Welcome to season 2 of Meet the CIO, TechCentral’s podcast series that dives into the minds of South Africa’s top technology leaders. Meet the CIO is brought to you by NTT DATA – where global experience meets local impact.

After a highly successful first season featuring CIOs from across the corporate landscape, we’re kicking off season 2 with a conversation with Khaya Mbanga, chief information and digital officer at BDO South Africa, where he also heads the firm’s growing BDO Digital division.

BDO is one of the world’s largest professional services firms, specialising in audit, tax and advisory. Headquartered in Belgium, its name comes from the three founding firms – Binder, Dijker and Otte – that merged to form the organisation.

In this wide-ranging episode, Mbanga reflects on his career journey through consulting, FMCG and mining; how he first got into technology; and the evolution of the CIO role into one that now straddles digital strategy, cybersecurity, AI and organisational change.

He also unpacks his passion for artificial intelligence, including his involvement in the IITPSA Special Interest Group on AI and Robotics, and offers his perspective on how AI will reshape auditing, tax and broader business functions in South Africa. From managing hallucinations in large language models to rethinking talent pipelines, Mbanga shares candid insights into both the opportunities and risks ahead.

Topics covered include:

• What it means to be the CIDO of BDO South Africa

• Career background across consulting, FMCG and mining

• His first computer and how he got into technology

• Robotic process automation in the mining sector

• How AI will transform auditing and tax

• Dealing with the risk of AI hallucinations in data-sensitive environments

• The broader impact of AI on South African business

• Technology talent shortages and what skills CIOs need today

• His favourite productivity hacks and tools

Don’t miss this great opener to the new season of Meet the CIO. If you missed any of the interviews from season 1, you can find them all on TechCentral. TechCentral

When Nedbank realised early last year that its mammoth core banking overhaul and modernisation programme was going awry, it turned to Marijke Guest for help.

Guest, CIO of Nedbank Corporate and Investment Banking (CIB) and payments and a veteran of the financial services group, tells TechCentral’s Meet the CIO about how the bank realised it was headed for trouble, and what it took to get the project back on track and delivered – all in little under a year.

According to Nedbank, the project was thought to be 80% complete, but when it was reassessed in January 2024, it became clear that only around 20% of the actual scope had been delivered.

“Designs were incomplete,” the bank said. “Engineering practices were out of date. Key components, such as the liability rates engine, product lifecycle workflows and real-time processing, were either broken or unbuilt. The programme was years behind its intended outcomes, and the bank’s reputation was at stake.”

Guest, who has worked at Nedbank for the past 25 years, tells Meet the CIO’s Duncan McLeod about:

• When and why Nedbank first decided it needed to modernise its core banking systems and what the project would entail;

• What’s involved in an undertaking like this, and why there’s potential for things to go wrong that could lead to huge cost overruns – as has happened at other South African banks that have embarked on similar modernisation programmes;

• What Nedbank’s core banking modernisation project aimed to achieve, and why it was at risk of being derailed;

• What she did to get it back on track and motivate the IT teams involved;

• What it took to get everyone to start pulling in the same direction and ensure the project was delivered on time with zero reputational impact to the bank;

• How she coped with the immense pressure she and her teams were under from the board and top management to get the project done right, on time and within budget;

• What Nedbank can do now that it couldn’t do before, and how that positions it next to its rivals – both the traditional banks and the new digital bank challengers that have emerged in recent years; and

• What CIOs who are embarking on similarly complex IT projects can learn from Nedbank’s project – including the pitfalls they should watch out for, and what areas they should be careful not to neglect.

Guest was ultimately awarded Nedbank’s Chief Executive Award for her leadership of the project. No one involved in IT management should miss this fascinating discussion! TechCentral

Meet the CIO | Schalk Visser on Cell C’s big pivot

Schalk Visser has worked in telecommunications for more than 20 years, first at Telkom, then at Vodacom and now at Cell C, where he has served as chief information and technology officer since 2020.

Visser, an engineer, joined Cell C 13 years ago – during the tenure of former CEO Alan Knott-Craig – as an executive in the company’s programme management office, where he helped lead a renewal of its radio access network.

TechCentral’s guest in the latest episode of the publication’s Meet the CIO podcast, Visser tells host Duncan McLeod about his career journey in telecoms before delving into his work in helping transform Cell C’s technology stack – with a focus on recent years as the operator moved to shut down its own radio access network in favour of partnerships with other mobile operators.

