Finance Indaba: the biggest finance conference in Africa

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.”

The way we use budgets isn’t working. The concept of Beyond Budgeting aims to fix this – but users need to brace themselves for change. SAIPA’s Professor Rachied Small, speaking at Finance Indaba Africa on 12 October 2017, was critical of the way that organisations create and use budgets.

Standard Bank is putting their money where their heart is, with the launch and growth of two “public good” programmes: the Standard Bank Incubator, and Feenix. Head of the Incubator, Jayshree Naidoo, showcased the work of these projects in one of the opening sessions at the Finance Indaba 2017, held on 12 October.

The organisers of the African FinTech Awards didn’t dally about this year, hauling out the heavy artillery in the form of the hotly anticipated Blockchain and Bitcoin pitches shortly after the opening of the Finance Indaba Africa 2017 at the Sandton Convention Centre on Thursday, 12 October.

If you can't sell something to your own employees, you can't sell it to potential customers. That is what world-renowned culture expert Stan Slap offered to finance professionals during his energetic and thought-provoking speech that officially opened Finance Indaba Africa 2017 on the morning of 12 October 2017.

Thomson Reuters has announced that it will provide ZAR X Equity Level 1 market data on their platforms to all customers globally.

“The marketplace expects CFOs to be certified accountants but organisations are pulling in CFOs who are able to marry their trade of accounting with the technological capabilities and all the benefits that come with that. CFOs previously used technology to drive standardisation through the organisation to gain control, but are now using it to adapt their organisations to a changing environment and to react more quickly to these changes,” says Derek Bose, Oracle’s senior manager for Southern Africa. Derek believes that technology will augment human capability in future and, he says, the role of the CFO is one of the first in line.

From the very first days of nursery school, children are taught simple rules like: share, clean up your own mess, take a nap every afternoon, don’t take things that aren’t yours, flush!, etc. Well, as it turns out, these are a proxy for many hard-won, field-tested, corporate innovation principles and practices. Join I am Jack Frost CEO Paul Steenkamp as he explores some of the best practices for future-proofing your organisation. The title of this Finance Indaba Africa session was inspired by the brilliant Robert Fulghum book.

The finance department is under increased pressure to provide business, regulators, shareholders and other stakeholders with the necessary information to enable strategic decision-making and governed corporate performance processes. Often seen as increased workloads due to manual production of reports, budgets, consolidations and other spreadsheet processes, the finance office of the future is automated, efficient and strategic, alleviating and mitigating the risks and challenges being faced today. Join the Karabina team at this Finance Indaba Africa session to understand how utilising the right technology enabled the finance team of a JSE-listed company to achieve these results. Create a more productive environment that requires less, and do it successfully!

The finance department is under increased pressure to provide business, regulators, shareholders and other stakeholders with the necessary information to enable strategic decision-making and governed corporate performance processes. Often seen as increased workloads due to manual production of reports, budgets, consolidations and other spreadsheet processes, the finance office of the future is automated, efficient and strategic, alleviating and mitigating the risks and challenges being faced today. Join the Karabina team at this Finance Indaba Africa session to understand how utilising the right technology enabled the finance team of a JSE-listed company to achieve these results. Create a more productive environment that requires less, and do it successfully!

"TransUnion is an exciting business to be a part of. It’s an organisation that has amazing global intellectual property, and when you combine that with great people and data, it allows us to solve some of the greatest challenges businesses and consumers are facing today," says Lee Naik, CEO of TransUnion Africa, a silver partner at the Finance Indaba Africa 2017 on 12 and 13 October 2017 at the Sandton Convention Centre in Johannesburg.

