media releases - Prof Hennie van Greunen of the US-World Bank

Members of the media are invited to a breakfast seminar on "The interpretation of financial statements in terms of risk".  The speaker is Prof Hennie van Greunen. To view ABSA Chair in Banking breakfast invite, click here.

Date: 21 May 2010
Time 07:45 - 09:00
Venue: Protea Restaurant, 3rd level OR Tambo Admin Building, Unisa Main Campus, Preller Street, Pretoria
RSVP: youngj@unisa.ac.za by 19 May 2010 (for media) as seats are limited.

Hennie van Greuning, a South African national, joined the World Bank in 1994 from the South African Reserve Bank where he had served as Registrar of Banks (Head of South African Bank Supervision from 1990-94) and Financial Manager (1986-89). He was actively involved in financial market regulation issues. Prior to that, he was a Partner with Deloitte, where he had spent ten years.

He joined the World Bank as a Senior Financial Sector Specialist in the Financial Sector Development Department and moved to the Europe and Central Asia region as Financial Sector Manager in 1997. As Financial Sector Manager, he was responsible for inputs into financial sector strategy, as well as technical guidance for financial sector operations in the 27 member countries in the Europe and Central Asia region.

In July 2000 he joined the World Bank Treasury Operations (back office) as an Advisor. In September 2002 he moved to the Treasury Banking, Capital Markets and Financial Engineering Department as a Senior Advisor and has since then reported directly to the World Bank Treasurer as Senior Advisor until he retired in 2009. His World Bank travels took him to more than 100 countries.

During his time in the World Bank Treasury he led operational risk management initiatives internally as well as for Treasury’s client advisory services (international reserves management for more than 30 central banks and commodity funds) and consulted on securities accounting policies. He also co-ordinated the World Bank Group and IMF, CFA preparation programs and is a frequent speaker on operational risk, IFRS and financial risk management issues at international conferences.

He joined the Boards of FirstRand Limited (listed company), FirstRand Bank Holdings and FirstRand Bank in 2009. He serves on the Audit Committees of the Bank and the listed holding company; the Group Risk, Capital & Compliance Committee, as well as the Operational Risk Committee of the Bank and the Investment Banking Division.

He continues to serve the World Bank in a consulting capacity, focusing on Treasury, Board Governance and Islamic Banking issues.

Academically: He majored in Accounting at Stellenbosch University and subsequently completed a Doctorate in Economics as well as a Doctorate in Accounting Science. He qualified as a Chartered Accountant in both South Africa and Canada and is a CFA Charter-holder. He has also completed an Executive Development Program at Harvard Business School. As part of the World Bank’s community outreach initiatives he taught a Master’s class in Finance at GW University for three years and co-authored sections of the current CFA Institute materials. From 1991 – 1994 he was a Special Professor in Banking Law at the University of Johannesburg.

His World Bank publication on International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS – A Practical Guide) has appeared in five editions and he has co-authored “Analyzing Banking Risk” (three editions), “Risk Analysis for Islamic Banks” (1^st edition November 2007), as well as International Financial Statement Analysis (CFA Institute – November 2008). The books have been translated into more than 15 languages.