PRESS RELEASE

About CGF | Our Products | Our Services | Our Patrons | CGF Pledge | CGF Governance Courses | Company Profile
News from the CGF Desk | CGF Articles | Events | CSI Activities | PAIA Manual | Contact Us

MEDIA RELEASE

CGF significantly boosted with new partner (2017-03-20)

CGF Research Institute (Pty) Ltd (‘the Company’ or ‘CGF’) is pleased to announce that Palmer Business Concepts (Pty) Ltd (‘PBC’) has bought forty percent (40%) of the shares of the Company.  Furthermore, the Company has appointed Ms. Jene’ Palmer, owner of PBC, as its Chief Financial Officer with effect from 01 March 2017.

Jene’ is a Chartered Accountant (SA) who has not only garnered a wealth of experience in the corporate environment, but has also been a lead independent consultant for CGF the last two years.  Her areas of expertise are leadership, strategy development, financial management and business optimisation.  She has been instrumental in drafting corporate governance tools, various governance instruments and conducting board evaluations for both the private and public sector.  She has also published numerous articles pertaining to the CGF Corporate Governance Framework®.  Amongst Jene’s’ many noteworthy business accolades, she was also selected as Finalist in the BWASA Business Woman of the Year 2008 and Finalist in CSSA IT Personality of the Year 2010.

Says Jene’ Palmer: “I am privileged and proud to be associated with CGF.  The Company has a renowned track record in corporate governance in South Africa and indeed, the rest of Africa.  Governance, risk and compliance is expected to play an increasingly important role in business decision-making and I am excited about being part of an organisation that is dedicated to building a business nation which achieves improved profitability and sustainability by being better governed.”
Ms.Jene’ Palmer appointed as Chief Financial Officer and shareholder of CGF
Being a uniquely positioned independent South African Level 4 BBBEE compliant company, CGF offers an array of governance related products and professional consulting services that assist profit and non-profit organisations alike to build and maintain a Corporate Governance Framework® which has become one of CGF’s widely recognised hallmarks.

Terrance Booysen, Chief Executive Officer of CGF, says: “This is the start of a new and significant chapter in CGF’s strategic lifecycle, and we are delighted that Jene’ has joined our company in this new capacity as shareholder and director.  The fact that Jene’ has got to know CGF as a lead independent consultant over the last two years — and moreover that she has excelled in CGF during this period — makes her the most ideal candidate to reformulate CGF’s future strategic direction, amongst other exciting developments.”

At its inception in 2004, the Company initially only focused on producing corporate governance research reports for its clients; but over the last eight years, CGF has excelled through its professional consulting services which is delivered by the Company’s highly accredited team who are able to draw upon CGF’s deep repository of governance research and IP.

ENDS

Words: 443

Read this media release on our website…

CGF Corporate Patron
Rifle-Shot Performance Holdings (Bronze)

CGF Honorary Patrons
Russell Loubser | Christine Ramon | Edward Chr Kieswetter | Adv Thuli Madonsela

Dr Mathews Phosa (2009-2011) | Prof Shirley Zinn (2009-2011) | Devi Sankaree Govender (2010-2012) | Michael Judin (2011-2013) | Tina Eboka (2011-2013) | Bernard Peter Agulhas (2011-2013) | Wendy Luhabe (2012-2014) | Prof Jonathan Jansen (2012-2014) | Amy Kleinhans-Curd (2013-2015) | Prof Steven Friedman (2014-2016)

All rights reserved. This message contains privileged and confidential information intended for the use of the addressee named above. If you are not the intended recipient of this message, you must not disseminate copy or take any action in reliance on it. If you have received this message in error, please notify the sender immediately. The sender has taken all possible precautions to safeguard this e-mail as correct. Notwithstanding the above, this does not guarantee that the integrity of this communication has been maintained, nor that the communication is free of errors, viruses, interception or interference.

