It started with a dinner in Windhoek earlier this year, and now Namibia’s finance chiefs can look forward to boosting their knowledge, networks and careers through down-to-earth engagement, world-class events and engaging original content.
“The launch of CFO Namibia is long overdue! These days, Executive Communities connects finance, HR and IT executives in a rapidly growing number of African countries, but we have been bringing CFOs together in South Africa for 14 years now. I am delighted the time has now come for CFOs in Namibia to start forming a community and we feel privileged to help facilitate this,” says Joël Roerig, managing director of Executive Communities.
The initiative forms part of the regional expansion of Executive Communities, the umbrella for CFO South Africa, established in 2012; CFO East Africa, launched in 2023 and similar communities for CHROs and CIOs.
ExCo has been actively chatting and listening to CFOs in Namibia since the beginning of the year with a dedicated dinner in Windhoek, as well as an online community conversation acting as brainstorming sessions for the communities and their local intricacies.
The dinner, attended by top finance execs from companies including Bank of Namibia, Capricorn Asset Management, Millennium, Sandvik, Santam, Standard Bank and Western Investments, brought together at least 30 chief finance officers for the first time in Namibia’s corporate history.
“What we have started here cannot end here,” one CFO said at the dinner. “If we want stronger institutions, we need stronger financial leadership. That requires community.”
Read more about the dinner.
The virtual CFO Namibia Community Conversation focused on how CFOs are expected to be agile strategists, while taking into account that persistent skills shortages and changing workforce expectations are making the role increasingly demanding.
“The CFO is no longer the person sitting in the background producing financial statements and ensuring payments are made. Today, finance leaders are strategic business partners who are expected to help shape the future of the organisation,” Abrie Collard, CFO of Western Investments Group, commented during the conversation.
Read more about the conversation.
“We know from our experience in Kenya, Rwanda, South Africa, Tanzania and Uganda that there is incredible power in CFOs gathering in a safe space to chat about shared challenges, opportunities and solutions – and sometimes these communities are just a place for execs to feel valued and understood,” adds Joël.
An official launch in the form of a summit will take place on 15 April, bringing Namibia’s senior finance leaders together to tackle the capital, risk, currency, infrastructure and strategic decisions that will determine who captures the value of Namibia’s next economic cycle, and how resilient that value will be. For more details, please contact Puseletso Mompei.
Interviews with top execs, insights into industry trends, community news and more will be published on CFO Namibia and a dedicated LinkedIn channel is open to anyone interested in finance from the region to join. You can also sign up to receive a weekly newsletter so you’re kept up-to-date with industry news and upcoming events.