EYĚý±č˛ą°ůłŮ˛Ô±đ°ůĚýSean Berrington shared how his recent move from CFO of Standard Bank’s group engineering division to a passion-led technology leader helped him evolve into a leader of the future.

Sean, who says he has always had a passion for technology developments, said he saw the value of being a technology leader with a finance background appealing. “ Over the years at Standard Bank I had developed a passion for tech, and I decided that I would follow my heart. My past experience as a CFO brings different values and conversations to my current role.”

Addressing the audience of finance executives, Sean said technology, and the ability to evaluate its customer value proposition, is now an integral part of any executive role. “As technology shifts, changes and scales, we need to assess what we need to adopt and scale in our businesses.”

Tech-savvy tips

He gave two tips to those in attendance about being agile and adaptive with regards to technology.

Firstly, he said leaders need to clearly identify the problem that needs to be solved through the implementation of technology. Once that is done then move the focus away from the technology itself and more towards the business value. “Ideally leaders should move away from focusing on just the technology itself but also look at the value it adds to an organisation and how it is going to contribute to and benefit your customers and employees.”

His second piece of advice was to never shy away from asking questions when faced with content of a technical nature. “There is no such thing as a stupid question. Yes it may be awkward but in the end it will really help you to truly understand tech. If you can’t understand the value of the tech to your organisation, maybe there isn’t any. “

Keep on learning

51·çÁ÷AfricaĚý°äąó°żĚýSandi de Souza, who’s journey panned out differently said she believes a balance between theoretical teachings and practical learning in the workplace is what hones leaders. “Embarking on my MBA after a few years in corporate opened my eyes on leadership styles. The theory and content learnt during the modules was great but the biggest takeaway [for me] was a change in personal development and thought process. The balance between the two allows one to approach issues differently.” Sandi encouraged attendees to not shy away from learning and to be adaptive.

By the end of the discussion, all those in attendance agreed that agility, curiosity and willingness to learn are key qualities that leaders need to thrive in their roles.

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The 51·çÁ÷Africa CFO reveals why women shouldn’t leave their jobs anytime soon.

The Great Resignation at workplaces all over the world is led by women. In addition, a report released by Deloitte in May 2022 shows that a large number of professional women plan to leave their jobs over the next two years. If this is you – you may want to think again.

Professional women polled in many surveys across the globe say they are tired, unhappy, overworked and not motivated to stay in their jobs. In South Africa, a country with high unemployment figures, the situation looks a little different, but there are significant similarities.

Here, it is the higher-skilled and better-paid professionals that are leaving – some to seek better opportunities abroad, to go freelance, or to work as consultants. But the grass may only look greener on the other side: reality can be something completely different.

As professional women at the top, we face a lot of pressure, there’s no doubt about that. But sometimes, in our search for personal fulfilment and a release from insane deadlines, we overlook the opportunities these situations present to us in terms of personal development. To any woman thinking of quitting her job, I want to say, consider three things first.

Could your mindset do with a change?

This may not be easy to hear, but sometimes you have to stick it out. I started working at 51·çÁ÷17 years ago, and looking back, I can say that while I enjoyed many of the roles I had over the years, I definitely did not love my first year at the company. I had to be patient and prove myself and eventually, my job expanded and I learned to function within my role and make the most of it. Then I went on to other positions within the company. This year, I was appointed Chief Financial Officer for the Africa Cluster – a career highlight.

But it would not have been possible without a change of mindset. This means changing your thoughts, which may focus on the negative, like “I can’t take this anymore,” to a more positive: “How can I change this situation in my favour?”

Stanford University psychiatrist Dr Jacob Towery in one article explains how people often cling to mindsets that helped them at one point in their life – not realising it is holding them back later. If you, for instance, were betrayed by parents or caregivers in your youth, you may have developed coping mechanisms that later stop you from trusting others. A rigid mindset is more likely to focus on seeing failures and mistakes, instead of growth opportunities and lessons for success.

Improve your job options

One study that gives a lot of insight into the situation South African women face, is from a survey by infoQuest, a South African online research company. It found women’s top priorities were having enough money for groceries, savings and providing for children’s education. Most interesting is that half of those surveyed wanted to upskill themselves to have better job options in the future.

Doing my MBA in 2021 at Henley Business School Africa was definitely a career-changing move for me. While it took a great deal of commitment and sacrifice, the qualification was instrumental in getting me up the career ladder and into my current executive position.

For those women looking for the perfect time to undertake such an endeavour, let me assure you – there isn’t one! Many of my fellow students were working full-time or were women with babies, even single mothers. The best time is right now.

My advice is look for an institution that is family-friendly and flexible and part-time. And be prepared for the truth that success often does not look pretty in the home. The kitchen may not be tidy and your laundry washed, but your assignment is done. Score!

Challenge yourself

A big part of my life is travel and new adventures. Before taking on a major professional move from finance to sales, I went on an Everest Base Camp trek. Moving from the relative safety of a back office finance role to the cut-throat world of sales, where your salary depends on commissions, was scary. But being able to finish the Everest Base Camp trek – a two-week hike at over 5,000m elevation, surrounded by the highest mountains in the world – showed me that if I could do this, I could do anything.

You need to find your mountain, whatever that looks like for you. People need to be challenged, inspired and motivated. Dr Mark Orpen-Lyall, an organisational psychologist who runs a course on resilience at Henley Africa, believes stress in itself is not a bad thing. “Often, the magic happens in the boundaries, when we are pushing ourselves – running a half marathon, raising children, studying for a degree,” he says.

US psychiatrist and author Dr Georgia Witkin puts it this way, “The truth is that stress goes up because women add all their new roles to their old roles without crossing anything off their list.” My advice to overwhelmed professional women? Cross laundry from the list before you think about quitting your job. You can always wear another pair of socks, but the opportunity to make something of your life may only come around once.

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51·çÁ÷Africa has announced the appointment of Sandi de Souza as its new Chief Financial Officer for the Africa region.

Cathy Smith, Managing Director at 51·çÁ÷Africa, says: “Sandi has been an integral part of our organisation’s financial operations for more than a decade, where she has led various transformation initiatives while playing a pivotal role in supporting our business as we drive digital transformation across the African continent. We wish her well in her new role and look forward to her expert guidance and support in the coming months.”

The appointment comes at a time when 51·çÁ÷is changing its business model to focus more heavily on cloud services in its efforts at better supporting the digital transformation efforts of African small, medium and large enterprises.

De Souza says she is excited to play a guiding role in the company’s transition. “As an organisation we are at a pivotal moment of our journey as we set a new course for the future. I am proud to be part of the team that is helping drive transformation across our finance functions to provide the needed support as 51·çÁ÷transitions to its exciting new cloud-first path.”

Since joining 51·çÁ÷in 2005, de Souza has held numerous senior positions in SAP’s finance, sales and operations departments, including as Head of Licence Management and Commercial Director for Africa. De Souza is a Chartered Accountant CA(SA) and holds a Master’s of Business Administration from Henley Business School.

She will focus on supporting SAP’s growth by improving customer centricity, process excellence and people development through the development of agile and scalable financial service delivery models across the continent.

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