Oracle

CFOs shaken out of comfort zone during Get Smart event

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

Lenore Kerrigan, Sales Director OpenText: preparing for the Digital First World

“As companies prepare for a Digital First World, the CFO will play a key role in providing the financial underpinning of this digital transformation, says Lenore Kerrigan, Sales Director for Sub-Saharan Africa at software company OpenText Corporation. “It is controversial, but in many companies CFOs are still mainly reporting on historic facts and figures. The role of modern CFOs, however, is forward looking and includes a very strong focus on understanding risk and financial growth. Our Enterprise Content Management (ECM) and Enterprise Information Management (EIM) systems can help them accomplish this.”

Expert Insight: Explorer Martijn Aslander: we are living in a new renaissance

Martijn will be the Keynote Speaker at the CFO South Africa Events February 17th in Johannesburg, February 19th Cape Town, the CFO Awards 2015 and the Fintech Africa Event July 28th and 20 October in Stellenbosch.

Futuresense-directors Steven Hyslop & Simon Jackson: CFOs needs to understand IT

“I think the role of the CFO is becoming far more interesting and complex,” says Steven Hyslop, founder and director of Futuresense, a high-end implementation firm for Oracle’s Hyperion solutions. “Our work always starts with a CFO wanting a solution,” adds Simon Jackson, his fellow director. Hyslop and Jackson recently spoke to CFO South Africa about the role of the Chief Financial Officer in driving digital transformation.

Mteto Nyati, Managing Director Microsoft South Africa: Connecting the next billion

“There are still billions of people that have not been touched by technology. That is where our enormous potential lies,” says Mteto Nyati, Managing Director at Microsoft South Africa. “Technology is not an end goal; it is all about what it can do to help humanity reach its potential.” As the famous IT-company shifts from being a software company to a device and cloud company, Nyati is full of ambition and enthusiasm about opportunities in South Africa.

Pieter Bensch, Vice President Oracle South Africa: Rewarding innovative CFOs

Chief Financial Officers are important stakeholders for technology firm Oracle, so it is no surprise that Pieter Bensch, Vice President at Oracle South Africa, has a keen interest in these professionals. Bensch has been involved in various CFO South Africa events and was one of the jury members for the inaugural CFO Awards. When adjudicating the candidates Bensch specifically looked for executives who “run a world class business” and “show innovative spirit”, he says.

The votes are in! Who wins the CFO Awards 2014?

CFO Profile: Nichola Dewar | Postbank

Nichola Dewar | Chief Financial Officer | Postbank

CFO Awards jury interviews CFOs of Treasury, EOH and SAB

With the interview process drawing to a conclusion, three more CFOs were interviewed this week for the benefit of the jury of the CFO Awards. On Wednesday the nominated CFO Dalu Majeke of the National Treasury hosted CFO South Africa-founder Alex van Groningen in Pretoria.

Marie McCrea, Partner CIL: CFO - A Vision for the Future

Marie McCrea, partner at the Centre for Innovative Leadership (CIL), held an interesting presentation on the role and challenges of modern CFOs at the CFO South Africa Event Get Smart in 2014, March 13 at the Saxon.

Introducing the first jury members of the CFO Awards

Strategic CFO: Are you a catalyst for change? Compare yourself to your peers.

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

“We are not living in the information age anymore, but we have moved into the communication age, where social media and relationships are becoming crucial elements of our daily work.” Those were the words of Aarti Takoordeen, CFO of the JSE Limited, who gave a snappy, thought-provoking presentation during the 5th CFO South Africa event, which took place in the Saxon Boutique Hotel in Johannesburg on Thursday 3 October.

Michael van Straten, Financial Director Servest Marine: "Treat one with respect and you will get it back."

Michael van Straten begins our interview with a walking tour of Servest Marine’s operations at Cape Town harbour. Seeing him greet dock workers by name and check on the boats of “the competition”, I’m reminded of my first feeling when I met Michael at the CFO Café some months previous – here was someone who knows his place in the world and makes one feel instantly at ease. Not bad for a man who until last year was working for one of the largest multi-nationals in the world….

Cape Town CFO Round Table: Making IT a Priority

Many South African CFOs and Finance Directors struggle to manage their time properly. IT can lead to many headaches, but can also free up time for the things finance professionals really want to do: look to the future and strategize. That was the conclusion of the participants of the CFO South Africa round table on Tuesday 14 May at The Twelve Apostles Hotel in Cape Town.

Eric van Marle, Vice President Transparent: South African CFOs are the drivers of great change

“You don’t want to know how many CFOs and banks we have helped with matchmaking,” says Eric van Marle. A networker at heart, Transparent’s Vice President likes to bring together business people who can help each other forward – something that aligns neatly with CFO South Africa’s approach. Van Marle is excited about Transparent’s presence in the South African market and he is not planning to curb his enthusiasm. “This market is very hot at the moment. South Africa has clearly made great leaps in economic development and everyone’s focussing on keeping that trend going. That’s where we can help.”

Asher Bohbot, CEO EOH: Appropriate expectations in Africa

“It is important to understand that the markets in the rest of Africa are very different from South Africa,” says Asher Bohbot, founder and CEO of the South African IT company EOH. There is a bit of hype around investing in Africa lately and Bohbot warns that expectations of returns need to be realistic. At the same time the experienced entrepreneur acknowledges the opportunities are enormous. “Africa’s growth is greater than ours in South Africa, so there is no question that the continent is a destination for growth for South African enterprises.”

CFO Round Table Johannesburg: CFOs exchange notes on IT and automating processes

The CFO Round Table on Thursday 16 May at the Saxon Boutique Hotel in Johannesburg turned out to be an extremely successful meeting of minds,in which CFOs from a variety of industries candidly exchanged notes on IT, automating processes and the never-ending struggle to find time to reflect on strategy.

CFO South Africa Newsletter June 7th 2013

CFO South Africa Newsletter May 22nd 2013

Dear CFO South Africa member,

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

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

South African CFOs find common ground

From left to right in the picture: Michael Van Straten (Servest), Ronel Van Dijk (Spur Group), Rolam Ait Si Birouk CFO (Ropetec), Ian Blackie (Wesgro), Liezl Myburgh (Sanlam Investement Services), Van Zyl Botha (Randgold & Exploration Company), Graham Meyer (Tellumat), Alain Ozan (Oracle), Callen Hodgskiss (HPCA), Pieter Bensch (Oracle), Bhavana Sewlall-Singh (Western Cape Government) and Melle Eijckelhoff (CFO SA).

Come to the CFO South Africa Cafés in May

Don't miss it! The time for the next CFO South Africa Events is approaching. In May prominent financial professionals and directors will represent Cape Town’s and Johannesburg’s finest companies at the exclusive CFO Round Tables & Cafés on May 14th and 16th respectively.

It is time for CFO South Africa

Since its launch in September 2011 CFO South Africa has become the leading networking platform for CFOs and finance professionals. The fast-growing online and offline community is moulded on a successful formula in The Netherlands, where the platform has become as essential for finance professionals as adding and subtracting. We spoke to Alex van Groningen, founder of the Dutch CFO and South African platforms about the opportunities in South Africa, his business model and the ambitious plans of CFO SA.