Finance Indaba: the biggest finance conference in Africa

 "We are empowering accountants to play a strategic advisory role to their entrepreneurial clients."

ACS-Embrace delivers world class, comprehensive, end-to-end ERP business solutions.

CFO South Africa talks to Ian Foster about Embrace's differentiation factors and depth of data provision.

"Internal audit is a very exciting career and a nice stepping stone to leadership positions."  

Don't miss our world-class speakers in a dedicated venue. Register now for Finance Indaba Africa.

Kerushan Govender is the CEO of Blacfox, a technology advisory company that brings IT decision-makers and vendors together.  

The partner-up between SizweNtsalubaGobodo and Grant Thornton will be at the Finance Indaba 2018.

The company provides a cutting-edge solution to B-BBEE compliance that is easy to understand, plan, assess and implement.

RTBA provides advanced analytical capabilities to financial education learning.

This Finance Indaba platinum partner provides integrated cloud applications and platform services.

This investor marketing agency provides strategic advisory and production services.

IIA is part of an international network representing the interests of Internal Auditors worldwide.

Goalfix offers financial modelling courses and training to business professionals.

Margreet Peverelli tells us about the Cashbook solution and why they're showcasing it at Finance Indaba 2018.

Draftworx provides automated drafting and working paper financial software to about 6,000 accounting and auditing practices.

Fedgroup is a leading independent financial services group.

The company closes the gaps between enterprise development, supplier development and preferential procurement.

Datacentric provides ICT solutions to deliver sustainable value to corporate and public sector organisations.

The company offers unrivalled local expertise and global market knowledge to maximise the potential of properties.

ACL delivers risk management, compliance, and audit software to private and public organisations.

Let AME teach you accounting using visuals and colour at the Finance Indaba.

Absa Group is one of Africa's largest diversified financial services groups.

The fintech startup provides companies with a simpler way to complete their FICA compliance process.

Finance Indaba Africa partners show their commitment to creating outstanding learning and networking platforms.

The firm provides financial, advisory, technologies and training through a team of top specialists.

Blue Recruiting directors Graeme Marais and James Hobson talk about their latest offering: CAs Online.

Network with South Africa's finance elite at the Sandton Convention Centre on 3 and 4 October.

Carol Lupiya is the Africa region director for The Finance Business Partner. With a background that spans financial and management accounting and management consulting in public and private sectors, Carol brings her broad experience to companies with the finance business partnering concept - one that she tells CFO Magazine is the key to finance driving better business performance and businesses escaping the 'silo-ism' mentality.

The fourth industrial revolution has the potential to disrupt every industry in every country, says UCT-GSB's Rayner Canning.

Online technology is revolutionising how we do business, says company founder Terence Naidu.

Cuan Hopley is the chief operations officer at InvoTec - the parent company of two fintech solutions called InvoSet and Bizcash, both recently acquired by Investec. They have confirmed their partnership with the Finance Indaba 2018 for the third year running. Cuan talks to CFO magazine about the origin and growth of these companies, as well as what participating in the Finance Indaba means to the group.

"In several global markets, mobile payments have already surpassed cash, becoming the preferred payment method."

Blacfox provides a platform for connecting business and technology providers

"It is enabling different types of distribution, through to new types of economies, such as the shared economy or the ecommerce economy."

Specialist in software solutions Associated Computer Solutions (ACS) offers state-of-the-art enterprise resource planning (ERP) software

Envisionit E-Escrow facilitates and secures online and real-world transactions, taking the risk out of buying and selling.

"So many people - even in big corporates - have no idea what Excel is capable of and how to work smart instead of hard."

Consumer credit reporting agency TransUnion helps consumers and businesses stay safe from fraud.

Mobile payment app Zapper makes its debut at this year's Finance Indaba.

Top educator Graduate School of Business at the University of Cape Town to exhibit at this year's Finance Indaba.

Fast-track your confidence and success with Excel Academy's interactive workshops.

Dropbox Business takes teamwork to the next level, allowing you to scale your business smartly.

Click2Sure offers a scalable and modular digital insurance solution.

Specialist financial recruitment company Blue Recruiting will be exhibiting at this year's event.

