Former Engen CIO Aveena Mothilall fuels her passion for youth development

Former Engen CIO Aveena Mothilall is driven by a passion for digital transformation and changing lives through her commitment to youth development. These are exactly the traits that led her to branch out on her own and establish ChangeDigitalCatalyst.

“The pivot in my career is driven by following my passion and purpose and I remain a continued advocate for the value of tech and building communities to solve problems harnessing the power of technology,” she explains.

Aveena believes that the technology landscape is growing exponentially. So, too, is the divide between communities who do not have access to technology and where unemployment rates in our youth is so high. “As such, I have created my own company to use my talent and skills in a meaningful manner.”

“My roles have been in transformation. It's not always been IT,” she says. Her journey as an IT leader spans two decades, but it’s her upbringing that has deeply influenced her passion for people.

Growing up in the close-knit community of Pietermaritzburg, Aveena developed a strong desire to empower and drive change. Reflecting on her childhood in the mid-80s, she said, ‘I grew up seeing the value of caring for those around you. A lot of importance comes from looking after each other”.

Aveena’s exposure to technology came later in her schooling years, a factor she believes shaped her career path. Initially pursuing accounting, her true passion lay in IT. Today, she is committed to creating smoother paths for future generations in the IT field, driven by her unwavering dedication to innovation, people and organisational transformation.

First encounter with a computer

“I attended a regular government school,” she recalls, noting that her school – like many others – had no computers.

Her first encounter with a computer was in Grade 7, thanks to a community initiative that selected a few learners for a weekend computer literacy programme. This experience prepared her for high school, where she eagerly joined a small computer science class in Grade 10.

Despite her interest in computers, Aveena initially pursued a different path after high school. ‘When I went to university, I actually went to study to become a chartered accountant because I did much better in accounting,’ she explains, highlighting how limited IT resources influenced her decision.

While studying for a four-year CA qualification at the University of KwaZulu-Natal, Aveena realised her true passion was in IT. She changed her major to a BCom in Information Systems, extending her studies to complete the necessary courses. Her dedication paid off, and she excelled, earning a postgraduate honours degree in business information systems.

“I obviously did really well because I enjoyed it,” she said. Her academic success led to a position as a junior lecturer-tutor at UKZN, where she taught computer science, computer literacy and business information systems for three years. This experience, combined with mentorship, paved the way for her illustrious IT career, which includes roles at South African Breweries, Nedcor, City Power, Coca-Cola Beverages South Africa and Sasol.

In 2018, she joined Engen as a business partner supply chain and refinery IT manager, later transitioning to a product owner and IT transformation role. She eventually became CIO and, later, group head of data following Vivo Energy’s acquisition.

Transitions and new roadmaps

In her previous role, Aveena was at the forefront of shaping the future by leveraging data assets through analytics and automation, envisioning an intelligent organisation. Her tenure as CIO at Engen provided her with a comprehensive understanding of architecture, cybersecurity and governance, ensuring the value of information assets.

As a leader, Aveena believes in being intentional with her actions and being a present leader. “Every time I share the story, people say, but where do you find time? This is HR’s work. I believe when you’re a leader, HR is there to enable the leader with the toolkits, but truly leading, managing the people, coaching them, mentoring them is a leader’s role,” she explains.

“But we never have enough time to do it properly because we’re sitting in meetings. So unless we’re intentional about it, we’ll never make a difference to shape and influence those future generations.”

For six weeks of the year, Aveena winds down and goes on holiday with her family, an international trip and some ‘Sho’t lefts’ during the year.

“I’ve got a passion for travelling and seeing new things and new experiences,” she says, noting how she only travelled out of her hometown when she started working. “The first time I stepped out from Pietermaritzburg was when I went to work in Johannesburg, which was in 1999,” recalls Aveena.

Describing her annual holiday plans, she says, “We’ll do one month, like a four-week break overseas and then one local holiday for another two weeks. So that's six weeks’ holiday in the year. That's my spoil, my bonus money, everything,” she says, describing her time away from work.

Her getaways have led her to the US, Europe, Asia, Portugal, Spain and France, with the latest trip having been to Geneva, Switzerland.

A globe trotter at heart, she’s travelled to more than 20 different countries – mostly including close family, but sometimes with only her husband as her travel mate. The pair work as a team when planning their annual adventures.

“I make sure that there’s stuff that suits me, suits my husband, suits my mom, suits the two kids, so that everybody enjoys it. We’ll plot it out. Then I send it to the husband. He’s then the mastermind to negotiate and get the best prices and deals. And then we go and have fun.”

She also enjoys playing board games, watching soapies with her mom and spending time with family and friends. “I love spending time with my girlfriends, visiting a wine farm on occasion. I love dancing, not anything professional, but going somewhere and then just dancing at parties or restaurants – I love to get down and boogie!”