Corporate governance failures manifested in illicit conduct and fraud negatively affects your company's prospect of economic growth, public faith and corporate reputation. Unfortunately, all too often, deceitful and falsified business transactions are approved by boards and management simply on the basis of trust. Having spent over 25 years supporting organisations to develop corporate governance frameworks that prevent, detect and remediate (as prescribed in KING IV) illicit conduct, SNG's Peter Goss will discuss a blend of corporate governance guidance, principles and practices for boards, management, CFOs, company secretaries, and other combined assurance providers who will help you to create sustainable value and mitigate related threats. In this lively master class, you will be challenged to adopt a sceptical mindset focused on sustainable value creation and business integrity, a constructively sceptical professional demeanour, and an advanced level of due probity, due diligence and scrutiny. Learn from corporate governance failures the stark and blatant realities, enhance your professional due care and skill, and improve your corporate sustainability in this fascinating Finance Indaba Africa session.

"Many companies initially, 20 years ago, would write their own software because there was no really great software that was modifiable. All our development is client-driven, because they realise that one defining feature will change my business. We give the clients that defining feature. If we don’t have it, we write it," says Stephen Corrigan, MD of Palladium Business Solutions, a gold partner at the Finance Indaba Africa 2017 on 12 and 13 October 2017 at the Sandton Convention Centre in Johannesburg.

In a time of unprecedented change, the development of the accounting and finance profession will need to consider ways in which it will remain relevant. The boom in technology will fundamentally alter not just what finance professionals need to learn but also how they learn. In this session, leading academics will offer perspectives that will shape not only your ongoing learning but also thoughts on the development of your teams and business, as well as the impact of the fourth industrial revolution on the educational profession, which will deliver the graduates your company is likely to employ in the future. Your learning evolution will start here – hosted by Monash South Africa, can you afford to miss out on this Finance Indaba Africa session?

The technology and smart financial systems that are available today can deliver tremendous value for your business. Best-of-breed, cloud-based systems enable your team to make the business stronger. Despite these benefits, only a small percentage of medium-sized companies have implemented all the tools that are available to them. Many of us reason that our current legacy systems and processes are not great but are good enough for now. And, to be honest, we dread the idea of a big IT project and the stress that comes with change. How can you clear these obstacles so that you can really benefit from the digital era? During this hands-on Finance Indaba Africa workshop, learn valuable, practical insights on how to successfully implement the best technology. Don't miss out hearing first-hand how EOH's Paco Cervantes transformed the finance function in 100 days.

"In the past year, the AGSA’s general (“state-of-nation”) reports were built around a theme of accountability and we see CFO’s, both in public and private sectors, as critical players in making sure that accountability in our country, with specific reference to public finance and performance management, is strengthened," says Jan van Schalkwyk, corporate executive at the Auditor-General of SA (AGSA), a silver partner at the Finance Indaba Africa 2017 on 12 and 13 October 2017 at the Sandton Convention Centre in Johannesburg.

Nishlan Samujh, CFO of Investec, is one of those quiet CFOs that everybody who matters in the South African business world seems to know. He says winning the Governance & Compliance Award at this year’s CFO Awards was a huge surprise, and adds that his team is extremely proud of the accomplishment. In this conversation, Nishlan talks with verve about his humble beginnings, also revealing how to be an effective finance leader in a world full of entrepreneurs and “big people”. The most passion, however, he reserves for the prospects of South Africa’s youth. “Why can’t our kids be like those in India or Silicon Valley? We have a whole new generation coming and, as a country, we need to find out what our next big thing is. How do we get youth and education behind a common goal? Instead of talking about yesteryear, we need to fly out of it. These things are easy to say, but I do wish we could think in a truly, truly radical way.”

As a finance professional, you are surely working hard to help your business make the right decisions. You know how to deal with financial data and you have the skills to turn data into valuable information. Many of us feel, however, that we need to do more. What we want is to turn all our data into actionable insights across all aspects of the business. How does that work? And is that possible with our current systems and processes? Qlik Master Reseller's Simon Kirby will share how real-time data analytics and visualisation are used by finance teams across the globe today. In this hands-on workshop, you will learn from amazing examples the insights you can create with your data. Join this Finance Indaba Africa session to discover how you can bring your data to life with unmatched speed and scale.