In the interview, Visser chats about:

• Where his interest in technology began;

• His time with Telkom and Vodacom, including his experience helping build Vodacom’s network in Mozambique;

• The changes that have occurred at Cell C in recent years and why they’re significant – including a look at the network partnership with MTN and Vodacom, and what that’s allowed the company to do differently;

• His day-to-day role as head of technology at Cell C;

• The role of technology in supporting what is essentially a technology business;

• The changes he has brought to Cell C’s technology stack and why;

• The recent ransomware attack – what happened, and what’s been done to address it; and

• What’s exciting him about what’s coming down the line in telecoms technology.

Don’t miss a great interview! TechCentral

Yosheen Padayachee, group IT director at Tsebo Solutions Group, is our guest in this episode of TechCentral’s Meet the CIO.

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Yosheen Padayachee was named as one of the top 100 most influential women in technology in 2024 and has been recognised among the Cyber 50 leaders in cybersecurity in Africa.

Padayachee, who serves as group IT director at workplace management solutions company Tsebo Solutions Group, is TechCentral’s guest in this episode of Meet the CIO.

Previously CIO for Africa at Momentum Metropolitan Holdings, Padayachee is pursuing a doctorate in technology innovation. She shares her story in this interview.

She unpacks:

• How her career pivoted from healthcare into IT and IT management;

• Her career journey so far, which has included roles in the banking sector at Nedbank and FNB, and important lessons she’s learnt along the way;

• The role of IT at Tsebo Solutions Group;

• The big technology projects she’s currently helping lead;

• Her insights on cybersecurity in modern organisations, and why security must be embedded at the foundation of all digital innovation;

• The impact of AI on the ability of companies to protect themselves from cyber adversaries; and

• Why gender diversity in the male-dominated technology industry is vital – and what needs to be done to encourage more young women to choose technology as a career.

Don’t miss this insightful conversation. TechCentral

Being a chief information security officer (CISO) in 2025 is a daunting role, but one that TechCentral’s guest in this episode of the Meet the CIO relishes.

Kerissa Varma, who was recently appointed as chief cybersecurity advisor in Africa for Microsoft, previously served as group CISO at Vodacom and before that as group CISO at Old Mutual. She understands what it takes to be a leading CISO.

She tells Meet the CIO about what’s involved in being a leader in enterprise cybersecurity, why she is passionate about developing female talent in the industry – she heads the South African chapter of Women in Cybersecurity – and what it takes to “make it” in what is very much still a male-dominated industry.

Varma chats about her experience as group CISO at Old Mutual and Vodacom. She also unpacks:

• How she became a leader in the enterprise security space;

• The role of a CISO in the modern enterprise – and why interpersonal skills are just as key as understanding technology;

• The top functions and priorities of today’s CISO;

• Strategies to fight the cybercrime scourge – including a look at how South African companies should be dealing with ransomware;

• Artificial intelligence and how it is transformation the infosec space – the impact, the threat and the opportunity;

• Quantum computing and the impact it could have in years to come;

• The gender imbalance in the infosec space and why it’s a concern to her;

• Skills development in cybersecurity in South Africa; and

• Her new role at Microsoft.

Don’t miss a fascinating conversation. And if you missed any of the previous episodes of Meet the CIO, you can find them here. TechCentral

José Soares, director of IT at The Capital Hotels, Apartments and Resorts, fell in love with computers when his dad brought home a Sinclair ZX81.

Through a series of upgrades – from the Commodore 64 to early Apple machines and eventually his first PC – Soares developed a passion for gaming and technology.

Meet the CIO is presented by Wipro

That passion led him to co-found a mobile gaming company and eventually to pursue a career in IT management.

Our guest in the latest episode of Meet the CIO, Soares tells TechCentral editor Duncan McLeod about the journey that led him to The Capital Hotels group.

Soares also discusses:

• The assets owned by the group and why it’s focus is a little different to other companies in the hospitality industry;

• What the group’s IT stack looks like, and the big projects Soares is leading;

• How the internet and modern technology have transformed the hospitality industry;

• His strategic priorities as head of IT;

• The role of artificial intelligence in the hospitality industry, and how The Capital Hotel is approaching AI;

• The qualities that make for a good CIO; and

• The importance of developing the next generation of IT talent.

Don’t miss a great conversation! TechCentral

At more than R23-billion/year, Standard Bank Group has the biggest IT budget of any company in South Africa – and quite possibly in the whole of Africa.

The man charged with ensuring the continent’s largest financial services provider is spending that money optimally is group CIO Jörg Fischer, who is TechCentral’s guest in this episode of Meet the CIO, the publication’s monthly interview series presented by Wipro, where, instead of focusing on the vendors of technology, we interview the end users of IT – banks, retailers, manufacturers and more – about how they’re using modern technology to grow their businesses and drive their strategic agendas.

