFO Awards 2018 kicked off in impressive fashion, with seven two-hour long interviews with SA's best finance leaders.

This is Tryphosa's second nomination, after she was put forward in 2014

Indian-born chartered accountant Udayan is a finance professional with 25 years' post-qualification experience

She is also a director of Kumba Iron Ore

A strategic business partner, Joe leads, plans, directs and influences multiple functions within finance in the Africa region

Liaan started in his current role in January 2014, after almost two years at Volvo Trucks

The chartered accountant has 21 years working experience in the retail, air transport, property management and construction industries

The chartered accountant is currently the Acting CFO for Monash South Africa and Finance Director, Laureate South Africa, and is pursuing a master's degree in international business

Rui has been the CFO and an executive director at Dis-Chem Pharmacies since August 2012

This is the long-serving executive's debut nomination

Peter has been lauded for his work at the facilities solutions company

Deloitte will be the principal sponsor at the 2018 CFO Awards. The firm will also partner with CFO South Africa throughout 2018 to help CFOs boost their knowledge, network and career.

He has been recognised for his efforts in driving finance transformation, African expansion and systems integration at the pharmaceutical multinational

Wayne has completed a trifecta of nominations, after also receiving recognition in 2017 and 2016

The University of Pretoria graduate has been recognised for his sterling work at the municipality

For the fifth year in a row, Investec has been named the best private bank and wealth manager in South Africa at the Global Private Banking Awards in the UK.

The organisation of the CFO Awards in South Africa, CFO South Africa, has suspended all awards received by Anoj Singh, until further notice. This has happened in close consultation with the current panel of judges.

Earlier this year, Ramasela Ganda won the Public Sector CFO of the Year Award for her incredible accomplishments at Ekurhuleni Municipality. She dedicated the prize to “all public servants that serve us diligently and with honesty” and referred specifically to public sector CFOs who have “lost their lives because they said no to corruption”. Long eschewing a CFO role in the private sector, she left Ekurhuleni at the end of last year and started as CFO: rental and corporate service at Barloworld, which had been courting her for quite a while.

The judges could not choose between EasyEquities and ThisIsMe and so, for the first time in African FinTech Awards history, there was a tie for overall winner at Finance Indaba Africa 2017 on Friday, 13 October, after two days of intense pitching battles.

Three category winners were announced at the end of a first day of pitches at the African FinTech Awards, part of Finance Indaba 2017 at the Sandton Convention Centre on Thursday, 12 October, with a couple of familiar faces dominating once again.

It didn’t take Till Streichert long to turn Vodacom’s finance team into a successful intelligence unit that keeps raising the bar globally. It is thus little wonder the German executive was named South Africa’s 2017 CFO of the Year, also walking away with the Strategy Execution and the Finance Transformation Awards. In this exclusive interview, Till tells us about the successful team transformation. “It was a stunning turnaround and an astonishing achievement for the finance team.”

The annual Guardian of Governance award has been bestowed upon the eight SABC journalists (dubbed the SABC 8) fired for speaking out against the broadcaster's decision to censor protest coverage.

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

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

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

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

“Strategy, strategy, strategy. In difficult economic times, it is critical that the CFO to manage, innovate and focus the company finances not only to survive short-term challenges, but to expand and grow in the long-term as well,” says the head of the University of Johannesburg’s accounting department, Professor Ben Marx.

Till Streichert (pictured), CFO of mobile communications company Vodacom Group, walked away with three awards at the 2017 CFO Awards in May. Besides claiming the coveted title of CFO of the Year, the quiet-spoken German national also scooped the Strategy Execution and Finance Transformation honours.

“CFOs need to be drivers of strategy. We need to look beyond financial reporting and management accounts and actually get involved in driving our businesses. At Transnet, we feel that the CFO is the the strategic enabler of the business. We feel that those in the profession from both public and private sectors should work together to drive economic growth in the country,” said Transnet CFO Garry Pita.

“The single most important thing that CFOs need to keep in mind in the years that lie ahead is how best to cut costs and drive efficiencies, ensuring that their businesses are sustainable in a difficult, low-growth environment,” said University of Pretoria Chancellor Wiseman Nkhulu.

KPMG won two prestigious accolades at the recent Private Equity Africa Awards 2017 (PEA Awards): Global Financial Advisor and Single Deal Advisor.

