Interview

The Massmart CFO details the retailer's plans for a turnaround, boosting online and Africa, and now, Covid-19.

My experience has shown me that if you lead with courage and empathy and have people at the heart of your business, the numbers usually work themselves out, says Deloitte Consulting CFO Aneshree Naidoo.

I feel significant responsibility and accountability, the CEO-designate says.

The dairy is operating as an essential service, but safety has been ramped up.

As a millennial, her sense of calm about remote working is helping her team to cope and thrive.

Megan stayed the course despite the challenges EOH faces, believing she can make a difference.

Rian moved his family to the UK after the necessary travel became increasingly taxing on his family life.

The French certification company's South Africa FD says her local team have a "can-do" attitude.

Zaf relishes a challenge, and believes he's found a good one in the complex environment at Cell C.

She took on the Implats CFO role during a restructuring, just as she fell pregnant.

Ashley Wood's tactile relationship with the company's products gives her edge at the Sorbet Group.

CFO Walter Leonhardt shares how Coca-Cola Beverages South Africa bounced back after three very difficult years.

There is an opportunity for the private industry to invest in economic and infrastructure growth.

Jason will build on his past experience and contribute to the company's growth in retail and financial services.

Take risks, share ideas, and don't doubt yourself were high on the list of encouraging messages.

Spear CFO Christiaan Barnard believes that the ethos of his school has defined his work ethic.

The young CFO is a man of many talents, and he feels a powerful alignment with Letsema's values.

The former Investec CEO says CFOs should take care not to damage positive organisational culture.

During the 2015 #feesmustfall student campaign, the University of Johannesburg (UJ) lost only one academic day to the protest. This was because UJ was ahead of the game in financially supporting its students, owing, in large part, to the efforts of the team lead by Nolwazi Mamorare, who is today the university's CFO. She spoke to Georgina Guedes about the kind of difference that can be made if you have the will to do so.

Standard Bank FD Arno Daehnke discusses African countries' buzz, innovation and work ethic.

Need to fly a couple of executives into Lesotho to visit one of Premier's bakery operations? No need to book a commercial flight - CFO Kobus Gertenbach has achieved his lifelong dream of getting his pilot's licence and owning a light aircraft and is more than equal to the task.

The Nkangala TVET CFO knows how devastating the impact of financial challenges can be on students.

The Metropolitan Trading Company acting CFO's superpower is his ability to combine brains and heartfelt values.

The young CFO says engaged staff who have clarity about the company's goals are motivated to excel.

Alexander Forbes Group CFO Bruce Bydawell recently took a sabbatical to spend time working on European farms. As soon as he was appointed CFO on his return, he started planning for his succession by a black South African. He has singular view on his own role as CFO, and on life in general, which he shared with Georgina Guedes.

One year after she was appointed as Group CFO of Sasfin, Angela Pillay chatted to Georgina Guedes about being part of CEO Michael Sassoon's new vision for the bank, and being able to deliver an excellent set of results in her first year.

The Global Alliance Seguros SA CFO discusses the challenges of her role - which include cyclones.

Verimark's Bryan Groome discusses the risks he took to open up opportunities for personal growth.

Afrocentric Health CFO Hannes Boonzaaier is simple about his approach to helping the company to achieve a Level 1 rating: "You just look at what's got to be done and you do it."

At the CFO Awards on 15 May 2019, Umar Banda walked away with the Young CFO of the Year Award, in recognition of the exceptional work he's doing at the City of Tshwane. He has addressed the City's illiquid position by finding innovative ways for the city to generate income, and he is excited about the establishment of a CA programme, which will bring much-needed skills to the field of public finance.

Ralph says his curious mind has served him well as he's shifted industries twice in his career.

Leslie says he hopes to use his international expertise to benefit South Africa in the years to come.

The CFO of the DPSA says that he needs to safeguard the departments' limited budget.

Grindrod's CFO believes in dynamic and diverse finance teams, which is aligned to the group's strategy.

Senele says CFOs will continue to be asked to do more with less until the economy grows.

Storme McDonald is the CFO of Corporate Banking at RMB. She is a passionate advocate of digital transformation and a lover of dogs, she tells CFO.co.za.

Clinix Health Group CFO Elisa Mkhize thinks deeply about her role and her place in the world. She shares her mantras, professional vision and personal commitments with CFO South Africa.

Sheldon tells Kate Ferreira about his stresses, stress-relieving activities and his long-term aspirations.

The Premier FMCG CFO has the mantra of "build something, make it bigger, make it better."

On 8 March, International Women's Day, Investec South Africa launched its "Women on the Rise" campaign, highlighting its relationship with women in business, education and sport. As part of the launch, Investec introduced the public to its newly appointed Specialist Bank CFO Marlé van der Walt. CFO South Africa spoke to her about her finance leadership experiences.

"Never say die" is Nampak CFO Glenn Fullerton's approach to life. It served him well when he was told he would never return to work after a debilitating cycling accident in 2013. But this indomitable professional rose again to head up the finances of Africa's largest packaging company. Georgina Guedes chatted to him about how he got there and what he has learnt along the way.

