The CFOs looked “beyond finance”, the CHROs tackled “radical inclusion” and the CIOs were treated to unpacking the “transformation of legacy systems”.
Every year, Executive Communities hosts three summits in Cape Town to engage the CFO, CHRO and CIO networks in South Africa’s other significant business hub. Over three nights in April, each of the communities gathered, to discuss pressing topics facing their executives.
“With Cape Town being a powerful business hub for many of South Africa’s leading businesses, Executive Communities finds it enormously important and beneficial to engage with the executives in the Mother City,” says Sungula Nkabinde, head of communities at Executive Communities. “We’re always delighted to have brought them together and heard their voices. And there’s no denying it’s lovely to be in Cape Town as well.”
CFO South Africa Summit: Looking beyond the Numbers
This summit brought together top finance leaders to discuss navigating modern business complexities, fostering collaboration, and leading with agility.
Keynote speaker Claudelle von Eck, founder of Brave Inflexions, led an interactive session on skills beyond financial acumen, prompting attendees to reflect on self-awareness, team dynamics, and stakeholder perspectives.
The high point of the summit was a discussion between Vincent Motholo, CFO of University of Cape Town, Casper Troskie, CFO of Old Mutual, Gordon Traill, CFO of the Clicks Group, and Emmah Makomva, outgoing Southern Africa CFO of Godrej Consumer Products.
CHRO South Africa Summit: Radical Inclusion
HR leaders gathered to explore the true purpose and impact of diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging (DEIB) in the workplace. DEIB expert Roy Gluckman led an interactive session emphasising belonging as fundamental and highlighted that true performance requires psychological safety.
A fireside chat with Old Mutual CPO Anusuya Govender and Regenesys CEO Nishen Munnisunker discussed embedding DEI in all human capital processes and the fundamental shift in behaviour required for radical inclusion.
A panel discussion featuring Sandiso Gcwabe, CFO at Wesgro, Andrew Milson, sustainability and people director at Food Lover's Market, and Reabetswe Motshegare, HR director at Scatec ASA, explored how HR leaders can move beyond fluffy metrics to truly measure the lasting impact of DEIB efforts within their organisations.
CIO South Africa Summit: Magic Mechanics
The summit kicked off with an interactive session in which IT leaders were divided into groups to tackle legacy system conundrums. In one group, CIOs reflected on how they and their IT teams navigated resistance to change concerning legacy systems. The IT leaders who attended engaged in discussions that went beyond just the technological aspects, emphasising the critical roles of the speed of transformation and effective people management.
A panel discussion with Shoprite group CTO Chris Shortt and Mustek’s group data and technology executive Juan-Paul Gough, shared their experiences and challenges related to resistance to change within their teams concerning legacy systems. Mo Kola, CTO at TFG, highlighted the importance of strong business ownership from the top in driving change.
For Poppy Tshabalala, the evening’s keynote speaker and independent ICT consultant, the discussion on legacy systems took her back to her CIO days of dealing with legacy systems. She highlighted that one of the challenges with legacy systems is security vulnerabilities, a crucial part when considering modernisation
The event also featured top speakers that included Shalendra Singh, head of IT at Hungry Lion, Aveena Mothilall, CIO of Engen, and Nico Papanicolaou, IT executive at TUHF.