In this What’s Next with Aki Anastasiou interview, Timothy Matlala discusses how Standard Bank is working with the public sector in South Africa.

Matlala is the Head of Public Sector, Business, and Commercial Banking at Standard Bank and has worked in finance for over 15 years.

He entered the industry as a Business Manager at Standard Bank South Africa and then briefly worked as a Relationship Manager at Nedbank before returning to Standard Bank.

Matlala has remained at Standard Bank ever since, holding notable positions like Senior Manager, Head of Province Business Banking for Limpopo, Head of Business Development for the Public Sector, and Head of Enterprise Development.

His stellar performance across these roles eventually resulted in his promotion to his current position in 2021.

Matlala holds an MBA from the Henley Business School and a Postgraduate Diploma in Business Management, Business Administration, and Management from MANCOSA.

In this What’s Next interview, Matlala outlines why banks need to reconsider how they engage with the public sector.

He then explains how Standard Bank supports municipalities without overstepping the divide between the public and private sectors.

Matlala then reveals how Standard Bank’s public sector offerings are unique, before unpacking the scope of his department - including how lending and liquidity management fit into the business model.

He concludes the interview by discussing the biggest opportunities for public-private partnerships in South Africa.

In this What’s Next with Aki Anastasiou interview, Amanda Gibbs and Duke Mathebula discuss what the SAPHILA 2025 event will cover.

Gibbs is the Chief Executive Officer at the African SAP User Group (AFSUG) and boasts 28 years of industry experience.

In her current role, which she has held for three years, Gibbs oversees a network of SAP customers and partners and helps them realise the full benefits of their SAP Investments while shaping the future of SAP software development.

Mathebula is the Chairman at AFSUG and is an industry expert with over 25 years of experience.

Across this quarter century, he has held multiple key roles that have given him the knowledge and skills to execute the duties of his current position.

In this What’s Next interview, Mathebula explains what AFSUG is, noting its importance in the current SAP market, and Gibbs outlines the organisation’s goals and vision for the future.

She then unpacks the upcoming SAPHILA 2025 event, an IT conference for key decision-makers and professionals in the SAP ecosystem.

Mathebula reveals which individuals outside the SAP industry should attend SAPHILA 2025, and Gibbs explains how interested parties can register for the event.

They conclude the interview by sharing their message for anyone who has never attended a SAPHILA event.

In this What’s Next with Aki Anastasiou interview, Ashley Smith discusses the industry success of Amoeba TSC.

Smith is the Chief Operations Officer at Amoeba TSC, where he leads digital transformation initiatives across fibre networks, ISPs, and field operations.

With over 30 years of experience in telecommunications and technical leadership, he focuses on driving innovation, automation, and sustainable growth using locally developed, industry-proven technologies.

Before joining Amoeba TSC, Ashley served as Group CTO at EDGE Telecoms Holdings, where he launched South Africa’s first disaggregated broadband solution.

In this What’s Next interview, Smith unpacks Amoeba TSC – including what it does and its key areas of expertise.

He then unpacks the role Amoeba TSC plays in the telco industry – including the typical type of client it serves.

Smith also reveals the key milestones and achievements in Amoeba TSC’s journey.

He concludes by discussing the Saldanha Bay Smart City project – including why it was created, and what its core objectives are.

In this What’s Next with Aki Anastasiou interview, Dr Ron Whelan highlights the benefits of Discovery Health’s Personal Health Pathways programme.

Dr Whelan is the CEO of Discovery Health and a veteran of corporate healthcare and health systems, with almost two decades of experience across various senior executive roles.

As CEO, Dr Whelan leads Discovery Health in its endeavour to help its clients become healthier while protecting and enhancing their lives.

In this What’s Next interview, Dr Whelan outlines Discovery Health’s Personal Health Pathways.

He highlights the AI technology and robust dataset that Discovery Health uses to power the service, and explains how Personal Health Pathways helps South Africans live healthier lifestyles.

Dr Whelan also explains how Discovery Health provides clients with financial incentives to ensure they make the right decisions.

He concludes the interview by highlighting the interest they have seen in the offering since its launch, and explains how Discovery Health members can get started on their Personal Health Pathway.

In this What’s Next with Aki Anastasiou interview, North-West University (NWU) Professor Anné Verhoef discusses the NWU AI Hub, of which he is the director.

The NWU AI Hub was launched at the beginning of 2025, with Verhoef at the helm, to provide groundbreaking solutions to South Africa’s biggest AI problems.

Verhoef is a professor in philosophy and the former director of the NWU School of Philosophy, which forms part of the university’s Humanities faculty.

He has a strong involvement in ethics, which has prepared him to head up the NWU AI Hub.

In this interview, Verhoef begins by discussing the reason for the NWU AI Hub and its biggest successes so far.

He highlights the measures NWU is taking to ensure the ethical and responsible use of AI within the university.

Verhoef then explains how NWU is prioritising student development to ensure its graduates remain competitive in the workforce of the future.

He concludes by sharing insights into NWU’s AI literacy courses and how students have responded to these initiatives.

