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Debating the 'why' - public sector CFOs discuss change management

“Sometimes we change just for the sake of changing, without understanding the drivers bringing about that change. But in order to deal with any change situation, you need to understand the reasons behind the change,” said Dumisani Ntombela, Academic Director at Worldsview Academy and an independent organisational development and strategic human resources management professional.

CFO Awards 2016: glitz, glam & winners at Oscars of SA's finance profession

Woolworths Group FD Reeza Isaacs was named CFO of the Year 2016 during a spectacular CFO Awards Conference and Gala Dinner at the Summer Place in Hyde Park, Johannesburg. Our senior editor Toni Muir jotted down quotes throughout the evening and we have used the best ones to recap the amazing event, dubbed the Oscars of South Africa's finance profession by many CFOs.

Can the CFO be a true business partner, and is there really such as thing as control, pondered SA's public sector CFOs

“The biggest challenge for public sector CFOs is supporting the mandate. Some mandates are unfunded or contradictory,” said one of the participants at last night’s round table for public sector CFOs, held at the Menlyn Boutique Hotel. The evening’s discussion centered on effective communication and reporting to stay in control, and posed the questions of whether or not the public sector CFO can be a true business partner, and whether it is possible to ever really have control of the business. See pictures from the event here.

Local talent in the spotlight at smashing CFO event 'Moving into Africa'

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.

Standing up for what's right - public sector CFOs discuss leadership and fear

A round table for public sector CFOs took a fascinating turn when one of the participants told how she had stood up against wrongdoing and taken her superiors to court. Hosted by CFO South Africa and partner KPMG the discussion on 15 March 2016 at the Marion on Nicol focused on leadership, and specifically asked whether good leadership and its relationship with fear.

FinTech Africa event: fascinating insights in #blockchain at Barclays Rise

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.

The new public sector CFO: agile, empowered, customer-centric

Agility, customer-centricity and changing the way people see the public sector CFO were the central themes dominating the CFO public sector round table, held on 23 February 2016 at Summer Place in Hyde Park, Johannesburg. Moderated by Terrence Taylor, General Manager: Talent, Analytics, Leadership and Learning at Discovery, key speakers included Quentin Green, City Power CFO and Edson Magondo, Head of Public Sector KPMG, though the lively discussion elicited comment from nearly all attendees.

What can CFOs and entrepreneurs learn from each other?

CFOs and entrepreneurs are known to sometimes bump heads. Why wouldn't they, there's so much to disagree on. But, if last night's CFO South Africa event was anything to go by, these two actually have more to agree on than disagree. The master class aimed to answer the question, 'What can CFOs and entrepreneurs learn from each other?' The conclusion was that they certainly can learn from each other if they just open their minds; the "crankier" CFO learning to be more open to risk, the "cowboy" entrepreneur paying more attention to the figures. And ultimately, both need to be aware of the "higher purpose" they are working towards.

Asking the right questions - CFOs discuss big data

Working with big data can enable CFOs and their companies to innovate, interrogate and turn the finance department in a profit centre, rather than an expense. This only starts to yield results, though, when business intelligence allows finance bosses to “answer sufficiently interesting questions”.

Think globally & grow up - successful FinTech event in Cape Town

South African FinTech companies need to adopt an attitude of abundance, learn to “think globally” and then “grow up and do the hard work”. Those were some of the conclusions of the incredibly successful and well-attended FinTech Africa event in Cape Town on Tuesday 20 October 2015. “We have been overwhelmed by the response,” FinTech Africa MD Graham Fehrsen candidly admitted. “Never in our wildest dreams had we expected such a large audience and such fantastic speakers.”

Lessons from Alexander Forbes at inspiring CFO Master Class

"If you think you have a good deal, look at all the stakeholders again and craft an exceptional deal." That was one of the messages from Deon Viljoen, CFO at Alexander Forbes, at the CFO event 'Executing an effective growth strategy' at the Nedbank headquarters in Johannesburg on 30 July 2015. Viljoen was elected CFO of the Year in May and his rendition of the way he has dealt with the turbulent recent history at the country's biggest pension funds administrator made it clear why. "I have aged in dog years, but also have gained dog years experience," he said.

FinTech Africa event: as it happened (with all the tweets!)

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.

CFO event: the pillars of the CFO as Business Partner

CFO Deon Viljoen of Alexander Forbes summarised Thursday’s CFO event at KPMG’s Wanooka Place as “really stimulating and brilliant discussion”, a telling qualification by the man who was elected CFO of the Year just last month. Participants eventually went home with many insights to mull over after an afternoon that didn’t only see a star-studded line up, but also provided a platform for deep meaningful conversations about the way CFOs can influence and drive growth as business partners.

CFO Awards 2015: as it happened (with all the quotes!)

