For Riaan Davel, numbers have always made sense. But it’s his ability to align finance with purpose that has defined a distinguished career, now more than a decade strong at the helm of DRDGOLD Ltd (formerly Durban Roodepoort Deep Ltd) as its Chief Financial Officer (CFO). With DRDGOLD listed on both the Johannesburg and New York Stock Exchanges, Davel operates in one of the most demanding financial reporting environments. “I’m in my 11th year as CFO at DRDGOLD. My responsibilities include external financial reporting, tax, financial controls, and funding.” As CFO, he is also playing an important role in directing the company’s strategic growth so that environmental impact is delivered in tandem with value for the company, its shareholders, as well as society as a whole. “I have a keen interest in sustainability. It’s been incredible to see DRDGOLD grow and embed its sustainability strategy over time. That work has been close to my heart,” he says. The DRDGOLD Annual Integrated Report, which Riaan oversees, has been ranked in the “Excellent” category at the EY Excellence in Integrated Reporting Awards for the fourth consecutive time in September 2024. Riaan won the Finance and ESG Award at the CFO Awards 2024. Before joining DRDGOLD in 2015, Riaan provided assurance and advisory services, including support and training on International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS), to mostly mining clients and teams across the African continent. He was involved in the International Accounting Standards Board Research Project on Extractive Activities and was made partner at KPMG. Riaan was born in Benoni in 1975 and grew up in Kempton Park, attending Jeugland High School. The seeds of Davel’s career were planted early. “I always wanted to study. My father insisted on it… education was always a goal. I really enjoyed accounting as a subject from the time I started with it in high school and was fortunate to study in that field.” Davel graduated from UJ with a BCom Hons (Accounting) in 1997 and completed an MCom (International Accounting) in 2005.
THE NUMBERS MAN WITH A VISION FOR IMPACT – RIAAN DAVEL, CFO OF DRDGOLD
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ALUMNI IMPUMELELO
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