South Africa’s finance leaders are expected to convene in Johannesburg on 17 September 2026 for the 27th edition of the CFO Leadership Summit South Africa, as organisations navigate economic uncertainty, rising costs, rapid advances in artificial intelligence and an increasingly data-driven business environment.
Held under the theme “Intelligent Finance for a Digital-First Economy,” the summit will take place at Focus Rooms – Universe and is expected to attract more than 200 CFOs, Finance Directors, Group Finance Executives, Controllers, Treasury Leaders, Risk and Compliance Heads, Tax Leaders, digital finance specialists, business executives and technology innovators.
The event comes as the role of the chief financial officer continues to expand beyond traditional financial stewardship. According to the summit organisers, CFOs are increasingly responsible for guiding capital allocation, strengthening liquidity management, enhancing forecasting through financial planning and analysis (FP&A) and predictive analytics, managing enterprise risk, and overseeing the adoption of artificial intelligence and digital finance technologies.
The summit will examine how finance executives can strengthen financial resilience, improve capital efficiency and modernise finance operations while preparing their organisations for an increasingly digital economy.
Key discussions will address financial agility in volatile economic conditions, cash-flow and cost management, liquidity optimisation, real-time FP&A, predictive analytics and data-driven decision-making.
The programme will also explore the evolving role of CFOs as strategic growth architects, including their contribution to capital allocation and value creation. Discussions will consider how finance functions can move beyond a primary focus on compliance to become sources of competitive advantage.
ESG and sustainable finance will also feature on the agenda, with the summit examining how organisations can use sustainability initiatives to support long-term profitability, cash flow and operational efficiency rather than treating them solely as regulatory obligations.
The event will feature keynote presentations, executive panels, fireside conversations and interactive sessions covering AI-powered finance, automation, treasury optimisation, ESG reporting, regulatory compliance and enterprise risk management.
Finance leaders listed to participate include Mikaeel Tayob, Regional CFO at Bridgestone Middle East & Africa; Polani Sokombela, Chief Financial Officer at the Auditor-General of South Africa; Qiniso Mthembu, Chief Financial Officer at the Johannesburg Stock Exchange; Akesh Bansee, Chief Financial Officer at Unilever; and Bradley Wentzel, Chief Financial Officer at Barloworld Equipment.
Beyond the conference programme, the summit is positioned as a networking platform for senior finance professionals to exchange insights, develop business relationships and explore technologies spanning AI, FP&A, treasury, enterprise resource planning, analytics and finance automation.
For South African businesses under increasing pressure to maximise the value of data, technology and capital, the summit underscores the increasingly strategic role of the finance function. The modern CFO is no longer responsible solely for reporting financial performance, but is becoming a key contributor to decisions concerning growth, technology adoption, risk, operational efficiency and long-term value creation.
The CFO Leadership Summit South Africa 2026 is scheduled for 17 September 2026, from 9:00am to 5:00pm, at Focus Rooms – Universe in Johannesburg.
The summit is organised by Exito Media Concepts, a B2B events organisation that reports more than 16 years of experience and delivers over 240 conferences annually across sectors including technology, cybersecurity, digital transformation, healthcare and finance.