Accounting and auditing firm Ngubane & Co offers a full fiduciary service

Finance and auditing software company CaseWare Africa is a global leader in its field.

Business consultancy Intellection builds long-term efficiency solutions

XDS is one of the major providers of consumer and business data to the local market

The Finance Business Partner promises to take you from "calculator to game-changer"

Cassel & Co's Georgina Barrick talks to us about how the changing trends in finance affect specialist recruitment.

The Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA) is a global body for professional accountants, whose members are some of the world's most sought-after financial professionals.

South Africa's Tax Ombud settles tax disputes

Cashflow specialists Cashbook offers state-of-the-art software aimed at automating and facilitating high-volume financial transactions.

Financial management company Hyphen manages financial transactions through its industry-leading, custom-built solutions

QuickBooks is the world's number one accounting solution software program, with more users worldwide than any other program.

Online invoice payment system company InvoSet provides an easy-to-use and unique online payment system for suppliers and buyers

Recruitment specialists Cassel & Co specialise in sourcing and placing finance and accounting professionals.

CIPC commissioner Rory Voller speaks about the efficiency gains and digital drive of the regulator - as well as the big financial reporting shift that your business needs to know about.

Futuresense is a silver partner at the 2018 Finance Indaba Africa.

Lee presented a positive and upbeat take on the risk-opportunity spectrum inherent in the rise of automation and artificial intelligence

The entrepreneur, venture capitalist and reality TV star has been a fixture on the Finance Indaba stage over the past two years

The Companies and Intellectual Property Commission (CIPC) is part of the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) group

Futuresense is a niche software-solutions consultancy that works with CFOs, and implements solutions across the full suite of Oracle Hyperion financial software.

Sihle Ndzimbomvu's life story inspired attendees at the biggest finance conference on the African continent

Clarke is a seasoned technology entrepreneur and has over 20 years' experience building global real estate marketplaces

Excel4apps has continued evolving its portfolio of user-friendly, Excel-based products for use with SAP and Oracle

Network Recruitment is a division of ADvTECH Resourcing - the recruitment arm of the national JSE-listed ADvTECH Group

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.

The Auditor-General of South Africa exists to strengthen the country's democracy by enabling oversight, accountability and governance in the public sector

Listed in 1998, EOH attributes its 45% compounded annual growth to a culture of remaining prudent, and not just meeting, but exceeding, customer expectations

The cloud solution provider will make its third consecutive showing at the event at the Sandton Convention Centre in October

Africa Rising Advisory Services has joined Finance Indaba 2018 as a silver partner

Tim delivered a fascinating masterclass entitled Accountability in times of #Guptaleaks - when ethics become a competitive imperative

Nomanini is a South African-based enterprise payments platform provider that optimises transactions in the informal market

Fica specialist ThisIsMe stormed to victory at the first time of asking in the Innovative Banking category at the African FinTech Awards 2017, hosted at the Finance Indaba Africa at the Sandton Convention Centre in October. The FinTech firm, which has experienced exponential growth over the past year and has already surpassed the notable milestone of one million verifications, also claimed the overall title along with reigning champion Easy Equities.

After the incredible success of this year’s African FinTech Awards, the annual pitching and prize-giving extravaganza is expected to outdo itself yet again in 2018. Judges for the awards event gathered for a scrumptious breakfast on 7 November to discuss some of the event’s most exciting additions, tweaks and extras.

Too many CFOs spend their time as financial gatekeepers and get tangled up in accounting, says Colin Human, financial modelling wizard and CEO of financial management consultancy Goalfix.

The Sun Exchange, a revolutionary online solar power marketplace, retained its Blockchain & Bitcoin title at the African FinTech Awards 2017 at the Finance Indaba Africa in October, with founding CEO Abe Cambridge calling on attendees to sign up on its online platform and begin earning money from solar power generation.

EasyEquities, which offers a revolutionary fractional trading platform that has broadened access to stock market investment, retained its title of overall winner of the African FinTech Awards at the Finance Indaba Africa in October. The winner of the InvesTech category, the groundbreaking firm, headed by CEO Charles Savage, this time shared the honours with Fica-focused FinTech ThisIsMe.

iXBRL is a scary word right now, Linda Buchler, regional managing director at Ince, said at last week’s Finance Indaba Africa 2017, held at the Sandton Convention Centre. She went on to unpack what iXBRL means.

