New financial year, new CFOs
JSE-listed companies like Sanlam, Barloworld, Tsogo Sun, Pick n Pay and more appoint new CFOs as they head into the new financial year.
Pick n Pay has appointed Lerena Olivier as its new CFO and executive director as of 6 September. She will be taking over from Bakar Jakoet, who has retired after 34 years of service. Lerena has been a senior executive within Pick n Pay’s group finance division for the past eight years, where she has worked very closely with Bakar. She currently heads the group’s reporting and finance team. She is a qualified CA(SA) and has 18 years of experience with JSE-listed companies in the retail sector.
It's been a big year for The Olivier family, as Wikus Olivier was also appointed as acting CFO of Sanlam. Wikus will be replacing Heinie Werth, who has taken over a new role as CEO of Sanlam Emerging Markets as of 1 August. Wikus will act in the position of interim CFO until the group fills the group FD role permanently.
Tsogo Sun has appointed former group corporate finance manager Laurelle McDonald as its new CFO. She has been with Tsogo Sun for 12 years after the company acquired Gold Reef Resorts, where she served as an assistant financial manager at Silverstar Casino, then group financial manager and finally company secretary. She joined Tsogo Sun as corporate finance and treasury manager. Laurelle is also a member of Tsogo Sun’s executive committee. She has taken over from Rob Huddy, who had been the CFO of Tsogo Sun since 2011.
Alaris Holdings has appointed Elsie Muller as its new full-time group
CFO and FD as of 1 July. Elsie completed her articles with Grant Thornton and qualified as a CA(SA) in 2012. After that, she joined a manufacturing concern. Elsie will be taking over from Gisela Heyman, who has been promoted to MD of Alaris Antennas and who will remain an executive director on the board.
MiX Telematics has appointed John Granara as its new CFO and executive VP as of 8 July. John has taken over from Paul Dell, who has filled the role of interim CFO since early 2017. Paul will continue at MiX
Telematics in an alternative senior role. Most recently, John held the position of CFO at Ameresco. Prior to that, he was the VP of finance and CAO at GT Advanced Technologies
About his appointment, John said: “I am thrilled to be joining MiX Telematics at this exciting stage of the business. I’m looking forward to contributing to this leading and growing technology company that is at the forefront of many global trends. Helping the company achieve its business and financial goals to drive further shareholder value is my top priority.”
enX Group has appointed former Safika Holdings CFO Babalwa Ngonyama as an independent non-executive director and chair of the audit and risk committee. Ngonyama is currently the CEO of Sinayo Securities. Previously she served as the group chief internal auditor of Nedbank. She is a qualified CA(SA) with an MBA and sits on the board and audit committee of Aspen, Hollard Life and Insurance, Vukile Property Fund and Clover.
She is also a lead independent director of Implats.
Hosken Consolidated Investments has appointed Robert Nicolella as its new FD as of 1 August 2019. He has taken over from Kevin Govender, who has been CFO of Hosken for the past 17 years. Robert is a qualified CA(SA). During his 18-year tenure at Investec Bank, Robert headed the structured finance division and thereafter, Private Bank Western
Cape. He joined Hosken in 2011 to develop its properties portfolio. He is also a director on the boards of Impact Oil and Gas, as well as Tsogo Sun Hotels. He steps into the FD role having left the Hospital Property Fund as CEO on 1 June.
Hammerson has appointed James Lenton as its new CFO and executive director. He succeeds
Timon Drakesmith. James joined Hammerson from AIG, where he served as the CFO and board member of its European Group since 2014. He joined AIG in 2013 as deputy CFO for EMEA. Prior to AIG, James served as a partner at EY from 2006. He started his career at PwC, where he qualified as a CA(SA) in 2001.
Andrey Maruta has taken over from John Crews as Kore Potash’s CFO as of 23 September. Andrey, a fellow chartered and certified accountant,
has over 16 years’ experience in the mining industry, including as CFO at Petropavlovsk. He has also worked in the audit function at Moore Stephens International in both the UK and the Russian Federation.
The Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa (PRASA) announced the appointment of Japhtalina Lesibana Fosu as its first permanent CFO since 2014. She is a qualified CA(SA) with an MBA from IMD Business School in Switzerland. She received a Clean Audit Award from the Auditor-General for her work at the Limpopo Road Accident Fund for two consecutive years between 2012 and 2014.
Minergy Limited has appointed
CFO Morne du Plessis as its new CEO as of 1 August. He will be taking over from Andre Boje, who retired at the end of June. Morne is a qualified CA(SA). He has held top management positions with several coal-mining and -trading groups, including Genet SA, Umcebo Mining Group and Wescoal Holdings Limited. He has been a director on the board of Minergy since January 2017, leading into the listing of the company on the Botswana Stock Exchange, and became its CFO in February 2017.
Ecobank Transnational Incorporated has appointed Ayo Adepoju as its new group CFO. He has been serving as acting group CEO since April 2019. Prior to this, he worked as Ecobank’s group financial controller. Before this, he had a career at PwC in London and Lagos as an assurance manager in the financial services practice.