CFO Summit #3 on 14 June 2017 at the Summer Place in Johannesburg’s Hyde Park continues our efforts to bring the very best CFOs and experts together for exceptional learning and networking.

“CFOs are the custodians of capital and capital drives a lot of decision-making. Many people don’t look beyond the bottom line, but beyond the economic realities, there are socio-economic issues. CFOs need to start focusing on how they can use capital and explore synergistic opportunities to address not just company issues, but those of the broader community,” said Clover finance boss Elton Bosch, who is widely regarded as one of the leading CFOs in the country.

Website CFO.co.za welcomed 18,444 visitors in the month of May 2017, a new record for the online hub for finance executives. Posts about the 2017 Finance Indaba Africa and the 2017 CFO Awards were among the best read, along with this news article about the recently announced collaboration between accounting bodies SAICA and CIMA.

CFOs of two of The Netherlands most famous retailers have received CFO Awards during a celebratory ceremony at the end of CFO Day, a full day of learning and networking attended by 500 Dutch finance executives in the coastal town of Noordwijk. The awards went to Jeff Carr (pictured left) of Ahold Delhaize and Ron Hemmer (pictured below) of Hunkemöller.

South African FinTech company, Entersekt has won the Judges' Choice: Best Technology Provider at the fourth Banker Africa East Africa Awards held recently at a gala dinner in Nairobi. In April, the firm won the award for Best Mobile Security Technology in the 2017 Banker Africa Southern Africa Banking Awards for the second year in a row.

Wayne Koonin, CFO of Omnia, led a strategy to implement a new, company-wide ERP system and IT platform as a basis for taking the business to a new level. For this, Wayne won the Finance & Technology Award at the recent CFO Awards, held on 11 May at Summer Place in Johannesburg.

At the recent CFO Awards, held on 11 May at the stunning Summer Place in Johannesburg, Debbie Ransby of pharmaceutical firm Takeda Africa walked away with the Moving into Africa Award, received largely because of her change management work in Egypt, where she faced numerous tough challenges, including diverse cultures and complex business practices.

For his diligent and forward-looking approach to risk and audit, Investec CFO Nishlan Samujh went home with the Compliance & Governance Award at this year’s CFO Awards, held on 11 May at Summer Place in Johannesburg.

Transnet CFO Garry Pita won the Transformation & Empowerment Award at this year’s CFO Awards, held on 11 May at Summer Place, Johannesburg, thanks to the massive role he plays in boosting preferential procurement and development of suppliers.

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

Cipla Sub-Saharan Africa CFO Nishant Saxena received the highly coveted Young CFO of the Year Award, for finance leaders who are 40 years or younger, as well as the High Performance Team Award, at this year's CFO Awards, held on 11 May at Summer Place, Johannesburg.

For his executive role in ensuring ongoing success at telecoms behemoth Vodacom, CFO Till Streichert received three awards at this year’s CFO Awards, held on 11 May at Summer Place, Johannesburg. Till walked away with the most coveted award – CFO of the Year – as well as the Strategy Execution and Finance Transformation Awards.

Hosted by globally renowned public speaker, venture capitalist and entrepreneur Vusi Thembekwayo, yesterday’s CFO master class sought to bring to light the uncomfortable issues about inequality, the real impact of BEE and the prejudices that business leaders still have – be they white or black. Vusi opened the session with some chilling words, saying that one of the greatest lies told about South Africa is that the country had a peaceful transition to a democratic state.

Till Streichert, chief financial officer of mobile communications company Vodacom Group, has been named South Africa's CFO of the Year at the 2017 CFO Awards.

The long wait for the annual ‘Oscars for South African CFOs', which recognise CFOs of listed companies, large corporations, state-owned entities and government institutions, and awards them for outstanding performance and leadership, is finally over.

With the excitement building ahead of the CFO Awards 2017 later today, we thought we would give you a taste of what is to come with scenes from last year's extravaganza. The annual 'Oscars for South African CFOs' recognise CFOs of listed companies, large corporations, state-owned entities and government institutions, and awards them for outstanding performance and leadership.

Venture capitalist, entrepreneur and public speaker extraordinaire Vusi Thembekwayo has earned plaudits (including from the likes of Nelson Mandela) and enthralled audiences all over the world with his lessons from the public speaking pulpit, which began when he was a teenager.

