CFO Talks 2025 - The Strategic CFO; Personality, Pressure & Performance
Hosted by the CFO Club, powered by CIBA and Sage
You’re the CFO, But That’s Only Half the Story
High-performing CFOs do more than deliver the numbers. They absorb pressure, manage control, and shape the behaviour of entire organisations.
They hold the line between oversight and overreach, precision and paralysis. In their success or derailment lies the direction of teams, boards, and business strategy.
The 2025 CFO Talks, hosted by CIBA and Sage, takes this behavioural lens seriously. Through candid stories, practical frameworks, and executive insight, we unpack how personal traits and pressure responses shape CFO effectiveness.
Join us as we decode the difference between the technical CFO and the strategic CFO. And how behaviour, not just skill, defines who moves up and who misses out.
- When Strength Becomes Risk Keynote: A seasoned CFO unpacks how control, precision, and ethics can become liabilities under pressure. Opening Message: Recognising the behavioural demands of financial leadership today.
- Beyond Technical, Into Strategic Session: Why technically sound CFOs still fall short, and how influence, not accuracy, shifts board decisions. Insight: Understand the leadership gap between qualification and credibility.
- Pressure Responses That Define a Career Expert Talk: How CFOs in the private and public sectors navigate political pressure, compliance load, and visibility. Audience Q&A: What high-stakes roles reveal about control, courage, and clarity.
- Delegation, Automation, and Letting Go Next-Gen Voice: A young award-winning CFO on replacing perfectionism with influence. Tech Talk: Automation tools that prevent overcontrol and behavioural blind spots.
- Strategic CFOs Drive Performance, Not Just Process Economic Lens: The CFO’s risk appetite and behavioural style as economic levers. Sector View: What timid vs. bold leadership looks like at scale.
- From Hyper-Accountant to Influential Leader Panel: Personal stories of derailment and course correction. Takeaway: Real talk on behavioural pivots that build or break strategic leadership.
- Tools for Behavioural Insight Resources: Frameworks, assessment tools, and development pathways to support CFO self-awareness and succession planning. Support: Access to CIBA-led solutions for growth beyond compliance.
- Peer Exchange & Recognition Networking: Connect with CFOs facing similar behavioural challenges. Credential Pathway: Learn how the CCFO designation formalises the strategic edge.
Meet the Voices That Matter
Randpark Golf Club, Gauteng
28 August, Thursday
Time: 08:30 to 13:00
Venue: Randpark Golf Club, Gauteng
Address: Setperk Rd, Randpark, Randburg, South Africa
Dress Code: Business Casual
Whats on the agenda
| Time Start | Time End | Topic | Speaker |
|---|---|---|---|
|
08:30 |
09:00 |
Registration and Welcome Coffee |
|
|
09:00 |
09:10 |
Opening Remarks — Setting the tone for behavioural insight and strategic leadership |
Nicolaas van Wyk, CEO, CIBA |
|
09:10 |
9:45 |
Precision vs. Pressure — When CFO strengths become leadership risks |
Rajesh Bux (CFO of Link Africa) |
|
09:45 |
10:20 |
Strategic CFOs Drive Growth — Linking behavioural leadership to economic outcomes |
Koketso Mano (Senior Economist, FNB) |
|
10:20 |
10:55 |
Leading Without Overcontrol — Next-gen delegation, trust, and performance |
Mikaeel Tayob (Executive Finance Director, Bridgestone) |
|
10:55 |
11:10 |
Refreshment Break |
|
|
11:10 |
11:45 |
Integrated Leadership — Financial credibility meets wellness, performance, and pressure |
Ronel Jooste (CA(SA), (Director of Financiallyfit) |
|
11:45 |
12:20 |
Supercharge your business — Leveraging the power of automation |
Jordaan Burger (MD for AME, Sage) |
|
12:20 |
12:40 |
Panel Wrap-Up — From hyper-accountant to strategic influencer |
Moderated by Nicolaas van Wyk, with all speakers |
|
12:40 |
13:00 |
Closing Reflections — Leadership Under Pressure: The Public Sector Perspective |
Innocent Gumbochuma, CFO – SA Qualifications Authority (SAQA) |
One Morning. Real Behaviour. Strategic Impact.
Your job title is CFO, but your real influence comes from how you lead under pressure. The 2025 CFO Talks is for finance leaders who want to go beyond technical skill and understand what truly shapes strategic performance.
This is a focused session on the behavioural traits, tools, and decisions that separate technical experts from board-level influencers.
- Strategies That Match the Pressure
Practical insight on how to:
- Recognise when your strengths become risks under stress
- Use systems like Sage to avoid micromanagement and behavioural bottlenecks
- Delegate with accountability and scale leadership across your team
- Lead performance without defaulting to control
No buzzwords. Just what works in high-stakes finance roles.
- Recognition That Reflects Real Leadership
We highlight what isn’t usually discussed:
- The behavioural cost of getting it right every time
- The silent pressure behind compliance-heavy, high-visibility roles
- The shift from technician to influencer, and how it’s perceived
Because strategic leadership isn’t always visible, but it can be validated.
- Support That Builds Capacity, Not Workload
Ongoing support through:
- Strategic CPD and the CCFO designation from CIBA
- Sage tech tools that remove friction and free your focus
- A peer network facing the same behavioural expectations
You can’t scale pressure. You can scale support.
- Insight With Business Return
You’ll hear from finance leaders who’ve:
- Recovered from derailers and rebuilt influence
- Redefined their leadership without losing performance
- Used behavioural insight to position themselves for bigger roles
Not motivation. Actionable reflection from executives who’ve lived it.
- Connection With Strategic Peers
Use this time to:
- Engage in high-trust, high-value discussion
- Benchmark your leadership traits and pressure responses
- Recalibrate your growth path with people who understand the stakes
It’s not a conference. It’s a strategic checkpoint.
- Leave With More Than a Takeaway
By the end of the morning, you’ll have:
- A behavioural lens to view your leadership strengths and risks
- Tools to lead with more trust and less control
- A clear path to the CCFO designation and what it proves to your board
Seats are limited. Join us to lead with clarity, and with credentials that back it.
Our heartfelt gratitude to our sponsors whose support has made this event possible
