What does a chief executive officer job entail today against a backdrop of macro economic headwinds? While the title is globally understood, your success as a JSE executive relies heavily on your personal strategy and an aligned board of directors, writes Vanessa Rogers.
4 pillars of C-suite readiness
According to the Centre for Creative Leadwership (CCL), there is no single path to the top. However, four key development areas define modern executive capability:
- Experience: You must comfortably own profit and loss (P&L) responsibilities. Cross-border operational experience and strong financial acumen are critical requirements;
- Personality: Executive success relies on cultural alignment with your board. You need sharp public speaking skills and a clear appetite for innovation;
- Network: True enterprise leaders leverage relationships outside their corporate bubble. They pull levers across media, banking, and public sectors to unblock complex business problems;
and - Relationship: Leaders must inspire absolute confidence among institutional asset managers, executive committees, and internal teams.
Breaking through the JSE glass ceiling
For corporate insiders, climbing to the absolute top of a listed entity remains a challenge. Early career stints at premier advisory firms such as McKinsey, Deloitte, or PwC serve as massive resume differentiators. Alternatively, leading an enterprise’s top operational business unit can catapult your profile across the market.
The financial path via the CFO office remains a highly viable secondary route. While financial masterminds speak investor language fluently, ex-CFOs must guard against viewing corporate strategy purely through a spreadsheets lens.
The New Licence to Operate: Non-Negotiable ESG
Historically, sustainability reporting was treated as a secondary priority by many South African businesses. However, market dynamics have fundamentally shifted. The JSE has updated its Sustainability Disclosure Guidance to align with global IFRS S1 and IFRS S2 standards.
Furthermore, the Companies and Intellectual Property Commission (CIPC) has formalised digital sustainability reporting via XBRL taxonomy modules. Transitioning to mandatory disclosure is a stark reality for the 2025–26 financial year.
Embracing robust environmental, social, and governance framework metrics is no longer just about compliance. It is a strategic tool to unlock green funding, attract international equity, and secure top-tier workforce talent. Today’s CEO cannot simply breeze out of a room; they must navigate socio-economic obligations and build lasting corporate trust.
Five pointers for the future-proof leader
According to Korn Ferry’ global executive research, five core competencies define the leaders rising above macro chaos:
- Radically human: Lead from the heart with authentic empathy;
- Embrace disruption: Steer teams through structural transformations without inciting internal panic;
- Active advocacy: Take clear public stances on systemic healthcare, climate transition, and societal challenges;
- Purpose activation: Direct employee energy towards a unified, shared strategic purpose;
and - Ecosystem governance: Engage fairly with shareholders, labour unions, and board representatives.
Career catapults: becoming a CEO sprinter
Data from the landmark CEO Genome Project indicates that executive sprinters – i.e. those reaching the corner office well ahead of the 24-year historical average – rely on decisive career moves rather than pristine pedigree.
In fact, up to 97% of those who fast-tracked their move into a CEO job, executed at least one of these strategic moves:
- Step back to move forward: Step out of a comfortable corporate structure to build a startup, gaining rapid, end-to-end business skills;
- Anchor high-stakes complexity: Put your hand up for uncharted business waters, such as leading intense mergers, acquisitions, or restructuring initiatives;
and/or - Lead through a crisis: Run directly towards the fire. Navigating a business unit through a major operational breakdown proves your capability under immense pressure.
Ultimately, your executive trajectory on the JSE isn’t defined by an elite school name or institutional background. Your career will be defined by your appetite for calculated risk, your ability to speak convincingly to institutional markets, and your capacity to engage your workforce with genuine empathy.
