Pineapple CTO, Sizwe Ndlovu’s agenda at the insurance company right now is reinforcing a forward-thinking culture and shaping the future of the insurance landscape through cutting-edge technologies.
Long before becoming the technology chief at Pineapple, a teenage Sizwe would clock in as a petrol attendant after the school bell rang and work until 10pm and after that came a stint at McDonald's. Neither experience was glamorous, but both, he says, were formative. “It was very tough but it helped make me into someone who persists and takes initiative.”
That appetite for doing things himself is still visible today in how Sizwe leads the technology function at Pineapple, the South African digital insurance company where he has spent the better part of nine years.
He is very intentional about leading his team of 20 who are split between developers, QA testers and tech support. Maintaining a high-performance team who stay motivated and relevant is by far his biggest challenge – and ultimately, he wants his team to enjoy the best work of their lives.
“You need to keep your team on the cusp of new technology, getting them to buy into it and helping them understand how it will help them and benefit them in the long run,” he explains.
In terms of leadership style, he takes an individualistic approach: “People are individuals so what you do with this person, you can’t necessarily do with someone else,” he explains. “I’m tackling the problem by appealing to the individual and what is important to them. Is it career growth? Is it building a good name? Is it enjoying the best work of your life? Once I’ve identified what motivates them, I can lead them based on it.”
He suspects his team would call him strict but he would frame it differently: “The driven team members would view me as an intentional leader who cares about their development and as someone who invests in helping them achieve their professional dreams.”
Placing careful bets on AI
When it comes to AI, Sizwe believes it’s often more beneficial for CIOs to take a measured approach.
“I think we’re all making the same bets on technology right now. We haven’t officially put our foot down and said, ‘we’re going to use this now’, as there are regulatory and security risks we need to consider,” he explains.
From a thought leadership perspective on developing AI policies and laws in South Africa, he says it would be beneficial for the government to invite tech leaders and CIOs to collaborate with them on establishing guidelines and rules around AI compliance to ensure that innovation isn’t stifled when laws are created, which can impact the economy negatively.
The weakest link is still human
Sizwe does not locate cybersecurity risk in distant server rooms, he points inward. Most breaches are internal, which is why employee training at Pineapple is continuous rather than periodic. “It’s my responsibility to ensure that we are compliant with cybersecurity. There’s so much work that we’ve done in this aspect.”
He is equally clear-eyed about the limits of any defence. “There’s always someone out there who is one step ahead of you. It’s always important to stay at the forefront of cybersecurity threats.”
Outside of work, Sizwe still loves to whip up something tasty in the kitchen and tends to his growing wine collection. And with his engineering mindset, in his free time he’s always keen to learn something new on YouTube.
When the conversation turns to what a good life looks like, Sizwe says knowing his family is well taken care of is where a good life begins for him. “As long as they are happy, as long as there are no problems and everyone’s needs are met, I am fulfilled. Their happiness is at the core of why I do what I do.”
