Speaker: Pieter Erasmus, CEO, Safety SA (CFO Jaco Roos)
I just wanted to say a big thank you to Jaco Roos
Pieter Erasmus: This is a big thank you to you Jaco Roos for the contribution that he's made to the Safety SA team since joining us during June last year. To me, this is evidenced by the fact that Jaco has become a valued member of my executive team in a relatively short period of time. Thank you, Jaco.
What one or two big issues/untapped opportunities were you facing before we started working with you?
Pieter Erasmus: Prior to Jaco joining Safety SA, and for quite a protracted period of time, the finance team had struggled to fall into a regular rhythm around our monthly reporting, in particular, closing out our monthly management packs in relatively short order from month end. With Jaco onboard, great strides have been made in providing the team with a more timely yet good quality financial information pack.
What have been the benefits to your business specifically?
Pieter Erasmus: Jaco has provided much needed leadership to the finance team, following my move out of the position of CFO to take up the helm as CEO of Safety SA. Given Jaco's experience and capability, he has also provided the Board with the confidence that the CFO role is in good hands.
What have the benefits been to you personally?
Pieter Erasmus: I transitioned from the role of CFO to CEO during May last year. After a bit of research, I made the call to reach out to the FD Centre to find an alternative approach to filling the hole left by my transition. Jaco was the first candidate introduced to me, and I immediately felt that I had found the right person to move into my previous role. This initial view has been confirmed many times over since Jaco joined Safety SA. What that means for me personally is peace of mind, knowing that in Jaco, I have an excellent CFO, arguably better than I ever was as CFO, readily at hand.
With support from your FD/CFO, what are you hoping to achieve over the coming 12-24 months?
Pieter Erasmus: We have got quite a few projects on the go. The ones in which Jaco is playing a key supporting role include internal process optimization, shifting our monthly reporting from a standard Excel-based report to a business intelligence dashboard, supporting me with term debt renegotiations and supporting me with closing out a couple of acquisitions.
