Founder of CFO360
An accountant by accident and a constant student, Montaque Swanepoel has always had a keen interest in business. This started at a young age and has continued throughout his career. After qualifying as a chartered accountant, Montaque entered the corporate world, working his way up to regional finance manager at Bidvest. However, the drive to create persisted and in 2016 he set out to start CFO360. Seven years later CFO360 now assists almost 1 000 businesses with a team of 65 and is growing across South Africa, the UK and beyond. Montaque oversaw this growth to scale by finding and developing excellent teams empowering them with a great work environment and the best technology and ensuring they never lose touch with the ‘client first’ approach.
Montaque, always curious and eager to explore new avenues, initiated several other ventures during this time. Among them is Ad Ignite, a marketing agency catering focused on digital marketing, a property portfolio focused on short-term rentals, an accounting subsidiary in Toronto (later sold), and even a consumer tea brand targeting the North American market.
A keen tech enthusiast and techno-optimist, Montaque has made technology a focal point of his career. In an era where AI can craft poetry, solve complex math problems, and draft marketing strategies, he believes manual, mundane tasks should be a thing of the past for professionals. For Montaque, chartered accountants should focus on amplifying business growth, devising strategic financial and tax plans, and streamlining operations. Recognising this, he put together an automation team at CFO360, resulting in significant time savings for both the company and its clientele and with some very exciting projects in the pipeline.
Outside the boardroom, Montaque is an adventure seeker and keen endurance athlete. An avid cyclist and runner, he’s completed multiple cross-country races in places ranging from Johannesburg to Durban, Lesotho and Cape Town. At home, he cherishes moments with his wife, Robyn, who’s also his business partner, their two young sons and their extended family.
Beyond business and family, Montaque wears many hats: a supporter of various charities, he started a non-profit focused on making small business creation easier and is an independent director for an EdTech non-profit. For Montaque, these diverse roles enrich his life and bring clarity to his vision. As he often says, ‘Nothing refreshes the soul like a hard run after a gruelling day, quality time with family, or lending a hand where it’s needed to gain perspective.’