In this What’s Next with Aki Anastasiou interview, Nomvuyiso Batyi and Naveed Kashif discuss the evolution of the telecommunications market and how AI is reshaping RAN infrastructure in South Africa.

Batyi is the Chief Executive Officer of the recently established Association of Comms and Technology – a non-profit company dedicated to addressing ecosystem issues within the broader ICT sector.

Before this, she worked in roles at the Department of Communications and Digital Technologies, ICASA, and Primedia Broadcasting.

Kashif is the Head of Nokia’s Southern African Market Unit for Mobile Networks at Nokia.

He boasts an impressive 27-year track record in the telecommunications industry, having held leadership roles at companies like Nokia, Alcatel-Lucent, and IBM.

He holds an MBA focused on International Management from Vlerick Leuven-Gent Management School.

In this What’s Next interview, Batyi explains what the Association of Comms and Technology does, and Kashif explains Nokia’s role in the African telecommunication industry.

Kashif then outlines how AI is changing how Radio Access Networks (RANs) operate, and Batyi unpacks the challenges in optimising RAN infrastructure in Africa.

She also discusses the role of policy-making in accelerating growth and change in the South African telecommunications industry.

They concluded the interview by outlining how they expect the South African telecommunications industry to evolve in the coming years.

In this What’s Next with Aki Anastasiou interview, Videsha Proothveerajh discusses how Vodacom Business is leveraging new technologies to offer superior services to its customers.

Proothveerajh is the Director of Vodacom Business at Vodacom South Africa and boasts over 25 years of experience in the technology and telecommunications industries.

She assumed her current role at Vodacom South Africa in 2024 and leverages her extensive experience and expertise to ensure Vodacom Business sits at the top of the enterprise telecommunications industry.

In this What’s Next interview, Proothveerajh explains the importance of Vodacom Business being crowned South Africa’s Most Trusted Enterprise Telecommunications Provider in the MyBroadband Awards.

She unpacks the key areas she believes Vodacom Business stands apart in the enterprise telecommunications industry, and highlights the company’s most significant achievements since she joined it.

Proothveerajh also discusses how Vodacom Business is leveraging new technologies like AI and machine learning to deliver improved value to its South African clients.

She concludes the interview by sharing Vodacom Business’s plans for the future.

In this What’s Next with Aki Anastasiou interview, Jordaan Burger discusses the modern challenges facing CFOs.

Burger is the Sage Vice President of Finance for the Africa, the Middle East and Asia-Pacific region, and has worked in the finance industry for over 20 years.

He joined Sage in 2019 as the Financial Director for the Africa and Middle East region, and was promoted to his current position in 2021.

In this What’s Next interview, Burger discusses how the CFO role is evolving in South Africa.

He unpacks the new challenges and responsibilities that have emerged, and explains how these changes have led to CFOs having a greater impact on the C-Suite.

Burger also outlines how CFOs can balance their organisations’ current finances with the need for growth.

He then notes the importance of automation for generating growth opportunities, and explains how Sage can assist with this.

Burger concludes the interview by sharing his vision for the future of finance, and the role Sage will play in this.

In this What’s Next with Aki Anastasiou interview, Discovery Bank CEO Hylton Kallner discusses how the digital bank improves customers’ lives through enhanced banking services.

Kallner has been with Discovery since 1996 and began by working on various marketing, actuarial, and strategic projects.

In 2006, he was appointed as the Chief Marketing Officer for Discovery Limited and later rose to the position of Chief Executive Officer for Discovery Life in 2016.

Kallner also briefly served as the CEO of Discovery SA before being appointed to his current position as Discovery Bank CEO in 2021.

In this What’s Next interview, Kallner explains how Discovery Bank has achieved such excellent growth and why he predicts Discovery Bank will enjoy R3 billion in generated profits by 2029.

He then discusses how banking can improve people’s lives, using the recently revealed Discovery AI as a key example of this.

Kallner unpacks how Discovery AI will provide customers with a more personalised, seamless, and secure banking experience.

He concludes the interview by sharing other additions to Discovery Bank - including the Discovery 911 service and the new additions to the Vitality Money offering.

In this What’s Next with Aki Anastasiou interview, Bertus van der Vyver discusses MTN’s updated brand positioning and the importance of the phrase “Today We Make Moves.”

Van der Vyver is the General Manager for Residential and Postpaid at MTN South Africa.

Before taking on his current role in April 2023, he held many executive roles in the South African telecommunications industry across the industry’s largest players.

Through this experience, Van der Vyver has developed strong commercial acumen and the ability to solve problems and make the right decisions in high-pressure situations.

In this What’s Next interview, van der Vyver discusses the important role MTN has played in connecting South Africans over the decades.

He then unpacks MTN’s updated brand positioning, which focuses on the phrase “Today We Make Moves.”

Van der Vyver expands on how MTN is working to address the digital divide in South Africa through access to connectivity and technology.

He then discusses the moves MTN is making to build better connectivity offerings for its South African customers.

Van der Vyver concludes the interview by sharing a message with South Africans who want to take charge of their future through technology.