In this episode, Duncan McLeod interviews Len de Villiers, until recently group chief information officer at Telkom, to talk about the role of IT management in South Africa.

In the wide-ranging discussion, De Villiers talks about his career as a CIO for many of South Africans top companies, including Nedbank, First National Bank, Absa, Transaction Capital and, of course, Telkom.

He discusses how the role of the CIO has changed over the decades, the biggest challenges facing IT leadership today and what those interested in pursuing career in the field should be considering.

What is the role of a CIO today? What are the top things a good CIO brings to an organisation? What do good CIOs do inside their organisations to help the business, and what are some of the mistakes they often make? De Villiers covers all this ground – and more.

In the discussion, De Villiers, who chairs the CIO Council of South Africa, talks about the big overhaul he led of Telkom’s IT systems, why it was done and what it involved.

He also talks about what it takes to be a CIO and whether South African universities are adequately preparing youngsters for careers in IT.

It’s a great discussion. Don’t miss it!