Sibanye-Stillwater is concluding its all-share bid for Lonmin. Charl is navigating the challenges.

The VP Finance Africa at Unilever seizes every opportunity with both hands, lands and delivers.

Gideon is always up for a challenge, and speaks about personal growth and empowering others.

Great CFOs must be entrepreneurial, says Kantar's Inacio dos Santos, CFO Africa & the Middle East

Tryphosa reveals how she sets the financial strategy for a pan-African business with challenges at home.

CFOs must be agile, adaptable and hands-on, says Ravi Singh, CFO of Liberty Africa Insurance.

Roxane Leita joined Investec Life only four months after the insurer was launched.

"CFO Clean Audit" reveals how at a smaller agency, she can expand her breadth of focus.

The FD is completing Stanford's Emerging CFO course, to support his focus on staying relevant.

CFO South Africa introduced the two CFOs to clear up who's who in the Jaco Maritz zoo.

Six years down the line, Barry reflects on his first challenging year as Didata's CFO.

The Telkom CFO says: "You need to act beyond reproach, never compromise your integrity."

Whether she's running Nedbank Group finance or a marathon, Raisibe Morathi gets the job done.

The FD tells how she joined Comair to simplify her life, then her career took off.

AstraZeneca's Osman Mia is expanding his skills set and industry understanding in the UK.

Jaco Maritz has 18 years of mining experience, but he's proudest of the people he's developing.

Delivering a stronger finance team, ensuring a succession path and enjoying the fine local gins…

Jaco Maritz, Syspro CFO, believes that South Africa does not lag behind its global tech counterparts.

The CFO Award winner says to treat people respectfully, be interested, and not make assumptions.

CFO South Africa asked the insurance CFO about his role driving the group's FinTech revolution.

Sasol's CFO explains what any good CFO can learn from American football: defence and offence.

The finance boss reveals how the schooling group is growing from 3 to 80 schools in just 11 years.

The CFO believes servant leadership creates purpose for people, empowering them to innovate at work.

The pharmacy group CFO must feel comfortable he's delivering to the best of his abilities.

Capitec CFO André du Plessis talks about loan desirability, motorbikes and the bank as his baby.

Otsile Matheba believes the new exchange will overcome the challenge of competing with a monopoly.

Leaders must be conscious of the impact they have on other people, says Afrox FD.

Growth in the mining industry will benefit all of South Africa, says DRDGOLD LTD CFO Riaan Davel.

Thabo Phokane, Servest CFO, has big plans, including continuing to drive the company's transformation journey.

Award-winning eThekwini CFO Krish Kumar says he has no sympathy for those who get caught.

Recently appointed Afgri CFO says that she's working hard to learn the ropes of the agriculture industry.

AngloGold Ashanti CFO and winner of four CFO Awards discusses work, women, ethical leadership and family this Women's Month.

"I believe in the mantra: in year one you learn, in year two you deliver your best, in year three you make sure you have a successor in place before you target a more challenging opportunity and elevated role."

"Finance needs to position itself to make sense of all of these new disruptors and technological developments."

"This adds perspective on a short-term, day-to-day basis when decision-makers within organisations are faced with choices," says Philip Nottingham, a.b.e. Construction Chemicals CFO.

"We forward-hedge where we can but need to carefully manage our budgets and allow for exchange rate volatility."

Sean Capazorio's Finance Transformation Award winner speaks to us about the global success of Aspen Pharmacare, the role of finance and how he managed to turn the numbers from cold figures into good stories.

"More and more companies are looking at how they can exploit technology to increase their competitive edge."

"The bulk of my team is female. If I reflect on how well the finance function operates, I think this has a lot to do with their diverse views."

"You have to be able to see a future that others can't, and you need to deconstruct that into steps others can take to get there."

"The beauty of entrepreneurship is the ability to learn from any experience and use it to better equip yourself."

"It is a very fine balance between high level and detail, because you can't be high level without understanding the detail first."

FD of Supply Chain Management, Thobeka says business must stop being superficial about risk management.

GWK's Group FD talks about leaving Afgri after 22 years, his new role in agri, and moving to a small NC town.

4AX's Lindiwe Ndlela sees an opportunity for cleansing after the recent scandals that rocked the finance profession.

Bongani Manzi, Westfalia Fruit's GM of Finance, says he has a future CFO role in his sights.

CFO of the Year 2017 Till Streichert talks about competing in the gruelling Cape Epic.

Where we've come from and where we are now makes me proud, says Glen Pearce, Sappi CFO

Jasco Group's finance head Warren Prinsloo talks about taking your business to the next level.

Mike Buckham shares the story of his unusual and unexpected ascent to Sygnia FD.

Kumba Iron Ore CFO Bothwell Mazarura talks mining, Marikana and technology.

CFO award-winning Takeda FD Debbie Ransby talks about her success in Africa.

Today's trying times require us to be the absolute best that we can be, says TWK Agri's Eddie Fivaz.

Public servants can positively impact people's lives, says Umar Banda, City of Tshwane CFO.

