Vaughn Naidoo is the General Manager of the B2B Technology Centre of Excellence at MTN.

Naidoo is an experienced executive with a solid track record of working in the telecommunications, data centre, and IT industries. He has an MSc in Computer Science and is a veteran CMO, CDO, CIO, and CTO with a talent for disrupting the market.

In this episode of What’s Next in Cloud, Vaughn Naidoo discusses the advantages of MTN’s new strategic alliance with Microsoft in Africa – including the new technologies MTN will now have access to. Naidoo then talks about how the partnership will contribute to MTN’s B2B Technology Centre of Excellence - including the centre’s ICT objectives for 2025

Dr Karen Luyt is a Consultant for Digital Transformation at BCX.

She has held various positions in her 32-year career – from development and specialist roles to several management positions – and has extensive international experience in regions like the UK, Spain, and Australia. Luyt has also been active in the Doctoral Programme of the Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS) – both as a lecturer and as an MBA and Doctoral-level supervisor.

In this episode of What’s Next, Luyt discusses why digital transformation has not yet been achieved by all organisations – even though it has been a key topic of discussion for many years. She then explains how organisations can accomplish their radical digital transformation goals by approaching this journey practically.

Daniel Wilks is the EMEA Vice President of Solution Sales and Employee Workflow at ServiceNow.

Wilks joined ServiceNow in October 2021 and leads a team of experts focused on employee experience across all business segments. He has over 20 years of experience in leadership and strategic selling of technology, including working as the Head of Public Sector Services Sales for Microsoft for over a year. Wilks also accrued over 15 years of leadership experience at IBM, where he was the Software Sales Leader and later became the Director of IBM Cloud and Cognitive Software for the UK and Ireland.

In this interview, Wilks explains how ServiceNow helps build a better employee experience. He talks about how the technology that ServiceNow offers can benefit case worker teams and expands on the other areas this technology can help.

Liziwe Maseko is the BCX Executive for Digital Software Engineering.

Maseko has a strong performance history as a business leader and boasts extensive experience leading and managing various IT functions. She has been instrumental in developing, managing, and launching multiple market-leading IT products to deliver revenue and growth targets for large customer bases.

Maseko has also demonstrated major expertise in supporting companies to maximise their investments, reduce their costs, and increase their efficiencies.

In this What’s Next in Cloud interview, Maseko talks about the state of the South African ICT landscape and how this has evolved over the years. She then discusses what 4IR means for South Africa, and unpacks the current adoption rate of digital transformation projects in the country.

David McDonald is the co-founder and CEO of SolarAfrica, where he leads a dynamic team that is passionate about solar energy savings.

McDonald has over 13 years of experience in renewable energy project development and a BEng qualification. His technical expertise, knowledge, and hands-on approach are all instrumental to SolarAfrica’s success.

In this episode of Driving Sustainability, McDonald talks about how battery storage has become a viable option for South African businesses. He explains that this is because of increased global inflation, rising electricity costs, and technological advances in this industry.

Megan Nicholas is the Managing Director of Supersonic South Africa and has over 25 years of experience in the telecommunications industry.

She has acquired numerous awards for her contributions to this field, such as Most Influential Woman in ICT in Business and Government (2016), Most Engaging Leader via the Telkom Employee Satisfaction Survey (2015, 2016), and National Female Leader Representative and sponsor for Telkom’s Female Leadership Development Program (2014-2020).

Nicholas leads in the areas of strategy and business turnarounds by designing and executing plans that deliver enhanced profitability.

In this episode of What’s Next in Cloud, Megan Nicholas discusses how she and her Supersonic team are working to improve connectivity in South Africa. She unpacks the issues currently surrounding connectivity in the country and why it is important that these issues are solved.

Sabahat Kazi is the President of Intelligent Enterprise at Nihilent and the Co-Founder of Intellect Bizware.

Kazi has over 27 years of experience in the ICT industry, including over 24 years of experience in the SAP ecosystem. During this time, he has been involved in over 50 SAP implementations on both the customer side, and the implementation side. At Nihilent, he is responsible for its Intelligent Enterprise business – which includes SAP and other solutions – and he also manages Intellect, a subsidiary of Nihilent that he co-founded in 2007.

In this What’s Next interview, Kazi explains what intelligent supply chains are and why they are particularly relevant in a post-COVID world. He then unpacks the SAP Business Technology Platform (BTP) — including the role it plays in helping businesses develop intelligent supply chains.

Antony English is the co-founder of Freedom Won – a company focused on pioneering the transition to renewable energy in Africa.

In his role as a leader at the company, English is focused on steering Freedom Won towards its goals by promoting its impressive energy storage technologies. English has a Bachelor’s Degree in Electro-Mechanical Engineering from the University of Cape Town, and a Master’s Degree in Business Administration, Management, and Operations from the Gordon Institute of Business Science at the University of Pretoria.

In this episode of Driving Sustainability, English discusses the highlights and challenges of Freedom Won’s 10-year journey since being founded in 2012. He discusses what it means that Freedom Won recently won the SANEA Shapeshifter award, as well as co-Founder Lizette Kriel winning the Women Entrepreneurship award, and explains how these accolades position Freedom Won as a leader in the local renewable industry.

Henri Fourie is the Head of Delivery at Mint Group, where he ensures that his clients’ modern workplace roadmaps are paved for success.

Fourie brings a wealth of knowledge and expertise in the Microsoft 365 space and has career experience with Microsoft as a solutions sales professional in the company’s Modern Workplace division. He previously ran his own Modern Workplace business for over 6 years, so he is well-equipped to lead the digital transformation journey for clients and Mint Group alike.

In this episode of What’s Next, Fourie talks about the new employee ‘worth it’ equation and explains how leaders can use this concept to make the office more comfortable for their employees.

Phila Dube is the Chief Commercial Officer at Openserve and leads the network operator’s market-facing and back-office commercial operations.

In this role, Dube is responsible for Openserve’s Sales, Marketing, PR, Commercial, Product and Pricing, and Relationship Management divisions. He has extensive experience in the telecoms industry, having been involved in the commercial departments of Openserve and Telkom for over 16 years.

In this episode of What’s Next, Phila Dube breaks down the lack of internet connectivity in Africa - commonly known as the digital divide. He explains why Africa has been slow to benefit from internet connectivity despite this technology being a key enabler in crucial sectors like education, health, and business.