Denver McCaan

Global Chief Financial Officer

Something you might not know about Denver

His favourite comfort food is a classic Durban Bunny Chow, a hollowed-out loaf of bread filled with curry, a South African equivalent to the ‘donner kebab’

His favourite city

Cape Town, for its sunshine, sandy beaches and incredible scenery where the mountains meet the sea.

Three songs you’ll find on Denver’s Spotify playlist

• Hot for Teacher – Van Halen
• The Sound of Silence – Disturbed
• Hotel California – Eagles

What got Denver started

Denver realsied early in his career that he was most excited by creative problem-solving, particularly where professional expertise, data and technology come together. What started with him and Lotus 1-2-3 has evolved into a career focused on finding smarter, more effective ways to solve complex business challenges.

Denver is excellent at

• Breaking down complex challenges: he listens first, then builds a clear structure around a problem to make it easier to understand and solve.
• Staying curious: Denver combines the knowledge and experience to get things done with a willingness to keep learning and find new approaches.
• Connecting people with solutions: he knows where he can add value, is honest when something falls outside his expertise, and often knows exactly who can help.

About Denver

Denver began his working life as a waiter in a high-end restaurant in South Africa. Working for tips taught him the importance of listening, understanding what people really need, building rapport quickly and staying calm when things don’t go to plan. These are skills he continues to draw on throughout his career.

A South African Chartered Accountant CA(SA), Denver trained at BDO in Durban and KPMG in Johannesburg before moving to the UK in 1999 to join KPMG Consulting, specialising in business and financial modelling. In 2003, he founded Numeritas, delivering projects across the UK, Europe and the USA in sectors including energy, renewables, financial services, property and construction. Over the past decade, his work has increasingly focused on fund managers and private equity, developing financial models and tools that support portfolio monitoring, forecasting, strategic planning and investment decisions.

Today, alongside his work with Numeritas, Denver is Global CFO of the Factotum Group. He supports the CEO and Board with strategic planning and fundraising, while leading the development of the Group’s internal finance function and helping integrate five acquisitions completed over the past year.

Denver recently helped colleagues tackle a time-consuming workflow by building an initial prototype using what he describes as “chicken wire and chewing gum”. The project has already reduced a process that typically took three to four working days to just one or two, with a web app in development that is expected to reduce the effort further.

He’s inspired by

Denver’s grandfather, Norman. A man of few words but strong principles, Norman did what he said he would and stood by the people he cared about. He might not always have been the easiest person, but Denver knew he always had his back.