Looking ahead with a new CFO

Key takeaways:

• CFO Background: DC Kemp, the new CFO of Atterbury, brings fresh energy to the finance division, having previously gained experience at Deloitte and managing large teams at AttAfrica and AttX.
• Career Path: His passion for numbers and financial analysis began at a young age, driven by curiosity about the stock market.
• Finance as a Partner: Kemp views finance as an integral business partner, essential for achieving Atterbury’s goals and strategies.
• Adaptation in Crisis: Kemp reflects on the importance of flexibility and accurate information during the Covid-19 crisis, emphasizing the need for companies to adapt quickly.
• Personal Life: Kemp enjoys family time and activities like golf and braai on weekends, appreciating the balance between work and home life.

The new CFO of Atterbury Property Holdings is not new to the Atterbury family but brings a whole new energy to the finance division. DC Kemp shares some of his plans for the future of Atterbury.

Similarly to quite a few of Atterbury’s senior management, you also cut your professional teeth at Deloitte. How do you think your career path so far has prepared you for this position?
Working at Deloitte in audit and consulting I had exposure to a wide variety of companies and industries and at each company you learn something new and get exposure to new challenges. Working with and reporting to different clients also prepares you for the interaction you will have with all the different stakeholders as CFO. I have worked with large teams in the past at AttAfrica and AttX, dealing with lots of different personalities, and managing those teams prepared me well for the challenge ahead.

Going back to where you started, when you originally decided to study accounting, what led you to the decision; can you tell us what attracted you to the financial world?
I have always enjoyed making sense of things by looking and analysing numbers. My interest in the financial world actually started when I was 11 and became curious about the stock market. I knew since then that I wanted a career in the financial world, and it’s never disappointed me, although it comes with its challenges.

In your career so far, can you share an “aha” moment, when a learning made a big impact on the next step that you took?
I can’t name a specific “aha” moment, but I’ve definitely had lots of learnings in my career so far. The important thing for me is to always be willing to learn and to make sure that I take every possible opportunity to learn something new and improve my skills. Sometimes, you also have to reflect on past experiences, as you don’t always see the learning opportunity in the moment and only realise afterwards that you could have done something differently or handled the situation in another way. For me so far I had my biggest learning moments when I was reflecting on events – sometimes it takes months to come to the realisation that there was something to learn.

As CFO, what is your vision for Atterbury; where do you see the company going in the next few years and how do you see your role in this journey?
I am very excited about the future of Atterbury. At the present moment the priority is to get through the uncertain times that we’re experiencing now, but you have to look beyond our current situation. I’ve always believed that the finance function plays a critical role in any business and the finance department needs to be involved and know exactly what happens on the operational side. I see finance’s role as that of an invaluable business partner to the rest of the business so that we can achieve our goals and follow our strategies.

What will be your priorities for the next while?
In the next few months I will spend as much time as possible getting to know the finance team, to understand the business and accessing the structures and processes that are already in place.

With our year-end at the end of June the biggest priority is to report our financials on time and also to manage our cash flow through these difficult and uncertain times.

Doing business in this current environment requires accurate information, and decisions need to be made quickly, so making sure that we provide information timeously to the rest of the business will be one of the biggest priorities.

And on a personal level; who is DC when he is at home?
I really enjoy being around people and seeing the lighter side of life when I am at home. A perfect Saturday for me is to play golf, have a braai afterwards with friends and spend time with my family. My wife and I both work, so life is busy during the week and I really value family time with my son and wife over the weekends.

No interview at this time is complete without acknowledging the ultimate disruptor, Covid-19. How did you spend lockdown, and what, if any, realisations did you come to during this time?
The first three weeks I spent at home and we had to adapt very quickly to our new reality and to make sure that we still reported on time and ensured the same quality of work. Keeping the team together and motivated was the biggest challenge, but we quickly found our stride. Although I enjoyed the time with the family I soon realised that I’m definitely more productive working from the office. I get energy from working closely with others, so keeping it all afloat from home doesn’t really do it for me.

I came to many realisations during this time, some of them confirmed what we already know, such as the importance of being flexible and having the ability to adjust on short notice both on a personal level and as a company. Accurate information is key during times like this and having a strong motivated team is invaluable. As we have seen in the last few months, anything is possible, and your reality today might not be the same in a month’s time. It became evident just how crucial it is that companies are geared and ready for crises and are able to adjust quickly to also make the most of opportunities that arise during times of crisis.