If you want a completely new perspective on your work and career, come and hear from leading HR executives like Matimba Mbugela. If you're wondering what finance can learn from HR and how you could boost your career, then don't miss out – you will not have a better insight at Finance Indaba Africa this year!

iXBRL was recently mandated by CIPC and you know there’s a more onerous compliance process on its way, but there’s no need to panic! With leading technology and service provider Ince, you're in safe hands. Ince will help your business navigate this changing landscape and offer your business the chance to be seen more favourably on a global stage by analysts and investors. If you're wondering how to get over the iXBRL hurdle, this is one Finance Indaba Africa session you must attend.

"What sets us apart is the journey we go on with clients and candidates in finding niche roles. We are not in the business of finding people jobs – we find careers for them," says Roy Clark, CEO of ClarkHouse, a gold partner at the Finance Indaba Africa 2017 on 12 and 13 October 2017 at the Sandton Convention Centre in Johannesburg.

Shanduka Black Umbrelllas means change. It is a rally for action to mentor, partner and collaborate with black South African entrepreneurs, the key drivers to a new era of economic and social evolution. In this session, you will learn how business can incubate and drive small businesses through thoughtful and well designed processes that lead to economic success for both entities. You will hear from CFOs, small business owners and those who have implemented enterprise and supplier development models. If you're curious about how to grow SA Inc. don't miss this Finance Indaba Africa session!

Monash South Africa (MSA) is once again joining the Finance Indaba Africa 2017, this year as a platinum partner being hosted at the Sandton Convention Centre, October 12 -13, 2017.

Financial models are a prerequisite to successfully identify risks, costs, opportunities and income streams. An Excel-based financial model helps you to become profitable in a continuously changing business atmosphere. 100 percent of CFOs agree that working without a sound financial model is close to impossible. A thorough understanding of these models makes your job easier, saves you time, and will bring prosperity to your business. In this hands-on masterclass, you will learn from the best financial modeling experts what you can do to generate valuable management insights – a must-have for every ambitious finance professional. Join this Goalfix session with CEO Colin Human at the Finance Indaba Africa and get ahead of the pack!

A career in finance is tough. A career in finance in the public sector is tougher! In this honest account of what it takes to build a successful career in the public sector, you’ll hear first-hand how exceptional finance professionals have thrived in some of the toughest circumstances. If you’re looking for inspiration or want perspective on your challenges, this is a Finance Indaba Africa session you cannot miss.

Beerhouse founder Randolf Jorberg (pictured and Vuyisa Qabaka from Uprise.Africa will explain how the pioneering Equity Crowdfunding platform for South Africa brings entrepreneurs with great ideas together with investors looking for quality deals.

"We launched our blockchain solution at the Finance Indaba last year and now we can build a cryptocurrency, this is the catalyst which will enable us to get it to the $1 investment, which we believe will help bridge the wealth gap," says Scott Picken, founder and CEO of Wealth Migrate, a silver partner at the Finance Indaba Africa 2017 on 12 and 13 October 2017 at the Sandton Convention Centre in Johannesburg.

Some 22 years ago, Bhekabantu Wilfred Ngubane started Ngubane and Co., a firm of auditors and chartered accountants, in Durban. Ngubane & Co has since grown to employ over 230 employees, and has a presence in six provinces. It is a typical example of the importance of entrepreneurship and successful SMEs. In this unique Finance Indaba Africa session, you’ll be exposed to ideas of how you, as big businesses and government, can deliberately and purposefully contribute to reducing unemployment in our country, by creating opportunities for entrepreneurs to enter the market and help them to proper (sustainability).

In this Finance Indaba Africa session, Lee Naik, CEO at TransUnion Africa, will take a deeper look at how the finance function will look three to five years from now. Whether you’re an accountant in business or practice, winning will be about how finance will be able to deliver industrialised back-office value to businesses, while finding ways to enable the business’s growth agenda. Lee will provide practical advice on the new skills and ways of working that finance professionals will have to adopt to drive their business relevance.