Building a culture of trust is an integral part of team building and ensuring that you have a thriving work environment, conference attendees were told during a discussion at last week’s Finance Indaba Africa 2017, held at the Sandton Convention Centre, between the financial director of Curro Holdings, Bernardt van der Linde, and Sasfin Bank Limited CFO, Lushen Pather.

“When you work in a multinational you’re up against some seriously smart people,” said Zaf Mahomed, CFO for McDonald’s South Africa, speaking as part of a panel at last week’s Finance Indaba Africa 2017. Expectations are much higher in terms of accuracy and deadlines with the spotlight firmly focused on CFOs, he added.

“Who killed our creativity?” asked founder and CEO of I am Jack Frost, Paul Steenkamp, during Finance Indaba Africa 2017, held last week at the Sandton Convention Centre.

Navigating your way to success in the public sector is a matter of hard work, strategic thinking, a duty to serve, and – hopefully – uncompromising integrity, according to Ramasela Ganda and Rajesh Mahabeer. The two were sharing the stage as part of a panel discussion at the second annual Finance Indaba Africa, held in Johannesburg on 12 and 13 October 2017.

"Sometimes I think we overemphasize the success of a business in relation to the numbers and the commercial propositions, instead of the person behind,” said Vodacom CHRO Matimba Mbungela, speaking last week at Finance Indaba Africa 2017, in a session about what CHROs wish accounts knew.

The First World must destroy heavy machinery in order to make room for new technological developments, but because Africa was never highly developed, digitisation can happen faster, Kerushan Govender of Blacfox told technology enthusiasts last week at Finance Indaba Africa 2017, held at the Sandton Convention Centre.

The African FinTech Awards 2017 ended in a historic tie between ThisIsMe and reigning champion EasyEquities for the title of overall winner, but there were many fascinating pitches during an intense two days at the Finance Indaba Africa at the Sandton Convention Centre on 12 and 13 October.

Robotic process automation will not replace accountants. In fact, automation can only make life easier, believes Josh May, senior solutions consultant and product manager at Blackline, who spoke last week at Finance Indaba Africa 2017, held at the Sandton Convention Centre.

It is vitally important for today’s CFO to be tech-savvy, though they should resist the urge to purchase technology for technology’s sake and instead respond to the needs of the business. This was the advice of Christine Ramon, CFO of AngloGold Ashanti, and Wayne Koonin, CFO of Omnia Holdings and winner of the Finance & Technology Award at this year's CFO Awards, during last week’s Finance Indaba Africa 2017, held at the Sandton Convention Centre.

If you compare entrepreneurship with what a traditional MBA entails, you tend to find a little bit of a contradiction, said Dr Corne Meintjies, MBA Programme Coordinator and Senior Lecturer at Monash South Africa, speaking last week at Finance Indaba Africa 2017.

With stories of corruption and mismanagement rife in South Africa, there is one thing that will keep us afloat in extraordinary times. “Technology is one of the biggest drivers of change,” said Dr Sarah Bux, associate director for South Africa – management accounting at the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (CIMA), speaking during last week’s Finance Indaba Africa 2017, held at the Sandton Convention Centre.

This is the most transformative era in history and Section 12J venture capital company Kalon Venture Partners, formerly known as Grotech, is expecting to be at the forefront of change in Africa, said CEO Clive Butkow in an informative session at the African FinTech Awards at Finance Indaba Africa at the Sandton Convention Centre on 13 October.

Technology should be enslaved to humanity – and not the other way around. Here’s how to make sure that happens.

What happens when the discipline of finance thinking and the creativity of entrepreneurs collide? MyBucks CFO Ryan McDougall and Evan Tsatsarolakis, FD of Taste Holdings shed some insight into their experiences of start-up culture and working closely with entrepreneurial CEOs in a panel discussion at the Finance Indaba on 13 October 2017.

