Published by: Khaleej Times A company’s Chief Financial Officer (CFO) should not just focus on balance sheets and numbers but also act as a catalyst connecting strategy with execution and driving results. With artificial intelligence and technological advancements powering the workplace forward, it has become more important than ever for CFOs to stay close to their teams and listen to them carefully. That’s according to RAKEZ CFO Dr Alida Helena Scholtz. “There are three things you must be known for,” she said, addressing a room full of CFOs and other senior financial professionals. “You're the co-pilot to the CEO, you must be the change agent driving digital transformation, and thirdly, you have to be the steward of the integrated value of the organisation.” Dr Alida shared an example of how she had achieved substantial results in her role. “We had a two-year vision at RAKEZ,” she said. “In the 18 months I worked there, we went from managing 14,000 companies to, I think this morning, 35,732 companies in our portfolio. We operationalised that by connecting the teams. We put in place cross-functional teams, cross-functional expertise, financial education, continuous member coaching, and alignment across the organisation.” She was speaking on a panel at the sixth edition of the New Age Finance and Accounting (NAFA) Summit organised by Khaleej Times in Dubai, which brought together some of the most prominent CFOs, finance leaders, policymakers, and fintech innovators.
Published by: Khaleej Times
A company’s Chief Financial Officer (CFO) should not just focus on balance sheets and numbers but also act as a catalyst connecting strategy with execution and driving results.
With artificial intelligence and technological advancements powering the workplace forward, it has become more important than ever for CFOs to stay close to their teams and listen to them carefully.
That’s according to RAKEZ CFO Dr Alida Helena Scholtz. “There are three things you must be known for,” she said, addressing a room full of CFOs and other senior financial professionals. “You're the co-pilot to the CEO, you must be the change agent driving digital transformation, and thirdly, you have to be the steward of the integrated value of the organisation.”
Dr Alida shared an example of how she had achieved substantial results in her role. “We had a two-year vision at RAKEZ,” she said. “In the 18 months I worked there, we went from managing 14,000 companies to, I think this morning, 35,732 companies in our portfolio. We operationalised that by connecting the teams. We put in place cross-functional teams, cross-functional expertise, financial education, continuous member coaching, and alignment across the organisation.”
She was speaking on a panel at the sixth edition of the New Age Finance and Accounting (NAFA) Summit organised by Khaleej Times in Dubai, which brought together some of the most prominent CFOs, finance leaders, policymakers, and fintech innovators.
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