Market Capitalisation of $500m or more

CATALIST (formerly known as SESDAQ)

Personal and Professional Qualities

• Integrity: The awardee's integrity must be of the highest standard. He/She must exhibit the best ethical behaviour and inculcate the same corporate culture top-down, across all levels
• Transparency: The awardee is someone who champions the need for greater accountability and transparency in corporate governance
• Soft People Skills: The awardee must have the skills to manage the politics of the business, that is ability to address and manage the concerns of the various corporate constituents -- the CEO, directors, unit managers, analysts, bankers, investors and the media without being skewed one way or another
• Confidence: The awardee must have the confidence to talk about the company's accounts and finances at board meetings or in front of shareholders, investors and the media
• Vision and Leadership: The awardee must possess sound business acumen, astute foresight and the ability to lead and inspire and has guided his or her organisation to a new plateau of growth, financial achievement and recognition
• Innovation: The awardee is characterised as an innovator who has the ability to transform and shape the successful financial performance of his or her organisation while exercising sound business judgement and demonstrating excellence in his or her field.

Knowledge and Experience

• Knowledge Base: The awardee must have a sound understanding of all matters relating to the corporate regulatory compliance and reporting requirements of the company
• Experience: While age is not the sole criterion, the awardee should ideally have spent at least five years performing the finance function
• Professional Training: Possessing the necessary professional qualifications will be a plus. Some accountancy and finance designation include the Certified Public Accountant (CPA), Chartered Accountant (CA) designation and Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA). Other finance-related tertiary qualifications will also be considered

Track Record and Accomplishments

• Personal Achievements: The awardee's track record and accomplishments will be a key factor. The judges will consider the corporate deals, including M&As, rights issues, etc, handled by the awardee during the year under review. The degree of difficulty of each corporate deal will also be taken into account. The ability of the CFO to create long-term shareholder value for the company is an important consideration
• Corporate Reporting and Performance: The financial performance of an organisation is indicative of success or failure. Full and fair disclosure, sound financial management, integrity and a commitment to ethical business conduct are key to a CFO’s performance and consequently, to the corporation’s financial performance
• Social Responsibility: In addition to a commitment to integrity and a passion for the future of business, a highly distinguished CFO uses his or her influence, skill, and creativity to make a significant contribution to the profession, industry and to the community
• Global Competitiveness: The marketplace is as dependent upon the success of business locally as it is upon the success of business around the world. A successful CFO demonstrates global initiatives and regional drives that foster potential new markets abroad, enhance operations, aid in the establishment of foreign ventures or the expansion of foreign corporate affairs on an international scale and support the success of business competing in the global marketplace