Member Profile: D’Shorne Human

What time do you usually wake up on weekends?

5am

How do you spend the first hour of your day?

I work out at the gym.

What sparked your interest in finance?

I have always enjoyed the story the numbers tell about a business and its strategy.

Can you share some career highlights and defining moments?

• CFO at SAFCOL: first SOC to declare a dividend to the government; grew ROE from -2% to 7% in 4 years; reduced Irregular Expenditure by 99% from R183m to R0.5m per year.
• FD at Oppenheimer JV: secured R45m tax benefits in group restructuring.
• CFO at Mawson West Ltd: Halved the overhead costs of this TSX-listed mining group by successfully closing down the head office in Perth and setting up a new lean head office in Sandton to move it closer to the operations in DRC and Zambia.

How do you handle professional challenges?

Stay calm to limit any stress response and then start taking the first step to address the challenge professionally while keeping an eye on the end goal for the business and a win for all parties involved.

What future goals are you excited about?

I am excited to transition back into executive finance at a multi-national listed group in 2025 and bring some valuable learnings from public sector on how to effectively deal with government and SOCs.

Have you had any international or different cultural experiences in your career?

Yes, I have worked in the USA, Singapore, Europe and Australia. But I love calling SA my home.

What key skills should a newly qualified accountant develop on their path to becoming a CFO?

Effectively telling the finance story of a group as if you are talking to a 5-year old. Understanding complex accounting concepts well enough to explain the gist of it to any non-financial board member or shareholder without making them feel inadequate or uninformed.

How do you balance your personal and professional life?

Although I am usually available to my team and we all respect deadlines, I consciously take good care of my mental and physical health by remaining active and making time to meditate, learn and read each day.

What are your interests outside of work?

I am a trail runner and also like to do yoga and continue my language learning. Travelling is one of my great passions.

How do you contribute to the development of others in your field?

I am an active member of CFO South Africa and also partake in presentations or panel discussions hosted by other finance community groups. Mentoring final year university students is something I greatly enjoy.

What advice would you give to someone aspiring to be a CFO?

Make sure that in addition to having a grasp on critical technical aspects that could differentiate you from the crowd, you also keep the big picture in mind. A CFO needs to be strategic and understand the long game, while having high enough EQ to build, lead and retain high-performing teams.

What’s your favourite quote or mantra?

“Thoughts become things”

Share your favourite leadership lesson.

Strategic agility is a key driver of organisational resilience.

What’s something surprising about you that isn’t in your business bio?

I am a pre-championship competitive ballroom dancer.

What’s your favorite non-business app on your phone?

TripAdvisor

If you could have any superpower to help you in your job, what would it be?

Reading minds…

What’s your go-to strategy for staying productive during long workdays?

Taking regular breaks to drink water (or coffee) and move around.

If you could relive one day from your professional career, which day would it be and why?

The day we became the first SOC in the era of democratic South Africa to declare a dividend.