CURRICULUM VITAE
LJ CRONJE
INDEX
PROFILE SUMMARY
PERSONAL DETAILS
EDUCATION
COURSES
WORK EXPERIENCE – summary
INTERESTS
ANNEXURE A – Detailed career history
ANNEXURE B – References
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PROFILE SUMMARY

A holistic business-orientated finance executive with successful experience in radical
business change implementation projects to effect tangible business improvements, both
bottom line and the business environment, for the past 10+ years.

A hands-on problem solver with a high rate of achievement and an appetite for new
challenges.
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Exposure to a wide variety of industries during past career:
 Financial Services - Life Assurance, Short Term Insurance, Banking, Medical Aid
 Construction & scaffolding
 Print Media
 Mining - Platinum, Copper
 Retail - Furniture, Vehicles, Food
 Transport – Rail, Road, Airline
 Electricity Distribution
 Local Government
 Farming businesses
 Farming Co-Ops
 Churches
 Garages - vehicle sales & servicing
 Manufacturing/Engineering
 NGO - education

Successful outcomes include:
 Performance measurements of both business process outputs and staff outputs link to
business processes
 Integrated financial and operational management reporting utilizing OLAP multidimensional technology (BI tool)
 Motivated and dedicated staff through effective mentoring
 Compiling a backlog service delivery infrastructure report for Bushbuck Ridge with a
civil engineer, the only one in RSA
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PERSONAL DETAILS

Surname:
Cronje

Names:
Louis Jackson

EE:
White, Male

Languages:
English & Afrikaans, both fluent, oral & writing
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Id number:
530501 5090 085
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Nationality:
Republic of South Africa

Address:
12 Maxwell Avenue, Bordeaux, Randburg, Johannesburg, 2194

Cell number:
27 84 310 7023

Email:
louisjackson.cronje@gmail.com
EDUCATION

Post graduate:
Chartered Accountant, South Africa – CA (SA), 1978

University:
B Compt (Hon), 1973 – 1977, University of South Africa

School:
Matric, 1st class with University exemption, 1971, Paarl Gymnasium,
Western Cape, South Africa
COURSES