In an age where cloud computing is fast becoming the standard approach to data management, many companies still work in silos, each division having their own ERP system or cloud platform to work from. This presents a risk as it can lead to having duplicated data, which is not only inefficient but can lead to bad decision-making, advised Sarah George, ERP strategy leader for Africa at Oracle and Ronnie Toerien, HR strategy leader for Africa at Oracle, during their session on 13 October 2017 at Finance Indaba Africa.

An initiative that was started to develop entrepreneurs, Shanduka Black Umbrellas (SBU), through its incubator programme, is at the forefront of mentoring black small business owners. Shanduka CFO Nyasha Dzumbunu, speaking on 13 October 2017 at the Finance Indaba Africa, told small business hopefuls that the idea behind the organisation’s three-year incubator programme caters for small businesses that have the potential for sustainability.

The road to the C-Suite might not be a straight line or predictable, but for both Illovo Sugar CFO Mohammed Abdool-Samad and Barloworld Equipment Rental CFO Ramasela Ganda, it was a path walked with clear intention. This pair of top CFOs shared their experiences of career progression during an insightful panel discussion themed “Breaking into the C-Suite”, held at Finance Indaba Africa on 13 October 2017.

Thought leader and public speaker Martijn Aslander believes that to learn smarter and faster you must think outside of the box. How far outside the box is really up to you, he told the eager crowd on 13 October, during the 2017 Finance Indaba Africa.

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.

What if we could achieve major economic growth in a single generation? What if a lack of good education or even rampant corruption were not barriers to this growth?

How do you create a culture of innovation in your organisation, Yumna Tayob, a solutionist with Iconoclast, speaking at Finance Indaba Africa on 13 October 2017 asked the assembled finance professionals? “The first industrial revolution took just over a century, in less than a century the second and third had happened, and now we find ourselves in the fourth. This unprecedented pace of change is driving the fact that innovation is a journey and not a destination, and companies that do not adapt to this are going to die.”

As technology evolves, more and more businesses are digitising, meaning that jobs which were previously done by humans are now being done by machines. Speaking at Finance Indaba Africa on 13 October, Thandeka Zondi, director of strategy and business development at SekelaXabiso, said that because of growing innovation in the digital world, companies and individuals will have to redefine their purpose and decide whether certain jobs are still needed.

"Up until about two months ago, KPMG was great. But now it's in the news and they're not great. By the time these kinds of things appear in the headlines, there was a whole system of things that had gone wrong," said Dr Timothy London, senior lecturer Allan Gray Centre for Values Based Leadership at GSB - UCT, at the Finance Indaba Africa on 13 October 2017. Tim gave an extremely engaging and entertaining talk on what companies can do to avoid public relations nightmares like the one currently unfolding at KPMG.

Five years is the minimum you should stay with a company and you shouldn’t focus too much on what you’re earning in your first job – this according to a panel of top CFOs, who spoke on the importance of staying the course, during a session on 13 October at Finance Indaba Africa 2017.

In response to the highly charged ‘Fees must Fall’ protests that began in 2015, South Africa’s students were desperate to be heard, and Standard Bank opened their ears. Jayshree Naidoo, head of the Standard Bank Incubator and CEO of Feenix, spoke to the gathered crowd on 13 October 2017 at Finance Indaba Africa about student access to fees. In the aftermath of the aforementioned movement, the need has become even more pressing, she said.

With InvesTech firms redefining the investment sphere and taking the challenge to bloated traditional institutions in terms of solutions, education and platforms, there was naturally a lot of interest in their pitches at the African FinTech Awards. Some big players and familiar foes in the form of EasyEquities, ZAR X and Wealth Migrate went head-to-head on the second morning of Finance Indaba Africa on 13 October 2017.

Technology has made it easier for people to work flexible hours, which should, in theory, make a work-life balance more achievable. This is, however, not the case. Most people's experience is that they’re working harder because smartphones have created a culture where your work is always with you and people are, as a result, often overworked. 12 October at Finance Indaba Africa 2017 saw Paul Marten, finance director at Microsoft, and Zaf Mahomed, CFO at McDonald’s SA, share their insights into achieving this universally coveted but ever-elusive work-life balance.