Before she knew a thing about investing or became the brand manager for EasyEquities, the only performance that concerned Carly Barnes was that which took place on a stage. Within a very short space of time, drawing on the knowledge of her peers and the EasyEquities community (or yousers as she calls them), her spotlight shifted onto the performance of markets, shares and her own capabilities as an investor. In this Finance Indaba Africa session, Carly shares how she grew to understand and create her own investment portfolio, and how a new age of EasyEquities investors inspired her with their stories and experiences - true testament to the idea that anyone can invest and claim a stake in their financial future.

Are you just a bean-counter or do you want to make a more meaningful contribution and solve real business challenges? In this thought-provoking session at Finance Indaba Africa, you will learn more about how one organisation is reinventing its customer solution without losing its core purpose. Join Khomotso Molabe, Executive & Head Digital Banking, Moonshots and e-Commerce at Standard Bank and Warren Bond (pictured), Executive at Purple,and learn how you can navigate your current infrastructure and legacy systems to successfully reinvent your solutions. If your business wants a future this session will offer you a perspective like no other.

Many finance professionals find themselves leading small and medium-sized companies alongside entrepreneurs. They develop a strong entrepreneurial focus themselves but also help organisations grow and change with better governance, structure and finance insights. This Finance Indaba Africa session unpacks that experience with Evan Tsatsarolakis Financial Director at Taste Holdings – no matter the size of your organisation the lessons in entrepreneurial spirit will bring new energy and fresh perspectives.

Professor Alwyn Louw is the President of Monash South Africa (MSA), a premier institution of Higher Education and a platinum partner at the Finance Indaba Africa 2017 on 12 and 13 October 2017 at the Sandton Convention Centre in Johannesburg.

In this thought-provoking Finance Indaba Africa session, Clive Butkow, CEO of Kalon Venture Partners, a section 12 J Venture Capital Company, will share his views on the growing FinTech sector and why it is reshaping the landscape for businesses and individuals alike. If you want a better sense of how FinTech is shaping your world and are just a little curious about how to create a better return on your hard-earned cash, be sure not to miss this session.

This session will bring you business leaders who have taken bold steps and successfully grown their business on the African continent. Despite all the complexity growth is still possible. You'll hear the inspiration, struggles and successes from those who dared. If you want to grow your business in 2018, you can't miss this session at Finance Indaba Africa with Standard Bank's Sean Doherty.

In a time when most businesses are using data and analytics to drive better decision-making, more than half the global leaders in a CEO survey said they didn't trust the data. While “data is the new oil/gold etc.”, more businesses are understanding that data quality and data governance are key to getting real, actionable insights. Is this your challenge? In this session, KPMG data and analytics leader Frank Rizzo shares his experience of how organisations are improving their data management processes and ensuring that complex algorithms are generating reliable insights around customer, workforce and supplier behaviour. If you want to optimise your data and analytics efforts in 2018, this Finance Indaba Africa session will provide ideas and solutions to consider in your business.

"When businesses need to do KYC and FICA, they need to collect proof of residence and identity. It’s a massive frustration for clients. The backends of banks are not agile enough to handle this process – and this is where Indox comes in,” says Gur Geva, CEO of Indox, a silver partner at the Finance Indaba Africa 2017 on 12 and 13 October 2017 at the Sandton Convention Centre in Johannesburg.

Boardroom sparring partner, author and global speaker Martijn Aslander offers us a fascinating view on how you can mobilise an endless amount of knowledge and benefit from resources and ideas in your network. All you need to do is ask and make smarter use of the tools that are at your disposal to get things done and learn. Martijn will illustrate via inspiring examples that learning smart and fast is a mindset. It will open your eyes to new possibilities at Finance Indaba Africa!

The journey to the C-suite is rarely straightforward or without challenges. Most will tell you that the challenge only starts when you get there. In this session, hear first-hand from executives who have not only reached the C-suite but made a genuine success of it. Join Mohammed Abdool-Samad (CFO Illovo) and Ramasela Ganda (CFO at Barloworld Equipment) for this fascination discussion at Finance Indaba Africa.