Marketing Management:
Wits Business School, 1992

Managing Change:
Wits Business School, 1993

Management Development Center:
Esselen Park Center of Excellence, 1991

Situational Leadership:
PE Corporate Services, 1987

Public Speaking:
The Voice Clinic, 1995

GAMAP/GRAP; GAAP IFRS update: DBSA presented an update course, 2007
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WORK EXPERIENCE – summary
TURNAROUND SPECIALIST – 10 YEARS
 Spoornet Finance –
piloted performance reporting using OLAP technology
 Transnet –
revitalized 1st BEE deal from bankruptancy
 BEE, entrepreneurs –
assisted to establish BEE investment group
 Public Sector –
DBSA local municipality support program to achieve service
delivery targets, compiled total service delivery backlogs (only
one in RSA)
GROUP EXTERNAL AUDIT MANAGER – 13 YEARS
 Brink, Roos & Du Toit (now part PriceWaterhouseCoopers)
 Ernst & Young (Ernst & Whinney)
 Grant Thornton (Kessel Feinstein)
CHIEF INTERNAL AUDIT MANAGER – 5 YEARS
 SAA
 Spoornet
CFO –
 Lifegro (now Momentum), listed life assurance company – 5,5 years
 BEE company, Tanaka Group (Pty) Ltd – 1,5 years
 EDI Holdings (Pty ) Ltd – Acting for 6 months
 NGO (Section 21 company) – 10 months
SMALL BUSINESS ADVISOR – 0,5 YEARS
 FNB mentoring
INTERESTS
 Mentoring & development of individuals
 Garden and house re-development
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ANNEXURE A – Detailed career history
EMPLOYER: JET Educational Services (Section 21 NGO)
POSITION: Interim CFO
PERIOD: May 2010 to March 2011
DUTIES AND ACHIEVEMENTS:
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Full CFO role, administering R50M+ donor funds for education projects
Re-engineering AccPacc accounting system to properly account for fund movements per
project
Implement chargeable/non-chargeable time keeping for project staff to assure
timeous/complete billing at month end
Enhance Management Accounts to reflect full business compliment on project funding, both
from internal as well as from external sources.
REASON FOR LEAVING: Contract completed
____________________________________________________________________
EMPLOYER: EDI Holdings (Pty) Ltd
POSITIONS: GM: Finance & RED Establishment; Acting CFO
PERIOD: October 2007 to 30 April 2010
DUTIES AND ACHIEVEMENTS:
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To facilitate the establishment of 6 regional electricity distributors in South Africa.
Business plans & budgets
Legislative requirements’ compliance for local authorities
Ring fencing of electricity businesses at local authorities
Due diligence
Deal structuring and negotiations
Asset/business valuations
Systems needs and solutions
Financial modeling
REASON FOR LEAVING: Contract completed
___________________________________________________________________
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EMPLOYER: DBSA Development Fund
POSITION: Financial Expert
PERIOD: May 2006 to September 2007
DUTIES AND ACHIEVEMENTS:
 Prime function – to capacitate municipalities with hands-on support on service delivery
challenges to meet the President’s basic services’ targets.
 I work with a civil engineer and we cover the Lowveld in Mpumalanga.
 Tasks cover following:
 Capital budgets and 5 year planning;
 Project planning;
 Project management;
 Change programs;
 Management reporting;
 Financial management
REASON FOR LEAVING: Contract completed
_____________________________________________________________________________
EMPLOYER: Tanaka Group (Pty) Ltd
POSITION: CFO
PERIOD: May 2005 to April 2006
DUTIES AND ACHIEVEMENTS:
 Newly formed company, hence I implemented new procedures from scratch to get it off the
ground;
 Perform Co Secretary duties – I attended Board meetings & compiled minutes;
 Present Management Accounts Pack monthly to CEO’s EXCOM;
 Prepare quarterly Board reports on financial results;
 Participate in BEE Investment deals;
 Compile statutory returns for Registrar;
 Compile tax returns;
 Participate in new business development
REASON FOR LEAVING: Group could not raise funds to "get off the ground", so the operation
was terminated.
_____________________________________________________________________________
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EMPLOYER: Performance Improvement Projects CC
POSITION: COO
PERIOD: June 2004 to December 2004
DUTIES AND ACHIEVEMENTS:
 Process based Integrated Performance & Financial Management Model, developed and
customized for municipalities with a IT supplier on a JV basis.
 An associate arranged an introduction to a District Municipality, who bought into the concept.
This associate later turned out to be corrupt plus he “stole” the opportunity.
REASON FOR LEAVING: Financial resources were depleted at this point, hence I returned to
the job market to seek employment.
_____________________________________________________________________________
EMPLOYER: African Impression Media (Pty)
POSITION: Interim CFO and Turnaround Specialist
PERIOD: September 2001 to May 2004
DUTIES AND ACHIEVEMENTS:
Phase 1:
 Improve cash collections from Transnet Divisions;
 Re-open closed supplier accounts;
 Implement basic bookkeeping procedures;
 Implement reliable Management Accounts;
 Implement proper daily / monthly cash flow planning
Phase 2:
 Implement strategic / business planning;
 Stratify the business per a 14 process business model;
 Develop performance measurements for the 14 processes;
 Employ competent staff in Finance & Customer Support departments;
 Implement an updated AccPac version – windows (previous version was still Dos based);
 Implement finish product QA by a qualified printer (in-house & outsourced);
 Implement a product delivery time plan for quotes / job.
Phase 3:
 Enhance sales information per new AccPac system;
 Improve raw paper stock control – stock system (initially in EXCEL), minimum quantity stock
levels to avoid production delays, changed stock control reporting line from Operations to
Finance;
 Expand in-house QA where independent signoff at press level was introduced;
 Setting up a system (initially in EXCEL) to monitor each job’s progress as per product delivery
time plan.
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Compilation and maintenance of a re-capitalisation & investment plan to effect the required
actions as per the strategic plan
During the above period, 1 September 2001 to 31 May 2004, I also performed the duty of a
Deputy CEO in order to give the CEO time to focus on the more pertinent strategic actions in
progress relating to the re-capitalisation of the company.
REASON FOR LEAVING: Reached end of contract term + AA/EE successor/s were in place.
_____________________________________________________________________________
EMPLOYER: Transnet Group
POSITION: Various – see below
PERIOD: 1 March 1991 to 30 June 2001
POSITIONS:
 Senior Manager, SAA Internal Audit, staff of 17 based in Johannesburg
 Senior Manager, Spoornet Internal Audit, 45 staff in all major centers in South Africa
DUTIES AND ACHIEVEMENTS:
 Implemented a new risk based audit approach;
 Compiled Audit Committee reports on findings – enhanced per management level;
 Presented reports at Audit Committee;
 Participated in Risk Management implementation program
POSITION: Spoornet Finance, Project Manager of KC (Key Control) Project
DUTIES AND ACHIEVEMENTS:
 My initial role was to pilot implement the Methodology through the KC Project;
 This was done at a Division COALlink, the Wagon maintenance section;
 The results were positive and rollout implementation was approved;
 I was then appointed as an Interim Manager in a vacancy at Senior Manager level at Head
Office Corporate Finance, in order to revive and change their role with the rollout
implementation of the KC Project;
 I also introduced OLAP (On-Line Analytical Processing) technology to enable real-time
reporting at CEO EXCO & Audit Committee meetings;
 An Affirmative Action successor was also groomed by me to take over the Function
REASON FOR LEAVING: Reached end of contract term + AA/EE successor/s were in place.
_____________________________________________________________________________
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EMPLOYER: Kessel Feinstein (now Grant Thornton)
POSITION: Senior Audit Manager
PERIOD: January 1989 to July 1990
DUTIES AND ACHIEVEMENTS:

