11 Feb Event | Cents & Sensibility with Aarti Takoordeen
Mindful decisions, intentional goals, and the long view
Session Overview
We’re excited to welcome Aarti Takoordeen as our featured speaker for Saturday Sessions on 7 March 2026; a morning that promises depth, inspiration, and fresh perspective.
Aarti is widely recognised as one of South Africa’s most dynamic financial leaders. With a career that spans global organisations and some of the country’s most influential listed companies, she brings a rare blend of technical expertise, strategic clarity, and values‑driven leadership. She made history as the youngest CFO of a JSE‑listed company during her near‑decade at the Johannesburg Stock Exchange, a milestone that signalled the beginning of her long‑standing influence on finance, governance, and organisational transformation.
In this session, Aarti will begin by sharing her personal journey: the experiences that shaped her, the lessons learned through complexity, and the guiding principles she carries into every role. Central to her story is the role of defining purpose, how understanding what truly drives you becomes the foundation for intentional leadership, meaningful decisions, and a career rooted in clarity rather than chance. She’ll reflect on how purpose has shaped her path and how aligning to it has informed the goals she has set, stretched for, and consistently achieved.
From there, Aarti will open a powerful conversation about South Africa’s investment culture, how it has evolved, what drives investor behaviour today, and why this moment presents both challenge and opportunity. She will also explore how global geopolitics is influencing the South African investment landscape, unpacking the forces shaping sentiment, risk appetite, and long‑term thinking. These insights are grounded not only in her professional expertise, but also in how she personally approaches investment decisions with purpose, disciplined goal setting, and a long‑view mindset in a rapidly shifting world.
Hosted at Workshop17 Waterfront, this will be an energising morning designed for anyone curious about leadership, economics, and the world we’re navigating together. Expect thoughtful conversation, grounded wisdom, and generous learning, including practical reflections on how to define your own purpose and set goals that move you toward it.
Bio: Aarti Takoordeen
Aarti Takoordeen is a Chartered Accountant and accomplished C-suite executive with an established track record of leadership in listed companies, capital markets, and strategic business transformation. She served as Chief Financial Officer and Executive Director of the Johannesburg Stock Exchange Group (JSE) — Africa’s premier stock exchange — for nearly a decade, where she played a central role in financial governance, investor relations, and organisational strategy at the highest levels.
Throughout her career, Aarti has held a portfolio of high-impact executive roles, gaining board-level expertise in mergers and acquisitions, digital transformation, enterprise risk management, regulatory engagement, and sustainability-led growth. In 2013, she became the youngest CFO of a JSE-listed company; subsequently, she was named Young CFO of the Year by CFO South Africa and recognised globally as a Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum.
In January 2025, Aarti was appointed Chief Operating Officer of Frusina Holdings (Pty) Ltd, where she leads the operational turnaround and financial restructuring of a strategically positioned, but distressed, South African business. Her mandate includes the design and execution of a multi-phase recovery strategy, encompassing debt restructuring, refinancing negotiations with institutional lenders, performance management of decentralised business units, and the implementation of disciplined capital allocation practices. Under her leadership, Frusina is undergoing a rigorous transformation programme aimed at restoring commercial viability, institutional credibility, and sustainable shareholder value.
Today, as a highly sought-after finance and strategy executive, Aarti Takoordeen remains committed to reshaping the future of African business through rigorous financial discipline, ESG integration, and ethical leadership. Her work continues to influence capital flows, governance standards, and strategic reform across sectors.
Education:
■ Chartered Accountant (SA)
■ Harvard Business School Alumni
Date: Saturday, 7 March 2026
Time: 09:30–12:00
Venue: Workshop17, The Watershed, V&A Waterfront
We can’t wait to share this space with our community. See you there.