Alexander Forbes CFO Deon Viljoen was named CFO of the Year 2015 last night during an incredibly successful CFO Conference and Gala Dinner at the Summer Place in Hyde Park, Johannesburg. Our dynamic reporter Ebrahim Moolla roamed the event and jotted down quotes throughout the evening. I included the best ones in this recap of the event.

Great insight into African tax by KPMG's top experts

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.

Great energy at launch of FinTech Africa community

A group of energetic investors, entrepreneurs, bankers and lawyers met at the office of Norton Rose Fulbright in Sandton on Tuesday 17 March 2015 to discuss the massive opportunities FinTech initiatives have to propel change in Africa. They gathering was the founding meeting of FinTech Africa, a new community that aims to provide robust peer to peer interaction, enabling synergies and acting as an incubator for exciting ideas.

Lifehacker Martijn Aslander warns CFOs for 'weapons of mass disruption'

After dazzling the CFOs and other top finance professionals with a barrage of inspiring technological innovations, visionary speaker and entrepreneur Martijn Aslander sounded the clarion call for a people-centered digital revolution. “In the next ten years, the world will have changed more than it has in the last century.”

CFOs shaken out of comfort zone during Get Smart event

CFOs were rattled out of their comfort zone yesterday during our Get Smart in 2015 event, hosted at the JSE Limited in Sandton, Johannesburg. In an extremely well-received key note speech, Martijn Aslander - from The Netherlands - told finance leaders they need to adapt or risk becoming obsolete. He talked the audience through a number of exciting innovations and disruptive developments that will change the world within the next 10 years. “In the future it is no longer about what you own or what you do, but it is about your attitude and your ability to adapt.”

Minister Ivan Meyer gives CFOs insights in the public & private sector

“I was so happy to be here today because it has given me the confidence that we have capable financial skills here in South Africa,” said Dr Ivan Meyer, minister for finance in the Western Cape after attending the CFO South Africa event Risk, Compliance & Control Forum at the Cape Town Club on Thursday night. “This CFO forum confirmed to me that the CFOs in the public and private sectors are very capable.”

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”.

Fascinating insights at Digital Transformation event

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.

Peter Goss (SizweNtsalubaGobodo) gives CFOs insight in fraud risks

A fascinating talk on the governance of fraud risks was one of the highlights of a very successful CFO South Africa event around Corporate Growth on 10 July 2014 in the immaculate Saxon Boutique Hotel in Johannesburg. It was Peter Goss, Head of Forensics at audit and advisory firm SizweNtsalubaGobodo (SNG), who captivated CFOs and finance leaders with a master class on the detection, prevention and governance of corruption and fraud.

Standard Bank's Simon Ridley named CFO of the Year 2014

InnoVent and Transparent impress at Capital & Finance event

Ground breaking businesses InnoVent and Transparent presented impressive masterclasses during a well-attended CFO South Africa event in the Tintswalo at Waterfall 5-star Boutique Hotel just north of Johannesburg. The theme of the gathering on Thursday 10 April was Capital & Finance and the attending CFOs and finance experts were treated to new ideas and a range of innovative solutions.

'Get Smart' Event: InnoVent offers fascinating insights in rental of depreciating assets

Smart CFOs save money by renting fast-depreciating assets like IT-equipment, instead of buying them. That was the message of Shane Merriman, Managing Director at InnoVent Rental & Asset Management Solutions. During the CFO South Africa ‘Get Smart’ event of 13 March 2014 in the Saxon Boutique Hotel in Johannesburg, Merriman gave the attending CFOs some fascinating and challenging insights in ways to make money go further.

Focus on growth and innovation at successful 5th CFO South Africa Event

“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.

CFO Round Table: 'Transforming a day in the life of a CFO'

From left to right: Juan Mostert (Dell South and Central Africa), Grant Scrutton (Winhold), Ranga Mabgwe (Stewart Scott International Mafuri), Melle Eijckelhoff (CFO South Africa), Philip Nottingham (abe Construction Chemicals), Alain Ozan (Oracle), Craig Coltman (De Beers) and Sandeep Gandhi (Village Reef Gold Mining Company). Other participants were: Anbann Chetti (Nedbank Corporate Banking), Ian Graham (General Electric Oil & Gas & General Electric Southern Africa), Nichola Dewar (Postbank), Werner Barnard (Kraft Foods) and Pieter Bensch (Oracle).

Top CFOs discuss challenges during Executive Dinner

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).

Successful Round Table CFO SA in Johannesburg

First CFO South Africa event in Cape Town huge success

Thursday 1 November marked the first ever event organised by CFO South Africa. At the offices of DLA Cliffe Dekker Hofmeyr in Cape Town we welcomed over 80 finance professionals from companies such as Nedbank, Accenture, Jasco, Transparent, Nebula, Alexander Forbes, Ernst & Young, Allan Gray, Zando, Kumba Iron Ore, KPMG, PwC, Sanlam, Olam International, Soitec, Old Mutual and IBM.