I worked with varies teams as a specialist auditor to implement firm’s audit approach properly
REASON FOR LEAVING: Career improvement
_____________________________________________________________________________
EMPLOYER: Lifegro (now Momentum)
POSITION: Assistant General Manager, Finance (Reporting to the Chief Actuary)
PERIOD: July 1983 to December 1988
DUTIES AND ACHIEVEMENTS:
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Initiated an Internal Audit function and handed it over to a subordinate;
Restructured Finance Dept. into Financial Accounting, Management Accounting & Systems
Accounting, with a staff of 23;
Upgraded staff competencies with better skilled people;
Implemented a computerised general ledger, MSA, replacing bookkeeping machines;
Implemented monthly verification procedures to verify general ledger & sub-ledgers for
accuracy;
New MSA Chart of Accounts was product based for premiums, commission & claims to
provide enhanced reporting;
Budgeting was previously only done for management expenses; hence it was extended to
cover the whole Income Statement;
Fixed cut-off procedures between actuarial & accounting to avoid duplication or omission of
liabilities;
Implemented a comprehensive monthly Management Accounts Pack (previously only
statutory accounts prepared six monthly);
Presented Management Accounts Pack monthly to MD’s EXCOM;
Prepared quarterly Board reports on financial results;
Participated and provided input at Investment Committee;
Compiled statutory returns for Registrar;
Compiled tax returns;
Compiled annual report for listed company’s shareholders;
Oversee annual report printing & publication with Marketing Dept.
REASON FOR LEAVING: Opted for retrenchment when merger with Momentum was announced
_____________________________________________________________________________
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EMPLOYER: Ernst & Whinney (now Ernst & Young)
POSITION: Group Audit Manager
PERIOD: Cape Town office, March 1977 to December 1979; Johannesburg office, January 1980
to June 1983
DUTIES AND ACHIEVEMENTS:
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Managed a team of 20 auditors with a varied client portfolio
Implemented new ICE (Internal Control Evaluation) audit methodology successfully at a life
assurance company
Improved cost recovery through more efficient audit techniques
REASON FOR LEAVING: Decided to take up a position in Commerce
_____________________________________________________________________________
EMPLOYER: Brink, Roos & Du Toit, Paarl (now part PricewaterhouseCoopers)
POSITION: Article Clerk
PERIOD: January 1973 to February 1977
DUTIES AND ACHIEVEMENTS:
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Formal articles to become a CA (SA), studied part time at UNISA, past all max subjects each
year resulting in 1 year article reduction;
Bookkeeping for small/medium companies;
General secretarial duties, tax returns;
Implemented proper work paper new standards introduced by the firm
REASON FOR LEAVING: To join an International “English” firm in order to broaden experience
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ANNEXURE B – References

Hennie van der Westhuizen, ex General Manager, Spoornet Finance, Cell:27 83 277 0108

Chris Ngcobo, CEO, African Impression Media, Cell: 27 84 664 6397

Carvel Webb, Group GM, Transnet Ltd ( he hired me and seconded me to African Impression
Media), Cell: 27 83 277 7330

Johan Crouse, Civil Engineer and Project Leader on current DBSA Siyenza Manje,
Cell: 27 82 905 4559, Email: johannesc@dbsa.org

Ben Dorfling, GM Finance RED Creation, EDI Holdings (Pty) Ltd, Cell: 27 82 491 8936,

Godwin Khosa, CEO JET EDUCATION SERVICES, Tel: 2711403 6401; Cell:27 82 451 7639;
Email: GodwinK@jet.org.za
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