Help grow the CFO South Africa community

A celebration of the power of finance: CFO Awards interviews in full swing

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.

CFOs and HR execs must BE THE CHANGE

Join CFO SA, CHRO SA, Workday and Magda Wierzycka at the upcoming 'Be the Change' event.

Raising the bar: interviews nominees CFO Awards 2018 kick off

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.

The AWCA restores credence to the CA(SA) designation

The actions of a few CAs are not a reflection of the entire CA(SA) population, says the AWCA

Be the change: Magda Wierzycka keynote at CFO + CHRO event

Sygnia CEO Magda Wierzycka is a keynote speaker during the star-studded season opener of CFO South Africa and CHRO South Africa on 15 February 2018.

Breaking! Deloitte partners with CFO SA and CFO Awards 2018

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.

Business needs to help shape SA's future: CFO Summit looks to 2018

Finance executives who flocked to the last CFO Summit of year in Johannesburg were treated to exclusive insights from Standard Bank's 'super economist' and treated to a thought-provoking panel discussion with business leaders.

The founder's spirit: Investec CFO and Yuppiechef co-founder at CFO Summit 5

What is the secret sauce that founders bring to a business? And how can finance help facilitate keeping the spirit alive in a growing company? Those were some of the questions explored by award-winning Investec CFO Nishlan Samujh, Yuppiechef co-founder Paul Galatis and Oracle's Armin Moradi.

Getting to grips with the future of work at CFO Summit 5

Technology, Big Data and social networks are all having a massive impact on the workplace and how employees communicate, collaborate and go about their business. A new generation of workforces are more diverse than ever before and have ditched the traditional career model of remaining loyal to a single firm until the gold watch

CFOs have a huge role to play in driving internal and external automation - CFO Summit 5

Business automation and robotic process automation (RPA) is no longer an experiment and will move ahead at a rate of knots in the years to come. Those companies that do not come onboard with automation processes will find themselves on an uneven footing with their competitors and will be unable to attract and develop top talent. At the same time, finance departments and executives have struggled to get a handle on it. How much efficiency and performance can you derive from automation and what skills are needed to take the next step?

Harness technology to navigate regulatory flood - Executives urge forward thinking at CFO Summit 4

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

Cloud power and volatility's opportunity: jam-packed Cape Town CFO Summit

In an ever more volatile world, chief financial officers constantly have to revise their strategies to anticipate changing markets and currencies, particularly when considering large-scale acquisitions.

Productivity ninjas: 'work smarter' workshop a massive success

“As a knowledge worker, thinking is at the essence of what you do. The key to success in knowledge work (adding value to information) is good thinking, good decisions and good attention,” said Marcel van den Berg from Think Productive. Marcel was giving a two-day productivity workshop, ‘Work Smarter not Harder’, on 14 and 15 March in Johannesburg.

Towards a cashless society: FinTech Africa event

Financial inclusion, APIs, India, sentient fridges and blockchain technologies were all on the agenda as some of the continent’s leading FinTech visionaries applied their minds to the hot topic of the future of payments in the first FinTech Africa event of the year, held at Rand Merchant Bank’s Merchant Place campus in Sandton, Johannesburg, on Tuesday.

Cybersecurity in the spotlight in first CFO Summit for 2017

“If traditional information security is about building a broad defence against attack, cybersecurity is really an attacker-centric approach. It's the knowledge of your attacker that drives your cyberinitiatives,” said Sean Howell (pictured), MD of Redshift Cyber Security, during this morning’s CFO masterclass on The Art of Breaking In, presented as part of the CFO Summit 2017. Howell, a professional hacker, provided welcome, albeit unsettling, insight and encouraged CFOs to start thinking like attackers in order to best protect themselves and their organisations. All businesses are at risk because all businesses possess information that it vital to their operations and thus vulnerable to exploitation from hackers, he added.

Deloitte celebrates Reporting Accountants award at DealMakers Gala 2017

Professional services firm Deloitte went home with the Reporting Accountants awards by Deal Flow during the 16th annual DealMakers Gala Awards Banquet on 15 February 2017 at the Sandton Convention Centre. A jovial CFO South Africa MD Graham Fehrsen handed the prize to Deloitte's senior manager Aubrey Sebothoma, together with DealMakers director Marylou Greig. KPMG won the Reporting Accounts award by Deal Value, just like last year.