Financial service providers, from banks to broker dealers to investment advisors, face complex requirements of an expanding global regulatory landscape. Non-compliance with the rules can be extremely costly and damaging. But how can we address the regulatory requirements without losing operational efficiencies? Dominic Suszek, President and CEO of Global RADAR, has over 30 years of experience in the global financial industry. He will share his vision and experiences from a global perspective; from epic failures in compliance to the impact of technology. What is the state of compliance globally? How can we build efficient compliance processes? Dominic will show you how many financial institutions have successfully deployed a new breed of compliance tools. Join this Finance Indaba Africa session, hosted by DocFox, and discover the critical components of an effective and efficient compliance programme.

"We are financial specialists who understand the challenges of business administration optimisation. We want to connect with our peers and assist them to take their businesses digital," says Pieter van Zyl, founder of Canvas Intelligence, a silver partner at the Finance Indaba Africa 2017 on 12 and 13 October 2017 at the Sandton Convention Centre in Johannesburg.

Through the course of a tumultuous 365 days since the launch of the inaugural and extremely successful Finance Indaba Africa, I’ve been fortunate enough to learn alongside finance leaders and exceptional professionals, and I’ve learnt some great lessons. While some are familiar cliches and almost all seem like common sense, in my experience, it’s the obvious and common-sense advice that is often the hardest to live by. Here are my top five.

If you’re a financial or corporate professional, this talk will provide you with key insights on how large organisations use innovative and disruptive models to deliver what matters. The speaker, Jayshree Naidoo, is an innovation thought leader, the Head of the Standard Bank Incubator, the current CEO of Feenix She will take you through two specific models that Standard Bank has adopted to solve some of the most pressing challenges we face as a country. Don't miss her insights at Finance Indaba Africa!

Internal audit is an integral part of the governance processes within an organisation but is it providing real business value? They provide the ears, eyes and the internal evaluation of organisational activities to both the organisation executive and governing bodies. With great technology, internal audit has the opportunity to be more than checks and balances, though it will have to partner effectively. If you want to improve the business value of your internal audit, this session with Charles Nel, Head of Technical at IIA SA, will offer insights and practical steps to achieving a next level internal audit. Don't miss out at this year's Finance Indaba Africa.

Our country needs more than new leaders. We need new ideas, and we need to each engage not just in debating but in doing. A career in elite-level policy circles taught Grassroot's Luke Jordan that change has to start from the grassroots up, and so he gave up the corridors of power for the streets. Join us at Finance Indaba Africa as we explore what he's learnt, and to debate what finance professionals can do to change our country's trajectory.

Blacfox has joined Finance Indaba 2017 as a silver partner and will make its debut at the event at the Sandton Convention Centre in October.

"Hyphen will show Finance Executives how to balance payment streams with a single technology stack, whilst enhancing reconciliation and treasury reporting – ultimately translating into optimised cashflow and cashflow reporting for Finance and Treasury teams," says Gillian Stumke, Head: Business Development of Hyphen Technology, a silver partner at the Finance Indaba Africa 2017 on 12 and 13 October 2017 at the Sandton Convention Centre in Johannesburg.

What are the potential benefits of implementing an in-house bank? Many companies have discovered that in-house banking can lead to substantially lower funding costs, more control, and more effective cash management. In this hands-on Masterclass, Treasury Technologies' Rudolph Janse Van Rensburg will explain what steps your business can take to become its own bank. Join this session at Finance Indaba Africa and discover what the building blocks are and how finance can develop the internal bank of the business.

It’s a man’s world but many women in South Africa have shown that with the right approach, a huge amount of tenacity and some good luck, there are no glass ceilings - just opportunity. Join this Finance Indaba Africa session if you want to know how great women leaders are shaping business. Learn from Nonkululeko Gobodo (CEO at Gobodo Incorporated), Mary Vilakazi (Deputy CEO at MMI Holdings) and Debbie Ransby (pictured, Finance Director South Africa and Algeria at Takeda) and be inspired.

