Under the glimmering chandeliers of the Inanda Club’s Polo Room, IT leaders gathered on 13 November for the 2025 CIO Awards, the most glamorous night in the digital calendar.
Guests arrived wearing everything from classic tuxedos and shimmering gala gowns to striking, heritage-infused ensembles to celebrate each other’s achievements.
South African comedian, actress, TV personality, and writer Tumi Morake opened the evening with her signature charm, immediately warming the room with laughter, and reminding the crowd that humour, much like technology, connects us all in unexpected ways.
Following her vibrant opening, Biko’s Manna graced the stage with their soulful sounds that had guests swaying in their seats, setting the perfect mood for the celebration of nominees who were applauded across the room for the amazing work they do in their organisations that drive excellence across industries.
Addressing the nominees, Tumi reminded them that recognition at this level was a victory in itself, telling the room to consider it already an achievement.
The evening then soon settled into its main agenda – crowning the night’s winners. The first award of the evening was the Strategy & Leadership Award, presented by Siya Mnyanda from Workday, that went to one of the evening’s big winners, Kim Sim, the CIO at Mr Price Group. Kim also later collected the High-Performance Team Award presented by Warren Hero, architecture design segment product lead at SARS.
All about people
Reflecting on her win, Kim thanked her colleagues and shared why she frames her career around people rather than technology.
“When people ask me what I do for a living, I hardly say I’m in tech. Not because I’m embarrassed, but because I prefer to say I’m in retail, and the reason I’m in retail, and the reason I do what I do, is for the people,” she said. “I love developing teams, building their confidence, helping them believe in themselves and in one another, and watching them grow. Seeing people realise and reach their potential is the most rewarding part of my career.”
The Digital Innovation Award followed, presented by Dion Govender, and scooped by the night’s triple award-winner, Johnson Idesoh, group CITO at Absa.
His name echoed throughout the Polo Room as he went on to take home the CIO of the Year Award handed to him by Entelect COO Timothy Kroon, and the Smart Data Award, presented by Zuko Mdwaba, investor at Jem.
Standing before an audience already on its feet to applaud him, Johnson called his colleagues to join him in celebration, saying, “I’m going to ask my colleagues to come on stage because this is our award, this is a recognition of who we are together.”
“Technology has given me a phenomenal career, and I believe it has done the same for everyone in this room. One thing I care deeply about is giving others the opportunity to experience technology. I know you contribute every day, and there’s absolutely no reason we can’t make technology in South Africa the best in the world, and that’s what each of you do every single day. That’s what I try to do too,” he added.
A drumroll built up to the announcement of the Young CIO of the Year Award, presented by Arun Babu of Deloitte Africa. This award went to Irwhan Rakiep, CIO at Metropolitan Life, whose win evidenced that the future of the sector remains bright.
“I want to accept this on behalf of my team back in Cape Town. I also want to thank my organisation’s group for allowing me to be innovative and own my space, and to achieve good things, and my family, who give me a support structure,” said Irhwan.
Recognition extended to the public sector, where Mathabo Nakene-Mginqi, vice-principal: ICT and CIO at Unisa, was crowned Public Sector CIO of the Year by Nkuli Mbundu from Liquid Intelligent Technologies South Africa.
Accepting her award, Mathabo took a moment to honour her colleagues and reflect on the role of women in technology.
“This award isn’t just a celebration of what I’ve achieved; it’s fuel for what’s coming next. In tech, if you’re not moving forward, you’re already behind.”
“Being a woman in technology isn’t always easy, but we are changemakers. Every system we optimise, every digital transformation we drive, paves the way for more women to step into this space. Young women watching, the tech world needs your voice, your creativity and your unique perspective. You belong at the tech leadership and innovation table. Don’t let imposter syndrome silence you. If I can stand here after years of wondering whether I belong, then you absolutely do too,” shared Mathabo.
SA’s great skills
Next up was Hans Zachar of Nutun, awarded the Cybersecurity Award by Michele Duncan of MakwaIT, who reflected on South Africa’s talent and teamwork, highlighting both skill and collaboration.
“Cybersecurity and being trusted in those markets is a competitive advantage, but the things that make us stand out are South Africa’s great skills. We often talk about this skill shortage, but we’ve got amazing people in this country. If you think about this award, it’s not just because of what I do, the cybersecurity committee that stands head and shoulders above others in an international market, and that’s something to be proud of.”
Mary Mahuma, CIO: Southern Africa at Philip Morris International, was awarded IT Project of the Year, with Georgina Guedes accepting on her behalf. Her achievement added another layer of excellence to a night full of accomplishments.
The night, rich with celebration, took an exciting turn when South African sprint sensation Akani Simbine joined for a fireside chat.
Akani shared how he grew up wanting to be a soccer player, but in high school his speed on the field caught the attention of his principal, who encouraged him to run for the school. Initially reluctant, he eventually chose athletics over soccer, a decision that surprised his parents but quickly proved to be the right one.
With an IT degree from Tuks and a career shaped by milliseconds, the conversation further went into blending sport and technology effortlessly.
“Nowadays technology is everything,” he said. “We track times, heart rate, performance, rest and effort. We use a lot of tech-driven equipment and software. It tells me whether I am peaking, whether a run was my best and whether I made enough effort.”
“I laughed as I remembered convincing my coach to embrace technology. He was a stopwatch coach and I kept seeing stuff online, insisting we should use it. He resisted, saying the stopwatch works, but I explained that technology gives the data quicker. You don’t have to keep clicking. It provides readings that we can interpret immediately. Technology now plays a big part in sport, and it has been a real benefit,” shared Akani.
As the evening eased into its last chapters and dessert plates cleared, the final notes from Biko’s Manna drifted through the room, and the winners joined together for one final group photo, their smiles reflecting not just victory, but the pride of a community united in excellence.
While the final programme ended there, networking and words of congratulations continued echoing through the Polo Room as winners, nominees and peers exchanged handshakes, laughter and stories of perseverance.
The Annual CIO Awards were proudly supported by Award sponsors Cassava Technologies, Deloitte, Entelect, iOCO Technology Group, Huawei, MakwaIT, Welanga Investments, and Workday.
The event’s table sponsors included: Equinix, HCL Tech, Hyland, and NeoSoft.