Policeman and enabler: CFOs discuss risk, tech and culture

With cybercrime, Brexit and the surprising result of the US elections affecting economic sentiment, these are unpredictable times. The modern CFO has to contend with the risks of this environment, acting as both policeman and enabler, but relinquishing the natural tendency to forgo all risk.

Finance Indaba Africa 2016 - Day 1 Roundup - #findaba16

Well over 3000 finance professionals came to the Sandton Convention Centre on 13 October for the first day of the very first Finance Indaba Africa, an expo and conference that has announced itself as the annual highlight on the calendar of South Africa's finance professionals. With 75 exhibitors, 120 speakers and incredible energy levels, the success of the event was firmly established - attendees and partner organisations alike enjoying massive value from the interactions, learning and sharing of knowledge.

Disrupt, or be disrupted - CFOs discuss digital transformation

“By show of hands, how many people in the room have begun a digital transformation project in the last 12 months?” CFO South Africa MD Graham Fehrsen asked the crowd during his welcoming at the first Johannesburg breakfast event hosted by CFO South Africa on 15 September 2016. Virtually every attendant raised their hands. “So everybody is here to discover why it is not working or how to improve the ROI,” he joked to appreciative chuckles.

Finance Indaba 2016: Creditinfo is a data-driven solutions pioneer

"Credit bureaus have always played an important role within the financial sector providing information, solutions and services that ensure that creditors have the information and technology needed to make informed decisions." says Agata Szydlowska, Head of Financial Inclusion and CRB Awareness at Credit Info, a gold partner at the Finance Indaba Africa 2016 on 13 and 14 October 2016 at the Sandton Convention Centre in Johannesburg.

Public sector CFOs and CIOs are trying to embrace the future

From medical emergency drones, to self-driving vehicles to a Google Hangouts gathering of Archbishop Desmond Tutu in South Africa and the Dalai Lama in Tibet: technology makes amazing things possible, as long as we embrace it. During a breakfast event on 13 September 2016, the energetic futurist Craig Wing challenged, educated, inspired – and entertained – a group of CFOs and CIO from the public sector and asked them some hard questions about technology: “Do you see a threat or an opportunity?”

Influencing through presence - executive assistants' breakfast with Inge Walters

CFO SA's first women's dinner discusses influence and power

With an impressive selection of South Africa’s top finance executives in attendance, CFO South Africa’s first ever dinner event for women CFOs was a resounding success. The evening delivered fascinating insights into the power women have to bring men into conversation about the workplace, modernise views on parenting and multi-role professionals and – most importantly – be leaders by example.

Tell better stories & be a better leader: Peter Christie at public sector CFO event

"One of the challenges for corporate leaders is that often, they are not good communicators, or are not very effective communicators. They largely communicate via email, company newsletters or noticeboards, and PowerPoint presentations. To get the key message through you’ve got to be more creative than that and become a better storyteller,” says consultant and academic, Peter Christie, better known as Big Chief Talking Bull.

What CFOs can do to ensure a successful M&A transaction

“The first week after we were acquired, I went to sit with management and tried to get an understanding of why they had bought us and what they had promised their shareholders. I then took that, came back home and developed a strategy to give them what they wanted to see,” said Cobus Grove, CEO Digicore Holdings, speaking as a member of the panel at last night’s CFO South Africa event, Where the rubber meets the road, the second in a two-part series on M&A. The evening’s discussion covered the CFO’s role post-deal, including how CFOs meet the multitude of market, investor and board expectations, as well as how to best integrate systems processes and cultures. Cobus was joined by Deon Fredericks, CFO Telkom; Charl Keyter, CFO Sibanye Gold; Ryan McDougall, Group FD Trustco; and Walter Palk, Partner at KPMG.

Financial inclusion and money-making: FinTech Africa event massive success

How can FinTech companies help millions of Africans get access to financial services? And what should FinTech entrepreneurs do to build viable, money-making businesses out of this? Those were some of the key questions during a spectacular FinTech Africa event at 23 June 2016, hosted at the beautiful Woodmead offices of Deloitte South Africa and co-sponsored by WeChat, the company that invented the increasingly popular social communications app.

CFOs discuss effective workforce health strategies to drive the bottom line

“It is important to understand that the wellness component and the health component are not the same thing and it’s not just a tick the box exercise,” said Jo Pohl, chief financial officer at Telesure Group. Jo was speaking at the event on 22 June 2016, where CFOs discussed effective workforce health and wellness strategies to drive the bottom line.

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.