The UAP Tanzania CEO, who recently transitioned from CFO, urges upcoming finance leaders to expand the scope of their responsibility and discharge their role with the future of the business in mind. He shuns the notion of the CFO as purely a finance professional, urging CFOs to play a key role in shaping and driving business strategy.
What attracted you to join the panel of judges for the 2025 CFO East Africa Awards?
Over the years, the role of the CFO has changed tremendously. Most people think a CFO deals purely with accounts, tax and finance. The role has advanced into business partnering, to assist in the general strategy of the company. One of the categories of the awards is the CFO as a business partner, so that really resonated with me. We need to appreciate how the role has evolved. We have not had an opportunity to recognise CFOs, so that other finance professionals would have people to look up to. I thought this would be a good way to recognise the role of a CFO, appreciate their contribution, and form a benchmark for other professionals.
What impact do you think the awards and the larger CFO East Africa community will have on finance leaders in the region?
The awards are an avenue for CFOs to showcase their skills and achievements. The community allows CFOs to exchange ideas and share their experiences of their journeys so that other CFOs can learn from them. Humans are very complex. You can always learn so much from another person. You may feel that you have been a CFO for 20 years and that you know all there is to know, but you may have a CFO who is two years into their career who may give you a different perspective on things. There are so many changes currently happening in the finance profession, like ESG. These are things that may not resonate with us much as old timers. But we may be able to learn a lot from the newer CFOs. So, this is something that allows CFOs to demonstrate their abilities and competencies and also share insights from their different backgrounds and industries.
What qualities will you be looking out for as you evaluate the nominees?
I will be looking at how the CFO has partnered with the business in terms of strategy, and how the CFO uses their knowledge and data to empower their organisations in decision making. I will also look at how the CFOs have adapted to the changes in their roles. There are a lot of new standards. For example, in the insurance industry, they just introduced IFRS17 last year, which completely changed how we do business and how we report. So, I would like to see how CFOs have been able to support the adoption of the standards in their companies. I will also be looking at how CFOs have nurtured upcoming finance professionals either within their organisations or across the industry to grow professionally and take up more opportunities. How have they adapted to ESG and AI and guided their organisations through the process? I want to see a CFO who has been able to adapt to these new changes and bring efficiency to their organisation and can showcase it to other CFOs.
What are some personal experiences from your career background that you believe will help you bring a unique perspective to the judging panel?
I have not worked in the public sector, but I have spent most of my time at multinationals and private companies in senior positions. That gives me a wider appreciation of different backgrounds and industries. In the insurance industry, it is easier for someone with an academic background in insurance to be promoted to a CEO. I did not have a strong academic insurance background. I did my papers in insurance a few years ago. Being entrusted with the transition from CFO to CEO meant there was an appreciation by my board for my experience, ability to adapt and partner with the business regardless of my background to ensure that the business is achieving the set goals. That was probably the key reason for my promotion. Because I have been through the process, I may be able to capture and evaluate those qualities.
What advice would you give to future CFOs who aspire to be recognised at an awards level and take a career path similar to yours?
As a CFO, you are not only the head of finance, you are the head of the company. Don’t do things for the finance department only. Do things for the good of the company. Align your strategy with the strategy of the company. 40 percent of my time as a CFO was actually used in parts of the business other than finance. Review other operations. You must be interested in the business. Be a good business partner. Align with your CEO. If there is any issue you are uncomfortable with, address it early so that when you start running, you just run.