With CFO Awards 2017 just eight days away, CFO SA MD Graham Fehrsen has expressed his excitement at the development of the event. The annual 'Oscars for South African CFOs', to be held on 11 May, recognise CFOs of listed companies, large corporations, state-owned entities and government institutions, and awards them for outstanding performance and leadership.

Global recruitment giant Michael Page has come aboard as a sponsor of the High Performance Team Awards at CFO Awards 2017. Founded in 1976 in London, the prestigious firm has a presence in key markets around the world and its extensive database of 1,8 million qualified professionals gives it a key advantage.

The CFO Awards are not just about celebrating the achievements of finance leaders and having an enjoyable night out, but it is also an opportunity for learning and networking.

Afrimat FD Pieter de Wit has been nominated for the 2017 CFO Awards. The annual 'Oscars for South African CFOs', to be held on 11 May, recognise CFOs of listed companies, large corporations, state-owned entities and government institutions, and awards them for outstanding performance and leadership.

Primedia CFO Chris Patricios has been nominated for the 2017 CFO Awards. The annual 'Oscars for South African CFOs', to be held on 11 May, recognise CFOs of listed companies, large corporations, state-owned entities and government institutions, and awards them for outstanding performance and leadership.

Department of Energy CFO Yvonne Chetty has been nominated for the 2017 CFO Awards, following up her nomination in 2016. The annual 'Oscars for South African CFOs', to be held on 11 May, recognise CFOs of listed companies, large corporations, state-owned entities and government institutions, and awards them for outstanding performance and leadership.

“We are delighted to be associated with CFO SA. This forum provides a critical support mechanism for South African CFOs, where they can access best practice, share information with their peers and be showcased for their contributions,” says Mitesh Patel, Managing Director of Nkonki, a 100-percent black-owned audit and advisory firm and the sponsors of this year’s ‘Young CFO of the Year’ Award. We caught up with Mitesh for a quick chat.

Capetonian Nik Rabinowitz is one of the country’s most well-known stand-up comedians and is renowned for his cutting wit. International appearances include Australia, Canada, Holland, the United Kingdom, the USA, and Zimbabwe. He’s been a guest on BBC 2’s Mock the Week, performed at London’s Royal Albert Hall, and intentionally driven on the wrong side of the road in Nigeria. We spoke to him about finance, comedy and his appearance as emcee at the CFO Awards 2017.

National Empowerment Fund (NEF) CFO Innocentia Pule has been nominated for the 2017 CFO Awards. The annual 'Oscars for South African CFOs', to be held on 11 May, recognise CFOs of listed companies, large corporations, state-owned entities and government institutions, and awards them for outstanding performance and leadership.

Great news for CFOs that want to boost their knowledge, network and career in 2017: professional services firm Deloitte will be the principal partner at the 2017 CFO Awards and will also be throwing its weight behind a number of learning sessions during CFO Summits for both the private as the public sector. Their experts and specialists will also be on hand to provide insight and challenge assumptions through publications in CFO Magazine and on this website.

Transnet CFO Garry Pita has been nominated for the 2017 CFO Awards. The annual 'Oscars for South African CFOs', to be held on 11 May, recognise CFOs of listed companies, large corporations, state-owned entities and government institutions, and awards them for outstanding performance and leadership.

Sasfin CFO Lushen Pather has been nominated for the 2017 CFO Awards. The annual 'Oscars for South African CFOs', to be held on 11 May, recognise CFOs of listed companies, large corporations, state-owned entities and government institutions, and awards them for outstanding performance and leadership.

The CFO Awards 2017 interview process is well underway, with close to half the nominees already having shared their views on a range of questions pertaining to strategy, compliance, leadership, transformation and governance, with the CFO editorial team and members of the judging panel. Thomson Reuters MD for Africa, Sneha Shah, JSE CFO Aarti Takordeen, new Discovery CFO, Deon Viljoen, and Professor Wiseman Nkuhlu, SA's first black CA, are among those on the judging panel.

CFO of Oceana Group Imraan Soomra has been nominated for the 2017 CFO Awards. Soomra won the Transformation & Empowerment Award at the CFO Awards 2015. The annual 'Oscars for South African CFOs', to be held on 11 May, recognise CFOs of listed companies, large corporations, state-owned entities and government institutions, and awards them for outstanding performance and leadership.

