Trade Shield welcomed senior finance and credit leaders from across South Africa to an exclusive executive roundtable, The AM Boardroom. The event brought together industry experts, customers, and thought leaders for a morning of rich discussion on the evolution of trade credit, real-time credit risk intelligence, and the growing shift from reactive credit management to proactive growth enablement.
The session opened with Mqondisi Gumede, who framed the day around one powerful idea: credit has always been about trust; a foundational question that has not changed in over 500 years. He highlighted how traditional banking practices evolved from merchants sitting at marketplace tables (“banco”) assessing trust face to face, to today’s world where sophisticated, invisible “banks” now exist within every organisation through massive trade receivables. Yet, despite this evolution, many companies still rely heavily on spreadsheets and reactive processes. Gumede emphasized the opportunity for organisations to move toward data driven decisioning and transform trade credit from a defensive mechanism into a strategic growth engine.
The keynote address by Shaun Wessels, Accounts Receivable Executive at AVI Ltd, focused on global challenges reshaping modern credit management. He emphasised the reality of operating in a VUCA environment marked by geopolitical disruptions, economic uncertainty, liquidity pressures, and rapid technological advancement. Wessels outlined key international trends; from AI driven credit decisioning and predictive modelling, to the rise of alternative credit insurance models and expansion into informal markets such as Nigeria’s thriving Computer Village. His message was clear: credit teams must evolve into adaptable, tech enabled, strategically integrated partners to their organisations.
Following the keynote, Bellah Malema of PG Bison delivered a compelling customer success story centred on building trust in high stakes credit environments. She explored the delicate balance between risk governance and relationship building, urging leaders to shift credit departments away from being perceived as “the department of no.” Malema highlighted how transparency, consistent decisioning, and proactive education reduce customer anxiety, build fairness, and ultimately strengthen customer loyalty. She also explored the psychology behind customer and team friction, arguing that modern leaders must understand both rational and emotional forms of resistance. Her message underscored that while systems and scorecards are vital, human-centred leadership remains the heart of resilient, trust driven credit management.
The final presentation was delivered by Rahil Jularr, who showcased how Trade Shield is redefining trade credit with real-time intelligence. He highlighted the company’s unrivalled data advantage; including R750 billion in ageing data collected over the past 12 months, monitoring over 400,000 active trading businesses, and reviewing debtors daily rather than periodically. Jularr demonstrated how this enables faster decisions, earlier risk detection, and the identification of growth opportunities long before traditional methods would reveal them. By treating credit as a revenue enabler; not a cost centre; Trade Shield empowers businesses to unlock confident, sustainable expansion.
The morning culminated in a rapid-fire roundtable discussion led by Mqondisi, where guests engaged directly with one another on five strategic themes:
- The shift from static to real-time risk intelligence
- Balancing credit growth with robust risk management
- Detecting early-warning signs of customer deterioration
- Using predictive data to modernise credit functions
- Building resilient debtor books in a volatile economic climate
The discussion highlighted a shared industry challenge: the need for more timely, accurate insights to support both growth and protection. Attendees exchanged practical strategies, from embedding AI-driven scoring to tightening portfolio governance and aligning sales and credit teams more effectively.
Mqondisi closed the session with a forward-looking call to action, urging organisations to reimagine credit as far more than a protective mechanism. When paired with the right technology, real-time intelligence, and a progressive leadership mindset, he noted, credit becomes a powerful strategic asset capable of unlocking new growth pathways and strengthening competitive advantage.
The event concluded with a vibrant networking brunch, where leaders from FMCG, manufacturing, logistics, engineering, retail, and financial services continued the conversation, building connections, exchanging ideas, and reinforcing a shared commitment to modernising the future of trade credit together.
