2022 CFO AWARDS

Every year, the CFO Awards shines a spotlight on the remarkable achievements of South Africa’s leading finance professionals as they continue to steer the future of business. Last year was no different!

The evening of 16 November 2022 will go down as one of the most memorable in South Africa’s finance industry. The country’s top finance professionals made their way to the Polo Room at the Inanda Club in Sandton to be honoured at the ninth annual CFO Awards, aptly nicknamed the Oscars of the finance profession, for their exceptional work in finance. Many dubbed the last two years the toughest in the country, let alone in finance, making the top honours and recognition even more prestigious.

The venue was decorated in black, white, and gold; the patio, which housed the open bar overlooking the polo fields, had a black bedouin tent adorned with beautiful lighting, and as guests entered the ceremony hall, they were greeted by cascading chandelier lights and the most exquisite table settings. Guests were greeted by the sounds of an exceptional saxophonist, who created an elegant atmosphere. Cathy Del Mei’s renditions of greatest hits were so accurate, you’d be forgiven for thinking the original song was playing in the background.

Drinks in hand, guests were entertained by funnyman Loyiso Madinga, who kicked off proceedings with his unique brand of comedy.

Georgina Guedes, executive community director at CFO South Africa, then provided a look back at previous awards and some of the memorable moments. She thanked the CFO Awards sponsors for their support of the CFO community and the awards. “I'd like to take this opportunity to congratulate all of the nominees and previous award winners, some of whom are now serving as judges for this year’s awards,” she said.

In an opening keynote address from the principal partner, Deloitte, the company’s Africa’s CEO Ruwayda Redfearn expressed her delight at being in the same room filled with familiar faces, peers, and like-minded individuals after such a difficult two years. “This is a time where our people need us the most,” she said. “And it’s a responsibility that weighs heavily on the shoulders of CFOs.”

Next, the Johannesburg Queer Choir, a group that speaks – or rather sings – about diversity, and their colourful outfits reflected that, took to the stage. They sang Gloria Gaynor’s “I Am What I Am”, which speaks of living one’s most authentic life unapologetically, which struck a chord with the audience.

The awards ceremony, the night’s most anticipated event, followed. Deepa Sita, CFO of Tiger Brands, who won the Compliance & Governance Award, said that the CFOs in attendance owed it to themselves to keep their heads up in the face of adversity, a type of leadership that encourages their team members to do the same.

Deepa also received the Finance & Technology Award.

Deon Smith, FD at Thungela, received the HighPerformance Team Award. His team, which was also a table sponsor, cheered with excitement, knowing that the Award was just as much theirs.

Dirk Viljoen, CFO at Hollard Group, was the winner of the Transformation & Empowerment Award. It was both an honour and privilege to work for an organisation that is purpose driven, he said in his acceptance speech. [You can read more about Dirk’s transformation and empowerment journey on page 40.]

Risto Ketola, group finance director at Momentum Metropolitan Holdings, walked away with the Finance Transformation Award.

The Young CFO of the Year title was awarded to Mpolaheng Mohlopi, the CFO of Lanseria International Airport. For the past three years, Mpolaheng has been focusing on helping Lanseria International Airport and its employees survive the impact of Covid-19 and consequent travel restrictions. As the CFO, she is also

• CFO of the Year (sponsored by Deloitte) – Arno Daehnke, chief finance and value management officer, Standard Bank Group

• Young CFO of the Year (sponsored by TreasuryONE) – Mpolaheng Mohlopi, CFO, Lanseria International Airport

• Public Sector CFO of the Year – Ashraf Dindar, CFO, CSIR

• Strategy Execution Award (sponsored by Workday) – Arno Daehnke

• Transformation & Empowerment Award (sponsored by Deloitte) – Dirk Viljoen, CFO, Hollard Group

• High-Performance Team Award – Deon Smith, FD, Thungela

• Compliance & Governance Award – Deepa Sita, Group CFO, Tiger Brands

• Finance Transformation Award (sponsored by Coupa) – Risto Ketola, Group FD, Momentum Metropolitan Holdings

• Moving into Africa Award (sponsored by Standard Bank) – Arno Daehnke

• Finance & Technology Award – Deepa Sita responsible for crafting and implementing the airport’s B-BBEE strategy resulting in a significant improvement in the B-BBEE compliance level. A risk champion at heart, she has identified gaps in the company’s risk strategy, and implemented policies to fill those gaps. As part of the company’s digital transformation strategy, she has also overseen the move from a manual cash book to an automated process.

Ashraf Dindar, CFO at the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), won the Public Sector CFO of the Year Award.

Tendayi Viki, award-winning author and corporate innovation expert, delivered a keynote address titled “The entrepreneurial CFO”. He discussed the sometimes contentious relationship between CFOs and innovation teams. “CFOs sometimes get upset with innovators because when they ask for money, innovators assume, according to some CFOs, that there is a bottomless pit of money available for what is often a big bet or gamble, because to a certain extent, you have to invest in the unknown,” he explained.

With that in mind, Tendayi left the guests with something to ponder for the coming year: “How much are you willing to invest in ideas that have no business case in 2023?” he asked.

Finally, the time came for one of the nominees to be crowned the winner, and that was Standard Bank’s Arno Daehnke, who walked away with the prestigious honour of CFO of the Year.

Arno is the chief finance & value management officer for the Standard Bank Group (SBG), a role that was created to drive the financial and value management disciplines of strategy formulation and execution, optimised resource allocations and monetising value opportunities. This forms part of SBG's refreshed strategy to focus on value management through ecosystems and partnerships.

Arno believes that collaboration through agile and empowered teams is critical to grow and compete in the fourth industrial revolution. His leadership style is to be approachable, to be open to new ideas, to be supportive and empathetic, and to bring the best out in everyone.

He said the award would not have been possible without the support of his team. “My team and I have focused heavily on strategy at Standard Bank this year, so seeing their hard work recognised means a lot to me,” he said. “This recognition is a result of the hard work my team and I have put in, and it is what motivates me to come to work every day.”

Arno also walked away with the Strategy & Execution Award, and the Moving into Africa Award. l