UBL’s Busola wins 2019 Financial Officer of the Year Award

Third edition of awards held under the theme of ethics and trust

Kampala, Uganda | IAN KATUSIIME | The third edition of the Uganda CFO Awards was a big night for Uganda Breweries Limited (UBL) when Doregos Busola, the Finance and Strategy Director was crowned Chief Financial Officer (CFO) of the Year. Busola was also a joint winner for the Finance Transformation – CFO of the Year Award.

A statement from ACCA, one of the award organisers says Busola “has been at the centre of driving business performance by providing leadership and pressure testing the strategy of the business to deliver its ambition.”

Busola dedicated her award to her team which she said was the inspiration behind her efforts at UBL. She is a Nigerian national who started her career as an auditor. Busola says she is passionate about mentoring women in business leadership and has several years’ experience with Diageo, a British multinational beverage company.

The awards dinner was a glitzy ceremony held at Kampala Serena Hotel on Oct.17, with corporates elegantly dressed and eager to shine at an occasion meant to reward some of the brightest and most talented financial managers in Uganda.

Joe Eshun, Managing Partner Deloitte East Africa, the Guest Speaker at the ceremony encouraged CFOs to espouse business ethics in their work saying many companies in the West crumbled due to disingenuous practices.

We celebrate you, Busola Doregos.

Congratulations upon bringing home the CFO of the Year, and Finance Transformation Awards. Very well deserved. #CFOAwardsUG19 pic.twitter.com/XHFNjzSKNS

— Uganda Breweries Ltd (@UgandaBreweries) October 17, 2019

CFOs are considered the engines of companies in an increasingly competitive business environment and challenging economic landscape. Other winners were Godfrey Byekwaso, General Manager, Finance of Centenary Bank, who won Strategy Execution Award. He was nominated in the same category last year.

Moses Kargbo, financial controller of Tugende, was a joint winner of the Finance Transformation Award with Busola of UBL.  Joshua Karamagi, CFO at Uganda Electricity Generation Company Limited (UEGCL) took home the Public Sector Award while Martha Sebunya Mukasa, Finance Manager of Mengo Hospital won the Not-For-Profit accolade.

The SME sector award went to Maxwell Odera, Finance Manager, Uganda and Kenya Fiduga Limited, a flower exporting firm. Brian Amanyire, Head of Finance at Bank of Africa, scooped the Young CFO of the Year award.

ACCA Uganda and Deloitte organised the 2019 CFO Awards under the theme “Ethics and Trust, the competitive advantage for business sustainability”. The awards were started as a way of recognizing the role that CFOs and finance play within organisations, highlighting the good business and finance practices while raising the profile of this strategic role.

The 2019 awards held on Thursday attracted a total of 37 nominees and are expected to grow as business executives up their game and companies continue to look out for the best talent.