Over 60 CFOs from across East Africa came together at Kampala Serena in Uganda for the much-anticipated launch of the CFO East Africa Uganda Chapter. The event was sponsored by Community Principal Partner EY and Event Associate Partner AARO.
The event kicked off with a welcome from co-founder and community manager KC Rottok Chesaina, who provided a progress report on the growth of the community in East Africa over the past ten months of its existence. He explained that CFO East Africa brings finance executives together, boosting their knowledge, networks, and careers through down-to-earth engagement, world-class events, and engaging original content.
“The community is supported by partner organisations that share our vision. They benefit from the unique opportunity to build meaningful relationships with decision-makers on a neutral platform. Through everything we do, we aim to positively influence individuals’ lives and careers, inspire organisations, and contribute to a better East Africa,” KC said.
Geoffrey Byamugisha, country managing partner of EY Uganda, delivered the partner address where he explained the firm’s reasons for supporting a networking platform for finance leaders.
“Our slogan at EY is ‘building a better working world,’ which reflects the firm's commitment to making a positive impact on businesses, economies, and communities. It embodies EY's belief that by providing high-quality services, insights, and innovative solutions, we can help CFOs navigate complex challenges and seize opportunities. It is for this reason that supporting a vibrant CFO community was a no-brainer for us,” Geoffrey said.
The keynote speaker, Patrick Mweheire – Regional CEO of Standard Bank Group East Africa, then took the podium to deliver a riveting 20-minute speech on what makes a successful CFO.
“In this environment of Volatility, Uncertainty, Complexity, and Ambiguity (VUCA), past glory is not a certainty anymore. With this, the role of a CFO is also evolving from traditional financial stewardship towards value management. CFOs therefore need to self-disrupt to be effective partners to their CEOs. They need to shift from strategy to culture, from technical to adaptive thinking, and from certainty to curiosity,” Patrick said.
A panel comprising MTN CFO Andrew Bugembe, EABL Group CFO Risper Genga-Ohaga, and C-Care Health Group CFO Nicholas Masaba took to the stage to react to the sentiments expressed by Patrick and to share their experiences having attended previous CFO East Africa Summits. They encouraged their colleagues to show up to upcoming events where they could benefit from super-charged levels of networking and storytelling by finance peers.
The CFOs split into groups for roundtables led by Hima Cement CFO Moses Aman, Uganda Breweries Limited FD Eunice Waweru, Uganda Airlines CFO Andrew Ssekamwa, and CFO South Africa MD Joel Roerig. They discussed the need for a regional community given the evolving role of the CFO and set the agenda for the next Uganda gathering set for May 2025.
The evening ended on a fun note as the gentlemen laid out chairs for the lady CFOs in attendance to sit on and congregated behind them for a historic group photo that captured the very first gathering of the regional CFO community in Uganda.