"VirtualIdentity is a convenient digital solution that allows a client to complete the tedious FICA process from the comfort of their home in under five minutes," says Ryan Barlow, Director of e4, a silver partner at the Finance Indaba Africa 2017 on 12 and 13 October 2017 at the Sandton Convention Centre in Johannesburg.

What will South Africa look like beyond transformation? How can finance professionals help shape this? Is this even remotely feasible and how will we reach a place where socio-economic initiatives are aimed at every citizen? In this thought-provoking address at the Finance Indaba Africa, global speaker and venture capitalist Vusi Thembekwayo will ask the most pressing questions about how we will lift ourselves out of the inequality gutter and build a better future for all the people of South Africa.

As custodians of accountability, CFOs are under pressure to balance agility with watertight compliance, within an increasing number of regulations. Disruptive digital solutions can help businesses avoid fines and fine-tune compliance, while also improving service levels and the bottom line. They can do this by by onboarding customers more quickly and easily, as well as cheaper, than ever before, says David Thomas, co-founder and Head of Product at ThisIsme, the fast-growing Cape Town-based disruptive startup that helps businesses to reduce fraud, automate KYC, improve on-boarding and increase revenue while providing an on-demand, seamless customer experience.

DocFox is on a global mission to end money laundering and bring financial services to everyone. It has been an exciting journey for this company, from humble beginnings in a loft with three people, to building a global web application endorsed by Norton Rose Fulbright and funded and lead by the best minds in Silicon Valley. This presentation will share the incredible journey of this startup and explore the way in which it is ending money laundering, and delve into how it is partnering with clients locally and abroad to leverage the latest in technology to change how financial institutions operate. A discussion will also take place sharing the latest trends in FinTech and how institutions are leveraging technology globally to thrive.

We live in a digital era and are surrounded by smart technology. Today, we are able to unlock and utilise assets like never before. However, the financial supply chain - the way in which you pay and get paid - has been neglected for years. Most AP processes are manually executed, the use of alternative financing is poor, and the connectivity between all parties involved is limited. If you think of the financial supply chain as a liability rather than an asset, you are missing a huge opportunity. The real innovators have already worked out how to cash in. Are you next? Join the Intellection & Taulia session with Christo Jacobs (CEO at Intellection, pictured) and Sebastian Chilvers (European Sales Director at Taulia Inc) at the Finance Indaba Africa and discover a new way of dynamic payments underpinned by invoice automation. Learn how you can benefit from flexible financing and predictive intelligence in your financial supply chain.

Rakoma & Associates has joined Finance Indaba 2017 as a silver partner and will make its debut at the event at the Sandton Convention Centre in October.

"Mukuru is dismantling barriers for cross-border money transfers in Africa. We send more transactions out of South Africa than any other formal remittance company, yet we are still relatively unknown in the formal sector," says Andy Jury, CEO of Mukuru, a silver partner at the Finance Indaba Africa 2017 on 12 and 13 October 2017 at the Sandton Convention Centre in Johannesburg.

Do you want maximum business performance? Are you looking for a unique competitive advantage? Look under the hood and you’ll find your employee culture – it is the power that drives the enterprise engine. This keynote will show you how to gain the maximum commitment to your own culture for any strategy, goal or standard. Don't miss New York Times bestselling author and corporate culture guru, Stan Slap, who has achieved legendary impact for many of the world’s most successful organisations, at this year's Finance Indaba Africa, hosted by ClarkHouse.

Finance Indaba Africa is the only annual event on the continent where 5,000 finance professionals gather under one roof for two days to advance their knowledge, networks and careers. Come and see world-renowned speakers and visit the stands of over 60 exhibitors, and build yourself a better future.

AvaTrade has joined Finance Indaba 2017 as a silver partner and will make its debut at the event at the Sandton Convention Centre in October.