Most people incorrectly think that corruption is primarily a public sector problem, said Peter Goss, MD of SizweNtsalubaGobodo (SNG) Advisory and lead SNG corporate governance expert, speaking at Finance Indaba Africa on 12 October 2017.

TransUnion Africa CEO Lee Naik opened the second day of Finance Indaba Africa 2017 with a promise that resonated with the eager crowd: The future is brighter than you think and we Africans are poised to make the most of it.

Imagine if you had access to a suite of tools at no cost to help you minimise expenses and drastically improve your revenue. What if these tools included an on-the-ground assessment by senior resources to show you exactly how to improve profits in a very tangible way?

Many of the country's municipalities are often found wanting when it comes to the management of their finances, as well as the management of the disciplines that encourage transparency for there to be accountability to the country's citizens. So said Auditor-General Kimi Makwetu, speaking at Finance Indaba Africa on 12 October 2017. Citing some of the reasons behind the poor financial performance of municipalities, Kimi pegged corruption and a lack of skills as some of the major ones.

More women are finding success in the boardroom these days. Does this mean that the glass ceiling has finally been broken, or was it only ever in the imagination to begin with? Nonkululeko Gobodo, CEO of Nkululeko Leadership Consulting, 2017 CFO Awards winner Debbie Ransby, financial director at Takeda Pharmaceuticals, and Mary Vilakazi, deputy CEO of MMI Holdings, unpacked the topic during a well-attended session at Finance Indaba Africa on 12 October 2017.

If you could design a banking solution for your startup, would it look like a traditional bank offering? Standard Bank is betting on no, gathering a tech and customer-focused team and giving them major leeway to experiment with the entrepreneur banking model. According to Standard Bank’s Angé Baard, Paton Raman, and Gugu Sithole, who presented the idea to intrigued accountants and entrepreneurs at Finance Indaba Africa on 12 October 2017, it is built on the concept of co-creation. The team is so focused on flipping the usual path of product development that they haven’t even named this service yet, calling themselves simply “the offering” or “the proposition”.

Two of the biggest disruptors in South Africa came together in front of a packed house at Finance Indaba Africa 2017 on 12 October, when ZAR X CEO Etienne Nel, and globally renowned public speaker and MyGrowthFund venture capitalist Vusi Thembekwayo, discussed challenges facing the country economically and their organisations, which are shaking up the establishment.

The support of small black-owned accounting firms made it possible for a young woman from rural KwaZulu-Natal to achieve her dream of becoming a CA. “This is the story of changing your life by having a desire to achieve big,” said Sihle Ndzimbomvu, audit manager at Ngubane & Co, speaking at Finance Indaba Africa 2017. “It is not only the story of my childhood but also the story of a black woman who is breaking barriers. Women or men can relate to this story because, although we come from different places, we have faced similar challenges.”

EasyEquities brand manager Carly Barnes never imagined that she would be on a stage at a finance event or be involved in investment in any shape or form. The purple-haired livewire recounted her journey from being an actress and performer to building the EasyEquities brand and her own portfolio during an extraordinary session at Finance Indaba Africa on 12 October 2017.

What do we mean by transformation? This was investor Vusi Thembekwayo’s burning question at Finance Indaba Africa on 12 October 2017. The entrepreneur made it clear that transformation was not about ticking boxes and counting how many black people, black women and transgender individuals are employed in corporate South Africa but rather, about ensuring the oppressed are no longer oppressed and the poor no longer poor.

Any plans for change in South Africa will never get off the ground unless they involve the people on the ground. This was the key takeaway from Luke Jordan, co-founder and CEO of non-profit startup Grassroot, while speaking at the Finance Indaba Africa on 12 October 2017.

“You have to read other books. If you are just in business for business you will be out of business,” said Martijn Aslander, stand-up philosopher and co-author of the bestseller, 'Permanent Beta', on 12 October 2017 at Finance Indaba Africa. “I want to focus on this because most people don’t focus on how to learn faster,” the highly regarded Martijn told a room packed with finance professionals. “You have to learn as fast as you can without being in a hurry; it’s really about learning how to learn.”