Insight

The pulse rate of any organisation is felt through its working capital. Working capital translates strategy into action. It is the lifeline. It represents the reality of what a company can effectively demonstrate as its strength. This is precisely why cash is still considered king, while profits remain opinions, writes FD Michael Nzule, finance and strategy director at Mitchell Cotts Group.

Kinya Kimotho serves as the finance director for partner emerging markets at Diageo, overseeing approximately 42 markets in Africa where Diageo does not have a physical presence. These markets range from smaller regions like Burkina Faso and Niger to larger ones such as Ethiopia. Describing herself as a "serial FD", Kinya is in her fourth finance director role.

Nicholas Masaba, the CFO of C-Care Health Uganda, participated in the recent CFO East Africa Uganda Launch Summit, sharing his insights on the evolving role of CFOs and the broader strategic influence they must now wield.

Speaking at the CFO East Africa Uganda launch summit, Patrick Mweheire, the regional CEO of Standard Bank Group in East Africa, outlined a vision for the future of financial leadership in the region.

In a compelling presentation at the CFO East Africa Summit, Juma Kimori, the CFO of NMB Bank, laid out his vision for the evolving role of CFOs in today’s dynamic business environment. He highlighted the significant transformation of the CFO's role from traditional financial stewardship to strategic leadership focused on value creation, digital innovation, and sustainability.

The regional CEO of Standard Bank Group in East Africa, Patrick Mweheire, is set to deliver a keynote address at the CFO East Africa Uganda Launch Summit to be held in Kampala on the evening of 22 August 2024.

The CFO of MTN, Uganda’s leading telecommunications service provider, Andrew Bugembe is set to deliver a speech at the CFO East Africa CFO of the Future Summit to be held in Nairobi on the evening of 15 August 2024.

At a recent company annual general meeting “activists outnumbered shareholders”, Nelly Kiogora-Toroitich, the finance director of Unilever East Africa, recently explained at the CFO East Africa ESG Summit. This, she says, shows that people are more informed and pushing for the agenda of sustainability.

At the launch of the CFO East Africa Tanzania Chapter, the former CFO and now CEO of NMB Bank Ruth Zaipuna discussed the transformative journey of the finance leader’s role in today’s dynamic and ever-evolving business landscape.

At the recent CFO East Africa ESG Summit, Alkarim Jiwa, finance and strategy director of banking group DTB, shared his thoughts on the subject of sustainability, explaining that it needs to resonate with the organisation’s purpose.

Business leadership today goes beyond the bottom line and demands a commitment to ESG principles. This was the message Jane Karuku, the trailblazing CEO of East Africa Breweries Limited, delivered at the recent CFO East Africa ESG Summit.

Zainab, the incoming country senior partner effective 1 July 2024, currently serves as the country operations partner, overseeing the firm's financial affairs and spearheading the Learning and Methodology Practice. She spoke to CFO East Africa about the firm's role in assisting CFOs meet their objectives and their support of the community as principal partner.

Close to half of CFOs in East Africa stated that demands from investors is the main trend influencing their organisations’ approach to ESG. This statistic is just one of several interesting findings from the CFO East Africa ESG survey, which involved 120 CFOs representing leading companies in Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania and Rwanda.

Joseph Sheffu, managing partner at EY Tanzania, details his leadership perspectives, his support of the CFO community and his perception of the business landscape in Tanzania.

Sandra Crous is the managing director of PaySpace. With thousands of customers across 40 countries and more than 65 industries, Sandra’s task is taking PaySpace to the next level to become a household name.

For Nancy Muhoya cluster leader of EY East Africa and the country managing partner for EY Kenya, success stems from the ability to handle anything that comes her way. Her own experience in a leadership role has taught her that success comes from seeking continuous improvement because comfort at any stage leads to stagnation.

In this CFO East Africa thought leadership piece, Jackline Engefu, group CFO of Cold Solutions Kenya, details the present benefits that accrue to an organisation that authentically adheres to ESG practices.

Though the CFO nomenclature has continued to hold in most offices, the role of its holders continues to undergo significant transformation, writes Stanbic Bank Chief Finance and Value officer (CFVO) Dennis Musau.

Urvi Patel, Risk Advisory Service Line Leader and the Technology, Media & Telecommunications industry leader at Deloitte East Africa, shares her views on AI adoption and the technology landscape in the region, ahead of her panel participation at the 2024 CFO East Africa Summit - Man vs Machine.

The incorporation of GenAI offers accounting professionals the ability to drive innovation, improve procedures, and provide greater value to clients while carefully considering the ethical issues, writes Westcon-Comstor CFO Catherine Mwololo.