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Talent, culture, and the future of work take centre stage in this episode of Talking Success, recorded with Absa Group at the heart of Africa’s fintech ecosystem. Host Darren Franks sits down with KG Bako, Managing Executive for Talent Management & Transitions in Absa’s Human Capital leadership team, to explore how a leading Pan-African bank is innovating in talent management, AI readiness, and culture transformation to thrive in a rapidly evolving market.

They unpack the ‘skills of the future’ – from AI fluency, data, cyber and digital capabilities to critical thinking, empathy, and collaboration and why skills have become the new currency for financial services across Africa.

The conversation highlights Absa’s DEI+B (Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging) agenda, flexible work models, and how ‘come as you are’ and a sense of belonging are embedded in Absa’s employee value proposition.

You’ll also hear how banks and fintech’s are collaborating to build Africa’s talent pipeline, and why partnerships across industries and governments are essential to future-proof the continent’s workforce. If you’re a fintech founder, HR leader, banker or parent thinking about where the next generation should focus, this episode offers practical insights into where work, skills and opportunity are heading in African financial services.

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In this episode of Talking Success (Part 2), Darren Franks sat down with Kevin Odudoh, Ati Ngubevana and Peter Malebye from Vodacom Business. They tell us how they are approaching AI with a clear business lens, drawing on capabilities proven inside the Group and now offered to enterprise clients. The focus is practical: financial inclusion, fraud reduction, compliance and measurable ROI.

AI is on every executive agenda. The tough bit is not the technology itself. It is proving that the investment will lift revenue, protect margins and strengthen trust. Below is a distillation of the first half of that conversation, shaped for founders, product leaders and risk executives across African financial services. If you want AI to do more than generate demos, this is for you.

Kevin Odudoh's LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/kevin-odudoh/

Ati Ngubevana's LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/atenkosi-ngubevana-mba-pgdip-bcom-b38b9615/

Peter Malebye's LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/peter-malebye-8275a610/

Vodacom Business' Website https://www.vodacombusiness.co.za/

Darren Franks' LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/darrenfranks/

Titc's Website https://titc.io/

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In this episode of Talking Success, Darren Franks sat down with Kevin Odudoh, Ati Ngubevana and Peter Malebye from Vodacom Business. They tell us how they are approaching AI with a clear business lens, drawing on capabilities proven inside the Group and now offered to enterprise clients. The focus is practical: financial inclusion, fraud reduction, compliance and measurable ROI.

AI is on every executive agenda. The tough bit is not the technology itself. It is proving that the investment will lift revenue, protect margins and strengthen trust. Below is a distillation of the first half of that conversation, shaped for founders, product leaders and risk executives across African financial services. If you want AI to do more than generate demos, this is for you.

Kevin Odudoh's LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/kevin-odudoh/

Ati Ngubevana's LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/atenkosi-ngubevana-mba-pgdip-bcom-b38b9615/

Peter Malebye's LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/peter-malebye-8275a610/

Vodacom Business' Website https://www.vodacombusiness.co.za/

Darren Franks' LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/darrenfranks/

Titc's Website https://titc.io/

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In this episode of Talking Success, Darren Franks sat down with Pauline Molloyi – Chief Product and Information Officer at OM Bank, for Part 2, to dig into cash realities, branch roles in a digital bank, what trust really means for customers, how onboarding can be both secure and simple, and how to keep innovating inside South Africa’s rigorous regulatory environment. 

Pauline Molloyi's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/pauline-molloyi-7b76891/

OM Bank's Website: https://www.oldmutual.co.za/bank

Darren Franks' LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/darrenfranks/

Titc's Website https://titc.io/

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In this episode(Part 2), Darren Franks sat down with Kevin Odudoh from Vodacom Business and Tapfuma Mvere from XLink to dig into a reality every African FinTech leader knows well: you have to build for a moving target without breaking customer experience.

Kevin Odudoh's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kevin-odudoh/

Tapfuma Mvere's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tapfumamvere

Vodacom Business's Website: https://www.vodacombusiness.co.za/

Xlink's Website: https://www.xlink.co.za/

Zadara's Website: https://www.zadara.com/

Darren Franks' LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/darrenfranks/

Titc's Website https://titc.io/

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In this episode (Part 1), Darren chats with Kevin Odudoh from Vodacom Business and Tapfuma Mvere from XLink to discuss how their collaboration is shaping Africa’s payments ecosystem. 

Beyond sponsorships and partnerships, Vodacom’s involvement reflects a deeper commitment to help fintechs, financial institutions, and businesses build scalable, compliant, and trusted systems that move Africa closer to its digital future.

Kevin Odudoh's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kevin-odudoh/

Tapfuma Mvere's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tapfumamvere

Vodacom Business's Website: https://www.vodacombusiness.co.za/

Xlink's Website: https://www.xlink.co.za/

Zadara's Website: https://www.zadara.com/

Darren Franks' LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/darrenfranks/

Titc's Website https://titc.io/

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In this episode, of Talking Success, Darren Franks sat down with Pauline Molloyi - Chief Product and Information Officer at OM Bank, to unpack what it looks like behind the scenes of their journey (Part 1) 

Pauline Molloyi's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/pauline-molloyi-7b76891/

OM Bank's Website: https://www.oldmutual.co.za/bank

Darren Franks' LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/darrenfranks/

Titc's Website https://titc.io/

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In this episode of Talking Success, The Best Fintech Podcast, Darren Franks sat down with Jim Marous- global banking influencer, co-publisher of The Financial Brand, host of Banking Transformed, and one of the most respected voices in digital banking.

For decades, traditional banking has relied on physical presence - branches, tellers, and personal relationships. Yet as digital adoption accelerates and neobanks disrupt legacy systems, the conversation has shifted. What role will branches play in a future where onboarding takes less than ten minutes on a smartphone? And can banks deliver genuine human connection without a physical footprint?

Jim Marous's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jimmarous/

The Financial Brand's Website: https://thefinancialbrand.com/news/author/jimmarous

Darren Franks' LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/darrenfranks/

Titc's Website https://titc.io/

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In this episode, "Building Trust in the Township Economy with Koola Capital", of Talking Success, The Best Fintech Podcast, Darren Franks sat down with Katie Dodge, Co-Founder of  Koola Capital, to talk about breaking barriers in SME financing.

The informal economy, often called the township economy, is the backbone of South Africa’s entrepreneurial spirit. Despite its size and vibrancy, this market has long been underserved by traditional financial institutions. While banks readily offer vehicle finance and personal loans, access to productive business capital remains scarce.

Katie Dodge's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/katie-dodge-b4b369122/

Koola Capital's Website: https://koolacapital.co.za/

Darren Franks' LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/darrenfranks/

Titc's Website https://titc.io/

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In this episode, Darren Franks sat down with Theo Kitshoff, CEO of Sticcit, to unpack how to fix school payments and teaching money habits that actually matter..

Highlights: 
Why school payments matter more than you think
Why this matters now in South Africa
The KPI shift schools and vendors need to make

Theo Kitshoff's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/theo-kitshoff-b0b63b35/

Sticcit's Website: https://sticitt.co.za/

Darren Franks' LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/darrenfranks/

Titc's Website https://titc.io/