CIBA & Sage Women’s Day 2026
She Did Not Inherit
This Firm. She Built It.
Most women in accounting end up running a practice shaped by someone else's rules, hours and clients. This half-day event is built around one honest question: what does it actually take to design the practice you actually want?
A working session, not a celebration.
Not a panel about resilience. Not a keynote about glass ceilings. A working morning with five expert speakers who tackle the real barriers practice owners face — software costs, finding clients, pricing services, working-paper standards, and knowing what CIBA already provides to help you.
Whether you are a Chartered Bookkeeper building your first client list or a Chartered Business Accountant in Practice ready to scale, this event was designed for exactly where you are right now. Join us at Irene Farm Conference Centre in Centurion on 6 August 2026 for a morning that changes how you see your practice — and yourself.
Five problems solved. One morning.
You Already Have More Than You ThinkFaith Ngwenya · Head of Education, CIBA
Most CIBA members are sitting on a toolkit they have never opened. Faith maps every benefit, tool and pathway CIBA already provides against every barrier that keeps practice owners stuck. You will leave knowing exactly what you are entitled to and what to activate first.
The Tech Stack That Pays for ItselfSage South Africa
The software cost barrier is real. Sage shows you — with real South African numbers — how the right tools pay for themselves in recovered time and improved billing accuracy, plus a transparent breakdown of what it actually costs to run a Sage-powered practice.
Your First 90 Days in PracticeDataGrows South Africa
Built by South African accountants for South African accountants. DataGrows walks through exactly what the most successful practice owners set up in their first 90 days — deadline tracking, billing automation, client records — with a short live demonstration.
Clients Don't Find You. You Build the Conditions.Ruwayda Redfearn · CEO, Deloitte Africa
The first female CEO of Deloitte Africa — trainee accountant in Durban to partner at 29, now leading a firm generating over R7 billion annually. Ruwayda speaks directly about building client trust, moving from compliance to advisory income, and charging what your work is worth.
The Paperwork That Protects YouDraftWorx
Properly drafted financials and working papers are not just admin — they are the professional shield between a practice owner and a dispute, a review, or a liability claim. DraftWorx shows how automation handles the heavy lifting, and why documentation quality is one of your strongest credibility signals. Includes a live demo.
Panel: The Missing LinkFacilitated by Leana van der Merwe · MC
How does CIBA build a pipeline that connects qualified accountants to the millions of South African SMEs running without professional financial guidance? All five speakers return for an open panel where the audience shapes the conversation.
Networking Lunch on the Farm13:30 – 14:30
The formal programme closes at 13:30. Stay for a networking lunch on the Irene Farm grounds until 14:30 — one of the most beautiful settings in Centurion, and where the connections actually happen.
The people in the room.
Faith Ngwenya
You Already Have More Than You Think
Ruwayda Redfearn
Clients Don't Find You. You Build the Conditions.
Sage South Africa
The Tech Stack That Pays for Itself
DataGrows SA
Your First 90 Days in Practice
DraftWorx
The Paperwork That Protects You
Leana van der Merwe
Panel Facilitator: The Missing Link
Seven reasons it's worth the morning.
Know What You Are Already Entitled To
CIBA provides more than most members realise. This event shows you exactly what to use and how — mapped directly to the barriers you face right now.
Cut the Admin That Is Eating Your Hours
Sage and DataGrows show you the tools that recover time and return it to your clients and your growth. Practical, specific, demonstrated live.
Charge What Your Work Is Worth
The fee-confidence conversation most practice owners avoid. Ruwayda Redfearn has it with you directly — including how to calculate your floor rate and move from compliance to advisory billing.
Protect Your Practice With the Right Documents
DraftWorx shows how properly drafted financials and working papers protect you from disputes and reviews — and how automation makes it faster than you think.
Find Your Next Clients
The panel opens a live conversation about how CIBA is building the pipeline between accountants and the SMEs who need them.
Dress Like You Mean It
Dress Code: Your Statement of Account. Wear the outfit that makes you feel unstoppable — smart, casual, bold, classic, whatever that looks like for you.
Leave With More Than a Good Morning
Real tools. Real connections. A networking lunch on a farm. And a clear picture of the practice you are going to build.
Proudly hosted with Sage.
Our heartfelt gratitude to Sage South Africa, whose partnership has made this event possible.
Build the Firm You Actually Want.
Not the one that was handed to you. Five speakers. Five problems solved. One morning at Irene Farm that changes how you run your practice.
Register Now
