South Africa’s top CHROs, CFOs, and CIOs came together at The Venue in Melrose on 5 September for Executive Day. This interactive event brought industry leaders together under the theme of “Connected Leadership,” fostering collaboration and dialogue among the nation’s foremost executives.
The full-day event offered a dynamic programme, starting with a unique Harvard-style boardroom simulation session – a first of its kind. During the 30-minute exercise, participants tackled key business levers, tested their decision-making skills, and benchmarked their strategies against peers, all while aiming to achieve the highest profit.
The winning team, composed primarily of CHROs, debunked the myth that HR professionals lack financial acumen. They demonstrated a strong grasp of business drivers and made strategic decisions on where to invest, spend, and save, proving their financial savvy.
"The simulation session was really innovative and gave us an opportunity to compete and make decisions on the fly," said Neridha Moodley, the people and culture leader at SNG Grant Thornton.
Avanthi Maharaj, Google South Africa’s CHRO shared the same sentiments, “The simulation session was a great way to start the day. It gave us the opportunity as CHROs to be cognisant of the type of decision making process needed in finance and what is needed . It was also testament that HR has indeed earned its seat at the table and that it is a key part of the business.”
Phil Tshikotshi, vice president for human resources at Startek agreed that the simulation was a great platform for business leaders. “It gave us a chance to assess the impact of their decisions on the financial and commercial performance of the company,” he said.
The 100-strong trifecta were then captivated by an open discussion with Vodacom CEO Shameel Joosub, who shared valuable insights on the key to driving successful exco collaboration.“Start off by having the right people around the table. The quality of the people is very important, focus on succession, finding the right talent locally and globally. Diversity is a big part of what we’re about.”
After providing plenty of food for thought, attendees were treated to a culinary journey around the world, with a lunch featuring a variety of globally inspired dishes.
Dr Susan Winks, head of research operations and business development at H3D Foundation, was the next speaker at the plenary. “ Strategic partnerships and collaborations are essential, to be sustainable you need to strengthen operational systems and create career paths to retain skilled people.”
Her talk was followed by a panel discussion on the risk and rewards of collaborations with Vinolia Singh, CPO at Adcorp, Pramy Moodley, CFO at Sappi and Philip de Kock, IT Manager at KWV.
“It is important to manage the scope, be realistic while also being flexible but staying within the set budget and timeframe,” said Vinoila, “Be cautious when looking at SLA’s and always make sure there is an exit clause. Avoid long term contracts - those that scale to 8 - 12 years, an agreement should be, at most, 2 - 3 years long.”
The day wrapped up with fireside chat between Kasthuri Soni, CEO of Harambee Youth Employment Accelerator and Graham Fehrsen, transition coach at NOVO.
At the end of the day guests enjoyed drinks and networking while recapping what the successful day had to offer.
Executive Day was hosted with Principal Partners Entelect, iOCO, Liquid Intelligent Technologies, MakwaIT, Mercer, Onestream, Old Mutual; Executive Partners Africa Data Centres, BCX, BDO, Equinix, HCL Tech, Stanlib, Workday; and Associate Partner SAS.