What if you could implement the best financial systems and technology enhancements? What if you could drastically improve every step of the accounting process? In this Finance Indaba Africa master class, AdvanceNet Group will show you how it is done. Using practical examples, the smart tools that are available today will be discussed and demonstrated, and an explanation of how to easily implement the latest technology without having to manage a complex IT project will be given. Learn how to strengthen controls, lower compliance risks and introduce greater efficiencies and visibility. Don't miss out on hearing how your finance team can enjoy the benefits of the digital age.

Monash SA has joined Finance Indaba 2017 as a platinum partner and will make its second showing at the event at the Sandton Convention Centre in October.

“Our role within Human Capital is to be the custodians of culture and strategically partner the people agenda that enables our business strategy,” says Anré Klopper-Stroh, Human Capital Head for the Corporate & Investment Bank (CIB) within the Standard Bank Group. “The role of the Human Capital team within CIB is to partner our people in, for and across Africa to realise their ambitions, thus enabling our clients and the communities in which we operate to achieve their objectives. Furthermore, we need to position ourselves for what the future holds by understanding the mindsets, skillsets, and toolsets required for our people to stay relevant and contribute to the ambitions of the business into the future.”

With ongoing revelations pointing to accountability failures at big international firms like KPMG, McKinsey and SAP, there is a desperate need for changes to our corporate mindsets and actions. Values based approaches to leadership and organisational development are powerful tools for minimising instances and impacts of unethical commercial behaviour. In this highly practical Finance Indaba Africa session with leading academic Dr Tim London, you'll hear more about the ways you can drive values based leadership throughout your organisation and encourage the behaviours that help your organisation thrive in complex times.

Canvas Intelligence has joined Finance Indaba 2017 as a silver partner and will make its debut at the event at the Sandton Convention Centre in October.

Sihle Ndzimbomvu is an Audit Manager at leading black-owned accounting firm Ngubane & Co, a gold partner of Finance Indaba 2017. She heads up the training department, ensuring that there is continuous skills transfer and staff development.

e4 has joined Finance Indaba 2017 as a silver partner and will make its debut at the event at the Sandton Convention Centre in October.

"New GX Advisory enables businesses to refocus on core competencies and creating value to all stakeholders by freeing key staff members from the burden of IT infrastructure, systems and process management," says Anja Goosen, head of systems at New GX Advisory Services, a silver partner at the Finance Indaba Africa 2017 on 12 and 13 October 2017 at the Sandton Convention Centre in Johannesburg.

This time last year, South Africa’s first new stock exchange in several decades got underway. The brainchild of Etienne Nel, Geoff Cook and Graeme Wellsted, ZAR X has given the industry a huge shake up, though it hasn’t all been smooth sailing. CEO, Etienne Nel, spoke to CFO South Africa about the highs and lows, what they’ve learnt and what they’ve accomplished, in the year that’s passed since they set up shop.

InDox has joined Finance Indaba 2017 as a gold partner and will make its debut at the event at the Sandton Convention Centre in October.

Palladium has joined Finance Indaba 2017 as a gold partner and will make its debut at the event at the Sandton Convention Centre in October.

How can we build efficient compliance processes? What is the state of compliance globally? Facilitated by gold sponsor DocFox, one of the world’s leading compliance experts - Dominic Suszek - is coming to the Finance Indaba Africa to discuss these issues on 13 October at 11am in the Sandton Convention Centre.

TransUnion has joined Finance Indaba 2017 as a silver partner and will make its debut at the event at the Sandton Convention Centre in October.

"Embrace empowers Finance professionals to adapt to and meet the challenges of a rapidly changing business and systems environment, so as to remain relevant and competitive within their industry," says Ian Foster, Sales & Marketing Director of ACS-Embrace, a silver partner at the Finance Indaba Africa 2017 on 12 and 13 October 2017 at the Sandton Convention Centre in Johannesburg.