TANGIBLE BENEFITS OF A CORPORATE GOVERNANCE FRAMEWORK®

Forward thinking organisations have realised that corporate governance does not merely fall into the portfolio of the Company Secretary. Indeed, the draft King IV Report on Corporate Governance for South Africa 2016 (‘King IV’), describes corporate governance as “the exercise of ethical and effective leadership by the governing body” of an organisation. Why then is corporate governance still viewed by many organisations as a process which increases bureaucracy and drives a ‘tick box’ exercise?
Perhaps the explanation lies in not understanding and appreciating the value which can be unlocked by implementing a purpose-built Corporate Governance Framework® which is tailored to the organisation. Empirical research supports the fact that good corporate governance translates into tangible and sustainable benefits for the organisation

 

Read more here : 07 June’16 Tangible benefits of a corporate governance framework

BOARDS THAT CREATE VALUE: CORPORATE GOVERNANCE FRAMEWORK®

It has been painful to watch the likes of Lance Armstrong, Mike Tyson and Hansie Cronje sabotage their futures through poor decision-making. Similarly, many organisations and their boards have failed to demonstrate strong and responsible leadership qualities to motivate and drive their organisations to success. Awareness, decisiveness and accountability are some of the business leadership qualities required to achieve remarkable performances.
The ‘buck’ stops with the board of directors and it is the board of directors who are ultimately held accountable for the success of the organisation. However, with the business landscape changing at an accelerating rate, risk management and decisive decision-making are becoming more challenging and business failures more prominent. A recent Harvard Business Review reports the failure rate for mergers and acquisitions to be between 70% and 90%. According to the United States Small Business Administration, only 44% of new businesses are still in existence after four years. Against this backdrop, how does a board create a sustainable organisation in what are clearly turbulent times?

 

Read More here : 18 January ’17_High performing boards

DO YOU REALLY NEED A CORPORATE GOVERNANCE FRAMEWORK®?

We know that both local and international organisations are continuously having to adapt to operate in uncertain business environments. Locally, the release of the Preferential Procurement Regulations 2017, which places stronger emphasis on ‘radical transformation’, against the backdrop of persisting low economic growth rates are only some of the elements giving rise to further uncertainty. Internationally, the business and regulatory implications of the election of President Donald Trump and the vote in favour of Brexit and how these events will impact on local markets and businesses, is still unfolding. It therefore comes as no surprise that recent governance, risk and compliance (‘GRC’) surveys all indicate an increasing need to improve risk oversight and to balance opportunity management with risk management. The challenge lies in being able to achieve these objectives! ……

 

Read more here : 28 Feb’17_Do you really need a Corporate Governance Framework

HIGH PERFORMING BOARDS

Board performance, or the lack thereof, has recently been quite prominent in the South African landscape. Unfortunately, the examples of mismanagement, poor oversight and lacklustre governance of our stateowned entities as well as some private sector businesses, abound. Poor and deteriorating financial results, high staff turnovers, lack of strategic direction and transparency as well as little to no stakeholder communication, are but some of the symptoms of a poorly performing board……….

articles 07 June’16 Tangible benefits of a corporate governance framework 15 July’15-Boards that create value 28 Feb’17_Do you really need a Corporate Governance Framework 18 January ’17_High performing boards

Are you too small for a CFO?

The title of this post is “Are you too small for a Chief Financial Officer (CFO)”. Maybe another way to look at the question is “Will you get much bigger without one ?” A large number of small to medium sized businesses (+- R40m to R200m turnover) that I have advised over the past few years have struggled with this question, with some employing a bookkeeper or appointing an external accounting firm in order to reduce costs and give them a sense of comfort that the CFO role is being addressed.

This model works quite well while the business is performing adequately, but will this model contribute to growth, improved cash flow or identify red flags which may impact on future sustainability?

Different views of the CFO role

What is your view of the CFO

The bookkeeping function is important to ensure that your financial transactions are accurately recorded and reconciled.  The external accounting firm also plays a critical oversight role and in some cases can prepare standard management accounts for the business.  However, in a fast changing world with increasing economic uncertainty, it is definitely becoming more risky to make executive decisions without involving your finance officers.

The historical role of the CFO has been to concentrate on risk management, financial controls and processes.  Today this role is expanding to include that of strategy definition and performance management.  Whilst the technical aspects of financial reporting, risk management and compliance have not been diluted, the modern CFO also plays a greater role in commercial leadership and assists in day-to-day management responsibilities.  The board and other stakeholders are also increasingly expecting the CFO to work in partnership with the CEO to drive stakeholder values and provide feedback on financial as well as non-financial matters.

The strategic CFO needs to be able to look forward and should be actively involved in identifying future investments such as acquisitions, or new growth markets and products.  A strategic CFO focusses on gaining a thorough understanding of the company and the environment in which it operates.  This means understanding the target market, competitors and suppliers as well as changing economic, political and technology trends in order to evaluate and present strategic alternatives.

Your CFO can be your partner!  Instead of costing you more money, the right CFO can help you to make more money!