South African-based mobile payment providers FinTechs Zoona and Wealth Migrate have placed in KPMG and H2 Ventures’s FinTech 100 for 2016 list of the most influential startups in the space.

CFO of Cipla Sub-Saharan Africa Nishant Saxena has been nominated for the 2017 CFO Awards for his executive role in ensuring ongoing success at the pharmaceutical giant. The annual 'Oscars for South African CFOs', to be held on 11 May, recognise CFOs of listed companies, large corporations, state-owned entities and government institutions, and awards them for outstanding performance and leadership.

Vodacom CFO Till Streichert has been nominated for the 2017 CFO Awards for his executive role in ensuring ongoing success at the telecoms behemoth. The annual 'Oscars for South African CFOs', to be held on 11 May, recognise CFOs of listed companies, large corporations, state-owned entities and government institutions, and awards them for outstanding performance and leadership.

Takeda Pharmaceuticals CFO Debbie Ransby has this year been nominated for a CFO Award for her efforts at the multinational over the past year. The annual 'Oscars for South African CFOs', to be held on 11 May, recognise CFOs of listed companies, large corporations, state-owned entities and government institutions, and awards them for outstanding performance and leadership.

“For me as a proud CFO it is a very touching experience being nominated and I feel quite privileged. To be acknowledged for one’s work is not an often-done thing in the world today. One works very hard but to get acknowledged is not easy,” says Rajesh Mahabeer (pictured), CFO of SANParks, one of the 25 nominees for this year’s CFO Awards.

The judging process for the CFO Awards 2017 is now underway after Peregrine CFO Robert Katz was asked a range of questions relating to strategic execution, transformation, high-performance teams and compliance.

CFO for the Johannesburg Metro Reggie Boqo has been nominated for the 2017 CFO Awards. The annual 'Oscars for South African CFOs', to be held on 11 May, recognises CFOs of listed companies, large corporations, state-owned entities and government institutions and awards them for outstanding performance and leadership.

"There is a lot of hyperbole about blockchain right now: blockchain will change everything and become the beating heart of finance. Finance is a big thing for blockchain. Banks have a lot of interest in the potential for cross-border remittances, for instance. There are many other applications. Blockchain can replace letters of credit and be used for smart contracts. I think it is going to create new business models and surprise us," says BankyMoon CEO Lorien Gamaroff.

Multinational mass media and information firm Thomson Reuters is sponsoring the award for Finance Transformation at the CFO Awards 2017. In 2016, the accolade was scooped by ABI Finance Director Walter Leonhardt. The annual 'Oscars for South African CFOs', to be held on 11 May, recognises CFOs of listed companies, large corporations, state-owned entities and government institutions, and awards them for outstanding performance and leadership.

Acting CFO for the Tshwane Metro Umar Banda has been nominated for the 2017 CFO Awards. The annual 'Oscars for South African CFOs', to be held on 11 May, recognises CFOs of listed companies, large corporations, state-owned entities and government institutions and awards them for outstanding performance and leadership.

Ramasela Ganda has been nominated for the 2017 CFO Awards for her achievements while heading up the financial division of the City of Ekurhuleni. The annual 'Oscars for South African CFOs', to be held on 11 May, recognises CFOs of listed companies, large corporations, state-owned entities and government institutions and awards them for outstanding performance and leadership.

Barclays has been named ‘Wealth Manager of the Year’ in the Middle East for the third consecutive year by asset management publication Global Investor. The award was announced during the 2016 Global Investor/ISF MENA Awards ceremony, held in Dubai.

Nopasika Lila has been nominated for a CFO Award in 2017 for her sterling work at the Eskom Pension and Provident Fund (EPPF). The annual 'Oscars for South African CFOs', to be held on 11 May, recognises CFOs of listed companies, large corporations, state-owned entities and government institutions and awards them for outstanding performance and leadership.

Accounting firm SizweNtsalubaGobodo (SNG) has once again thrown its weight behind the CFO Awards by once again sponsoring the award for Compliance and Governance, which was won by ABI Finance Director Walter Leonhardt in 2016. The annual 'Oscars for South African CFOs', to be held on 11 May, recognises CFOs of listed companies, large corporations, state-owned entities and government institutions and awards them for outstanding performance and leadership.