An in-house bank may be simply defined as an internal organisation which assumes some of the functions traditionally performed by external commercial banks to provide enhanced performance, transparency and control. Traditionally, the operation of an in-house bank was regarded by most finance executives to be the preserve of the largest corporations. Despite the many benefits, these structures were thought to be too expensive and complicated to add cost effective value. As more efficient cloud solutions become available, the threshold barriers for justifying in-house bank adoption have been steadily lowered, and positive cost/benefit analyses are becoming more and more common.

"Nexia SAB&T provides an extensive range of professional services that are tailored to the specific requirements of our clients," says Ndumi Medupe, Chairperson of Nexia SAB&T, a silver partner at the Finance Indaba Africa 2017 on 12 and 13 October 2017 at the Sandton Convention Centre in Johannesburg.

"Futuresense exists to make complex company finance systems more efficient, reporting simpler and faster, and ultimately make the CFO’s life easier," says Steven Hyslop, Director of Futuresense, a silver partner at the Finance Indaba Africa 2017 on 12 and 13 October 2017 at the Sandton Convention Centre in Johannesburg.

"Internal auditors are an integral part of the governance processes within an organisation. They provide the ears, eyes and the internal evaluation of organisational activities to both the organisation executive and governing bodies," says Dr Claudelle von Eck, CEO of the Institute of Internal Auditors SA (IIA SA), a silver partner at the Finance Indaba Africa 2017 on 12 and 13 October 2017 at the Sandton Convention Centre in Johannesburg.

"We will outline the many advantages of trading with AvaTrade at Finance Indaba 2017, such as regulation, variety, technology, service and all the other great features we offer our clients," says Dáire Ferguson, CEO of AvaTrade, a silver partner at the Finance Indaba Africa 2017 on 12 and 13 October 2017 at the Sandton Convention Centre in Johannesburg.

"We are passionate about customers achieving real value from the use of Data Analytics and I believe the best way to support this is through sharing experiences and customer stories," says Simon Kirby, Director of Financial Services Industry Solutions at Qlik. South Africa Qlik Master Reseller is a gold partner at the Finance Indaba Africa 2017 on 12 and 13 October 2017 at the Sandton Convention Centre in Johannesburg.

Once a savvy boy-entrepreneur and then a sleepless 20-something who perhaps understood SAB’s business better than the brewer itself, young Nick Bell is now building the billion-rand professional services firm that every CFO should know about: Decision Inc.. “We help clients make the decisions they should be making and provide them with a platform to unleash their potential.”

Global entries for the 2017 and second edition of The CFO Case Study Competition closed on 31 March, with over 1,500 entries received – surpassing the 2016 edition by some 20 percent.

"QuickBooks has over 42 million users worldwide, making it the best-selling accounting solution in the world, and some of the many reasons for this include a product range that caters for almost all types of businesses and it does not matter whether you are office-bound or on the road," says Nick Braxton, Sales Manager of QuickBooks SA, a gold partner at the Finance Indaba Africa 2017 on 12 and 13 October 2017 at the Sandton Convention Centre in Johannesburg.

"The Finance Indaba is a great opportunity to demonstrate that our product and services offering fits the needs of the all the South African businesses, no matter what their size is," says Paco Cervantes, Oracle Services Business Unit Manager of EOH, a gold partner at the Finance Indaba Africa 2017 on 12 and 13 October 2017 at the Sandton Convention Centre in Johannesburg.

"Karabina provides the Office of Finance with technology solutions that transform the function into a modern Digital Finance team that is able to address the growing demands of businesses for access to the right information at the right time," says Heath Turner, Director of Karabina, a gold partner at the Finance Indaba Africa 2017 on 12 and 13 October 2017 at the Sandton Convention Centre in Johannesburg.

“Capisol supplies interactive cloud document management, which allows customers to easily archive all their documents electronically in the cloud through seamless integration into their accounting or HR systems," says Christopher De Zeeuw, MD of Capisol, a silver partner at the Finance Indaba Africa 2017 on 12 and 13 October 2017 at the Sandton Convention Centre in Johannesburg.