In this episode of Meet the CIO, Fischer chats about the technology function at Standard Bank Group, the role of a CIO in the financial services industry, the big strategic IT projects which the bank is involved with – and much, much more.

Among other topics, Fischer discusses:

• The career trajectory that resulted in him becoming a top IT leader;

• Why Standard Bank Group spends as much as it does on IT, and where that spending is directed;

• How IT aligns with the group’s strategic focus areas;

• The decision to migrate to SAP’s core banking solution, what was involved, the lessons learned and how the platform is working for the bank in 2024;

• What Standard Bank’s technology stack looks like, and its investment in the cloud;

• What makes a good CIO in 2024, including the skills that are important in the role;

• How Standard Bank is approaching AI – and what it can actually achieve for the bank and its clients;

• How technology is changing the banking industry;

• Standard Bank’s approach to cybersecurity; and

• How Standard Bank attracts and retains IT talent.

Don’t miss a fascinating conversation that provides great insight into how IT has become mission critical in modern banking. TechCentral

Meet the CIO is presented by Wipro.

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There is much more to being a chief information officer than being an advocate of the latest technology. In fact, articulating a vision, and architecting it, is critical.

That’s according to Shabhana Thaver, CIO at Investec Specialist Bank, who is the guest in the hot seat in episode 2 of TechCentral’s new interview series, Meet the CIO, which is presented by Wipro.

According to Thaver, technology is changing banking and many other industries in fundamental ways, and CIOs need to play a big role in providing an holistic view to the rest of the C-suite of what those changes mean for their company and for their industry.

“You have to be a risk officer, you have to be a compliance officer, you have to be a CIO, you have to understand the commercials and the revenue side of things… I'm a technologist, I love the fancy new stuff and dabbling and playing with it, but being in in a bank, which is systemic, you have to consider the impact of what you are doing, not just the change and the benefit.”

In the interview, Thaver discusses:

• Her career background in software development, and what led her to Johannesburg from Durban, her hometown, and then to Investec;

• Her career at Investec, leading to her appointment as CIO;

• The role of the CIO in a modern bank like Investec, and how the role of an IT leader differs in a bank compared to other industries;

• What makes a good CIO – and the role the CIO should play in helping establish organisational strategy;

• The big IT projects she is leading at Investec and the impact these will have on the bank;

• Investec’s technology stack and how it compares to other banks in South Africa;

• The likely impact of artificial intelligence – including generative AI – on Investec and its clients, including a look at how the bank is approaching AI;

• How AI will impact the banking industry – as well as what it means for productivity and jobs; and

• How else technology is changing the banking industry

Don’t miss a fascinating interview. TechCentral

Meet the CIO is presented by Wipro.

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Bruce Paveley says that when he moved from a senior IT role at Standard Bank in 2017 to the then-nascent start-up digital bank TymeBank, it was “a really big shock”.

“You go from five buildings in the middle of Joburg, multiple floors, to an office in Rosebank that’s two floors, and that’s the bank, and you think, ‘Wow, is this really a bank? Can it work like this?”

That was before TymeBank had launched its first commercial services, and long before it would go on to become South Africa’s most successful digital banking start-up with nearly 10 million customers and R6-billion in deposits and R3-billion in loans.

Paveley’s love for computers started when his dad bought him a Sinclair ZX81 in the early 1980s when he was a youngster growing up in the small north coast town of Empangeni.

Today, as chief technology officer at Tymebank, Paveley is leading a team that’s building the technology underpinnings (cloud-based, of course) of a modern digital bank. And it’s a fascinating story about using technology to challenge established industry incumbents.

In this first episode of TechCentral’s new podcast series, Meet the CIO, Paveley chats to Duncan McLeod about what was involved in launching TymeBank from a technology perspective, the strategic choices it made and why, and what comes next in the bank’s journey.

Paveley tells Meet the CIO about:

• His upbringing in Empangeni and how he ended up pursuing a career in IT

• The mainframe era, and his experience as a Cobol programmer

• His IT career at Standard Bank, including his involvement in the bank’s big SAP project

• Why he joined TymeBank

• What was involved in building the new bank, and the role that technology played

• TymeBank’s technology stack, and why the bank migrated from an on-premises solution to the cloud – and why it made the technology choices it did

• Tyme Group’s internationalisation plans, and how technology is underpinning that expansion

• How he works with the rest of the bank’s management team, and where technology fits into strategic decision-making

• TymeBank’s approach to cybersecurity

• What keeps him awake at night

• And much, much more

Meet the CIO is a new podcast series produced and published by TechCentral and published monthly. We talk to IT leaders across South Africa about the role of technology in their organisations. Don’t miss an episode by subscribing to TechCentral at youtube.com/techcentral. TymeBank · TechCentral