Investec Group CFO Nishlan Samujh has been nominated for a CFO Award in 2017. The annual 'Oscars for South African CFOs', to be held on 11 May, recognises CFOs of listed companies, large corporations, state-owned entities and government institutions and awards them for outstanding performance and leadership.

Nedbank CFO Raisibe Morathi has been nominated for a CFO Award in 2017, following her nomination in 2015. The annual 'Oscars for South African CFOs', to be held on 11 May, recognises CFOs of listed companies, large corporations, state-owned entities and government institutions and awards them for outstanding performance and leadership.

Peregrine CFO Robert Katz has being nominated for a CFO Award in 2017, after being put forward for an award in 2016 as well. The annual 'Oscars for South African CFOs', to be held on 11 May, recognises CFOs of listed companies, large corporations, state-owned entities and government institutions and awards them for outstanding performance and leadership.

AFGRI group financial director Johan Geel has followed his 2016 nomination by being nominated for a CFO Award in 2017. The annual 'Oscars for South African CFOs', to be held on 11 May, recognises CFOs of listed companies, large corporations, state-owned entities and government institutions and awards them for outstanding performance and leadership.

Financial director Elton Bosch's work at Clover has been recognised with a nomination for a CFO Award. The annual 'Oscars for South African CFOs', to be held on 11 May, recognises CFOs of listed companies, large corporations, state-owned entities and government institutions and awards them for outstanding performance and leadership.

Rajesh Mahabeer has been recognised for his work at SANParks by being nominated for a CFO Award. The annual 'Oscars for South African CFOs', to be held on 11 May, recognises CFOs of listed companies, large corporations, state-owned entities and government institutions and awards them for outstanding performance and leadership.

Arina McDonald has been recognised for her work at Atlas Mara by being nominated for a CFO Award. The annual 'Oscars for South African CFOs', to be held on 11 May, recognises CFOs of listed companies, large corporations, state-owned entities and government institutions and awards them for outstanding performance and leadership.

Mark Godfrey has been nominated for a CFO Award for his work at supermarket behemoth Spar. He was last put forward for an award in 2015. The annual 'Oscars for South African CFOs', to be held on 11 May, recognises CFOs of listed companies, large corporations, state-owned entities and government institutions and awards them for outstanding performance and leadership.

Charl Keyter has once again been nominated for a CFO Award for his outstanding achievements at Sibanye Gold, after also being nominated for a gong at the 2016 edition of the awards. The annual 'Oscars for South African CFOs', to be held on 11 May, recognises CFOs of listed companies, large corporations, state-owned entities and government institutions and awards them for outstanding performance and leadership.

“Setting a target, being clear about it and measuring it are some of the key ingredients for my success,” says Reeza Isaacs, group finance director at Woolworths, who was elected CFO of the Year 2016 at the CFO Awards on 12 May. Reeza talks to us about his adventures in Australia, acquiring a new brand, his passion for transformation, and changing the mindset of the business to focus on balance sheet and return on capital.

Nichola Dewar has been nominated for a CFO Award for her sterling work as the CFO of Postbank at the South African Post Office, where she has since taken over the reigns as CFO. The annual 'Oscars for South African CFOs', to be held on 11 May, recognises CFOs of listed companies, large corporations, state-owned entities and government institutions and awards them for outstanding performance and leadership.

Omnia Holdings CFO Wayne Koonin has once again been nominated for the CFO Awards, after being put forward in 2016 as well. The annual 'Oscars for South African CFOs', to be held on 11 May, recognises CFOs of listed companies, large corporations, state-owned entities and government institutions and awards them for outstanding performance and leadership.

London’s Financial Times recognised Investec Private Banking and Wealth & Investment as the best private bank and wealth manager in South Africa (for the fourth consecutive year) at the Global Private Banking Awards.

MMI Holdings group CFO Mary Vilakazi has been nominated for the 2017 edition of the CFO Awards.The annual 'Oscars for South African CFOs', to be held on 11 May, recognises CFOs of listed companies, large corporations, state-owned entities and government institutions and awards them for outstanding performance and leadership.

Growing up poor motivated Sihle Ndlovu to pursue a career in finance. In 2016, this now 35-year-old SAIPA member is on track to complete his PhD in Business Administration and recently received an #Agristars recognition award worth R50,000 from the Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, sponsored by the MTN Foundation.

