Top C-suite leaders at the 2025 Executive Day came together for a day of connection, knowledge sharing and value creation.
Held in the chic Melrose Arch District on 3 September, the 2025 Executive Day brought together top CIOs, CHROs and CFOs to explore the role of leadership in shaping South Africa’s future under the theme Renewing our social contracts.
The day kicked off with the Mzansi 2035 group discussions, which tasked executives with envisioning the future of relationships, education, healthcare and government in South Africa in 2035.
The scenarios imagined by the executives were transformed into four AI prompts and showcased through AI-generated images, with insights unpacked by Flux Trends head of content and facilitator, Tumelo Mojapelo.
Tjaart Kruger, Tiger Brands CEO and Joël Roerig, MD at Executive Communities were first to take to the stage with insights on what’s top of mind for CEOs. Reflecting on Tiger Brands’ turnaround strategy, Tjaart highlighted the importance of simplicity, reduced siloes and streamlined processes to drive execution and speed to market.
Looking ahead, Tjaart emphasised that technology will shape leadership expectations but should not define them. “Leaders of the future will need to have a thorough understanding of technology, but it is also important for them to drive technology and not the other way around. Executives will need to continue honing their leadership skills. It is how they inspire and motivate their people and this will continue to be their strong point even in the world of AI,” he added.
While attendees were still enthralled by Tjaart’s engaging CEO masterclass, renowned business leader and chancellor at the University of Free State, Prof Bonang Mohale and V20 advocate and MD at DSM advisory Dolores Mashishi led the discussion on the future of corporate leadership and responsibility.
Prof Bonang stressed the importance of job creation, noting that sustainable employment is central to addressing South Africa’s social challenges. “When business invests in corporate social responsibility, it is not charity, it is job creation for those who need it most,” he said.
Whose baby is it anyway?
Sun International CIO Pragasen Pather and Nedbank Group CFO Mike Davis took to the stage to settle the debate on who exactly owns the digital transformation process. Pragasen confessed that when he initially saw the topic, he thought the answer was an obvious one, with digital transformation being the CIO’s responsibility.
After some consideration, he now likens digital transformation to a newborn, where HR nurtures people and change management, IT manages risk and cybersecurity and finance ensures accountability. “Without financial oversight of tech investments, it is impossible to determine ROI,” he said.
Mike echoed similar sentiments noting that digital transformation is an ongoing journey, requiring input from all key stakeholders.
“Above all, we’ve discovered that this specific journey of digital collaboration is not over yet. In 2024, we thought we had completed our rapid journey, which we had begun a decade earlier. During the journey, we learnt that technology is evolving and changing so quickly,” he continued.
Building team synergy at exco
Members of Standard Bank Group’s award-winning exco team, including group CIO Jörg Fischer, group CFVO Arno Daehnke and group chief people and culture officer Sharon Taylor, continued the theme of collaboration with their lessons on executive collaboration. With a combined 86 years of tenure at the organisation, the trio emphasised the importance of a clear business vision as the foundation for technology alignment.
Reflecting on IT’s role in the collaboration with CFOs and CHROs, Jörg highlighted the importance of technology being led by business needs rather than industry trends.
“We are clear on our true north as a business and a technology function, which makes it easier to deliver solutions aligned to business needs and client experience. Standard Bank’s biggest differentiator is the people behind the technology, not chasing the shiny new toy,” said Jörg.
He advised CIOs to maintain a commercial mindset to ensure technology initiatives align with business priorities and deliver value, which will ultimately reduce friction at exco.
Tackling the elephant in the boardroom
An engaging conversation on how menopause affects management efficacy was the next item on the agenda. Non-executive director, Dr Claudelle von Eck and Dr Natalia Novikova, gynaecologist and endoscopic surgeon led the conversation, leaving attendees with much food for thought.
Dr Claudelle concluded the day with a simple yet powerful thought: “Menopause is a leadership conversation, not just a women’s conversation. It impacts the entire population because male executives are married to women and lead women in their teams, so it’s an issue we must all recognise.”
She reflected on her own career, sharing that her biggest regret was not understanding what older women team members were experiencing earlier in her leadership journey. She urged executives to start open conversations with women in their teams to better support them.
This full day of high-level networking and knowledge-sharing would not have been possible without the support of CIO, CHRO and CFO South Africa’s incredible trusted partners. Principal partners: Cassava Technologies, Entelect, Huawei, iOCO, MakwaIT, Marsh, Old Mutual South Africa Corporate and Regenesys Education. Executive partners: Anchor Capital, BDO South Africa, Coupa, Discovery Limited, Equinix, FranklinCovey, HCLTech, Jem, LRMG, Sanlam, STANLIB and Workday. Associate partner: GIBS Business School (Gordon Institute of Business Science).
