Members’ Profile: Louis Klopper

What time do you usually wake up on weekends?

Anytime between 5 and 6am, depending on sunrise

How do you spend the first hour of your day?

Some exercise, usually a 30 minute walk, shower and breakfast

What sparked your interest in finance?

My amazing Accounting school teacher. Later in my career, I realised Accounting and Finance are global languages

Can you share some career highlights and defining moments?

Quite a few. The most rewarding is watching previously distressed companies thrive after successful turnarounds and restructuring. Their new energy, drive and enthusiasm is contagious. Every new challenge is exciting as there is no one size fits all. Every challenge requires a unique solution.

How do you handle professional challenges?

Take charge and be solutions-driven.
Applying creative solutions from diverse disciplines to achieve a desired outcome.
My favourite fallback is military strategy, all the way back to Sun Tzu. There are amazing synergies between military and business strategy and incredibly useful lessons to be learned and applied from both military successes and disasters.

What future goals are you excited about?

Mentoring turnaround management practitioners and specialists

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

Indeed many. During my corporate banking career, it was often necessary to interact with different jurisdictions, cultures and languages. One had to learn and adapt fast or risk losing a valuable client.

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

Effective interpretation of financial statements
Application of ever evolving technology
Experience different industries

How do you balance your personal and professional life?

It’s all about priorities

What are your interests outside of work?

Golf, travelling and experiencing new countries, cultures and food. Visiting famous battle sites.

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

Mentoring

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

Acquire a solid academic foundation followed by serious work experience in preferably different industries and locations
Life-long learning
Be a good listener
Strategic thinking
Be assertive
Be creative

What’s your favourite quote or mantra?

“What is your plan B?”

Share your favourite leadership lesson.

5 Why’s. You were created with 2 ears, 2 eyes and only 1 mouth, use them accordingly.

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

I love solving puzzles, anything from Sudoku, crosswords, you name it, to keep the mind sharp and very relaxing

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

WhatsApp and Kindle

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

Play to your strengths and be able to communicate in all languages

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

Get up, stretch, hydrate and walk around your workspace or outside to refresh your thoughts

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

The day I was appointed in my first managerial position. Up to that point the marketing philosophy was “any business is good business”. Having analysed the company’s profitability criteria, I was able to change the corporate philosophy toward targeted marketing activities focussed on profitability rather than volume, with exceptional results. Ultimately it allowed more quality time with customers and consequently dramatic increase in customer satisfaction.