Imperial Holdings CFO Mohammed Akoojee says 2018 must be the year where "it all comes together".

KFC Africa CFO Sharon Naidoo is firmly focused on today's agility and tomorrow's leadership.

"Do the basics brilliantly. If you do that, you will get most things right," says Andrew McMaster.

"It's been a hectic few months," says Deloitte's new CFO Africa, Jen McDonald

Get the basics right to see continued success, says Torre Industries CFO Shivan Mansingh

Motus Corporation CFO Ockert Janse van Rensburg is extremely ambitious - literally - having climbed some of the world's highest mountains

Sola David-Borha moved from Nigeria to Joburg earlier this year to become Standard Bank's CEO for all African regions outside SA.

"My pet hate word for 2017 is 'disruptive' - but dare I say it, that's exactly what we are."

Show your team how much you value them and they'll go above and beyond, the finance head says.

We talk to Lushen Pather, who recently announced a move to SARB, about his time as Sasfin CFO.

“Ever since I can remember, I’ve had a strong drive to succeed. My father also taught me something at a very young age: ‘Don’t do something unless you’re intending to do it exceptionally well’. I still live by this,” says Liaan Kretzschmar, CFO/FD of Jaguar Land Rover South Africa and Sub-Sahara Africa.

A 2016 SAICA Top 35-under-35 finalist, Chantelle Loots, CFO of Bombela Concession Company, says she feels fortunate to be a part of a young group of "fantastic CAs" in South Africa who are leading the way to the future.

“High return on equity is one thing but with R2 trillion of assets, the bank can really make a difference in people’s lives and the economies in which we operate,” says Standard Bank FD Arno Daehnke.

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

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.”

After transforming the chemical behemoth’s information technology and business systems, award-winning CFO Wayne Koonin is now stimulating Omnia’s growing appetite for acquisitions. “Omnia is an incredibly complex business with a lot of depth and an unlimited number of challenges, which suits my personality.”

Nonkululeko Dlamini, chief financial officer at the Industrial Development Corporation (IDC), believes that CFOs have a duty to uplift and empower younger employees. “CFOs should be the most approachable people in the business,” she says.

The industry in which Telkom operates is competitive; the environment fluid and prone to frequent change, says Deon Fredericks, the company’s group chief financial officer. Because of this, it considered BCX (then known as Business Connexion) twice, the smaller company first catching the eye of the telecoms behemoth in 2006/2007, and then again in 2012/2013. Eventually, the deal proved too good to be ignored: Telkom required an ICT company to provide end-to-end solutions to corporate customers and BCX was a complementary fit. Deon sat down with CFO South Africa to talk about the acquisition – a deal with a R2.7 billion price tag. “We are very focused on what we want to achieve with BCX in the market. We are starting to see some good wins through the venture.”

Five siblings, five exceptional professionals. This is the remarkable story of the Kathan family: one medical doctor, one Deloitte executive, and no less than three CFOs. We sat down with Veran, Christine, Justine, Mark, and Sunita to talk about the forces that shaped their lives, what motivates them, and their hopes for their children.

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

“Change is the only constant in these times. In that situation of volatility and uncertainty, we always try to stay adaptable to change. Being a more agile and adaptable organisation is critical in enabling us to survive and thrive,” says Nyasha Dzumbunu, CFO of Shanduka Black Umbrellas (SBU), one of the leading enterprises in supplier development organisations in South Africa. While she may be a powerhouse CFO Monday to Friday, in her downtime, Nyasha likes to design women’s clothing – a passion she hopes might one day blossom into a full line of corporate and casual wear. “It’s about power dressing – helping women look and feel spectacular – and I’m very passionate about this. I feel it’s important to express one’s femininity even when you’re in a power role.”

RMB CFO Markos Davias harbours a passion for young accounting talent, promoting diversity and embracing cutting-edge technology.

“The time has come for the CFO to become an important executive member who pushes for value creation other than the normal traditional financial role,” says Musa Magongo, CFO of the Swaziland Civil Aviation Authority (SWACAA). “The CFO is expected to have a better understanding of the impact of each process, whether commercial or operational, and be able to provide the necessary advice and guidance to the technical team.” In his role, Musa oversees all of the financial management issues of SWACAA, from budget preparation and implementation to monitoring, treasury and reporting. While this includes a focus on both finance and strategy, he says the nature of the role means he spends a greater proportion of his time on strategy, and ensuring that the organisation’s overall strategy is implemented.

Airlines are a notoriously difficult business, with narrow profit margins and stiff competition. They are also prey to the volatility of oil prices, as well as fickle exchange rates. But for Kirsten King, a self-proclaimed Benoni girl who entered the “grey-suited” world of accountancy, this is a place not only for the day-to-day administration of finance but also for networking, learning, and a few strong cups of tea.

Pulling off big projects is exhilarating, exponentially growing your profits is awesome, but are you achieving the GREAT thing? Are you building a better future? We spoke with Stan Slap, the world’s foremost thought leader on culture and leadership, who will be opening the Finance Indaba Africa on 12 October 2017, made possible by Clarkhouse Human Capital.