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.”

ABSA Capital, Rand Merchant Bank (RMB) and Nedbank took home big awards at the 15th annual Spire awards, hosted by the JSE. ABSA Capital, RMB and Nedbank were crowned winners of the Best Bonds House, Best Fixed Income and Currencies House, Best FX House and Best Research House and Best Interest Derivative House respectively. RMB alone took home a total of 11 awards on the evening. Bernard Claassens (pictured), Manager: Fixed Income at the JSE, said:

FNB has been named the ‘Most Innovative Bank’ of 2016. At the African FinTech Awards (#afta16), a heavyweight panel of judges chose the popular bank over fellow finalists Absa and Standard Bank in the ‘Incumbent Bank’ category. FNB also received the most online votes, taking home the ‘Public Award’ in the same category.

Award-winning finance executive Greg Davis has been named Chief Financial Officer of Ecobank Transnational Incorporated (ETI). From 18 October 2016 he will be responsible for overseeing and ensuring strategic management of all financial and fiscal aspects of the bank’s finance operations from its headquarters in the West-African country Togo.

Conversation flowed and sumptuous food was enjoyed during a inspirational get-together of the panel of judges for the 2017 CFO Awards. One of the highlights of the evening was the judging panel welcoming Prof Wiseman Nkuhlu, Chancellor of the University of Pretoria, in their midst. Wiseman is South Africa's first black Chartered Accountant and an incredibly experienced boardroom expert. CFO SA Graham Fehrsen thanked him for adding even more gravitas and quality to the - already impressive - judging panel.

To date, some 11,000 votes have been received (and just keep on coming), and as many as 200 companies entered into the African FinTech Awards. At present, the five top-scoring companies are Wala (1,200 votes), Vuga Pay (1,155 votes), Branch (980 votes), Yoco (420 votes), and MyBucks (358 votes).

Some 3,300 votes have already been received for the African FinTech Awards since the launch of the voting competition two weeks ago. At present, top-scoring companies include Wala (508 votes), Sureswipe (255), Wealthmigrate (217), Simplepay (204), Mobicred (178).

CFO South Africa chose to honour Simon Ridley (pictured), recently retired FD of Standard Bank and CFO of the Year 2014, as well as esteemed member of this year’s judging panel, by presenting him with a Lifetime Achievement Award at this year’s CFO Awards. Unfortunately, Simon was unable to accept the award in person and spend the evening celebrating with his peers, as he was touring Namibia on a motorbike at the time of the event. Simon’s colleague, Luvuyo Masinda, CFO Corporate and Investment Banking (CIB), accepted the award on his behalf. Masinda said:

“I was not prepared to make a speech but thank you for the kind words and thank you for the award. I retired [from Remgro] at the end of March so it’s also for me a cherry on the cake at the end of my career,” said Leon Crouse, on receiving a Lifetime Achievement Award at the CFO Awards 2016, held on 12 May at the beautiful Summer Place. Professor Wiseman Nkuhlu, chancellor of the University of Pretoria, South Africa’s first black chartered accountant and role model for many finance professionals, presented Leon with his award.

What is your favourite FinTech company? Head to www.fintech-africa.com and cast your vote for the African FinTech Awards 2016! Help Africa prosper and support the development of new and innovative financial services and boost financial inclusion. This is your chance to be part of the process and determine which company is the hottest prospect in the FinTech scene in 2016.

“Just being recognised as CFOs is great, along with the fact that we are making an impact in the business community. I would like to thank CFO South Africa and the sponsors for this event," said Christine Ramon, CFO of AngloGold Ashanti, on receiving this year’s Finance and Technology Award at the CFO Awards 2016, held on 12 May at the stunning Summer Place. Pictured right: Christine Ramon with Kholiwe Makhohliso (Oracle) Christine was joined at the awards by her three CA siblings: Justine Mazzocco (exco member Deloitte), Veran Kathan (CFO Vodacom Business Africa) and Mark Kathan (CFO AECI), the latter a nominee of the CFO Awards in both 2015 and 2016.

“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.

Graham Fehrsen, CFO South Africa MD, has spent the last few weeks visiting several of this year’s CFO Awards winners to deliver personalised CFO Awards. He shares the experience with us.