We now unveil our 4th edition, coinciding with our very first birthday anniversary as a Magazine. It is packed with a treat of eye-popping articles, interviews, and stories that will cause you to seriously rethink the foundations of your career -and its direction!

Mr. Joe Samuels, CEO of the South African Qualifications Authority (SAQA), is our cover page man -and also one of our Unsung Heroes and Heroines (Pg.17). We probe his commitment to professional qualifications and articulation into the university system, whilst applauding professional bodies for designing exemption and articulation policies that facilitate student transition from academic degrees to their desired professional qualification; but wonder why the same cannot be said of universities? Thank God! Joe has placed articulation amongst his top 3 priorities for the next 3 years. We will return to this in 3 years time, Mr.!

Yet, we interview another of our Unsung Heroes and Heroines (Pg.21), Professor Elmarie Sadler, Executive Dean of Unisa College of Accounting Sciences –the single biggest producer of Chartered Accountants in South Africa and accounting graduates on the continent. Her devotion to the development of critical thinking skills for students is refreshing! But she thinks that majority of educators have no formal training in critical thinking, and concedes that university education has become far too academic, leaving 

lots of young graduates unable to meet the needs of business. Clearly, we, as educators, have a lot of work ahead!

In our flagship article (Pg. 8), we evaluate the recently signed SAICA-CIMA Membership Pathway Agreement (MPA), which now fast-tracks obtaining the dual designation: CA (SA): CGMA; and question if it is a game changer, in the exciting contest between the major professional bodies vying to claim the top spot in the battle to produce the CFO
and business leader of the future. It is indeed a 'savvy' marriage; professional bodies are finding that they’ve got to collaborate, even whilst competing fiercely! In strategy parlance, you either get a seat at the table or, you are on the menu! It is game theory straight from the text book -and into the real world!

In ‘Strategy Acumen: Do Accountants Really Get It'? (Pg.26), we build on our 2nd edition article on 'Business Acumen,' revealing why accountants seem to lack strategic thinking skills and what must be done right away, especially in the finance and business education curriculum. In 'Are You Studying For Exams Or, Career Success'?(Pg.14), we reveal the profound effect our teaching and learning approach is having on the mindset of students, which we develop further in a new series: 'Theory To Practice: Can You Manage The Disconnect?', starting next edition

And finally, we avail an extended events section, profiling our much-anticipated national and global finals of The CFO Case Study Competition 2017! We use this competition to demonstrate in part, how we can respond to the challenges in our education system: development of critical thinking skills, shift from academic to application, and leadership development!

Have a joy ride with ‘The Future CFO’, The More You Know, the more informed your Business Career Decisions.