South Africa’s leading CIOs arrived dressed to the nines for the second annual CIO Awards, and were ready to celebrate their peers.
Guests arrived at sunset to stunning views with music by The Kopano Jazz Collective at Indanda Club’s Polo Room in Johannesburg.
After a bit of mingling, finger food, and some bubbles, South African singer and radio host Unathi Nkayi kicked off the auspicious occasion.
“South Africa seems to be doing a lot lately, between Siya, Tyla, Black Coffee, it’s hard to stay humble, but I do ask that we stay humble,” joked Unathi. She was noting South Africa's other great exports ahead of a full-time professional dancer Musa Motha’s performance.
“Tonight, we celebrate the leaders who are building the future of IT,” said CIO South Africa community manager Nomahlubi Sonjica in her introduction. She also thanked the sponsors and judges, and congratulated the cheerful guests for sticking to the glamorous black-tie theme.
Explaining the nomination and gruelling judging process, which includes a two-hour interview, Nomahlubi reminded the 20 nominees about the road they had travelled and how they were already winners, in spite of the night’s outcome.
A diverse group of CIOs
True to her word, all nominees were honoured, receiving a moment in the spotlight as they were called to the stage – one at a time – to receive the distinguished nominee trophies.
A group photo of the nominees revealed a diverse group of the country’s IT leaders, from personalities to hairstyles, not to mention the stunning outfits.
Addressing the nominees ahead of the main CIO of the Year Award announcement, iOCO chief commercial officer Ziaad Suleman explained the fundamental role that CIOs play in their respective organisations.
“As we think about all of your roles, you play a fundamental role in leadership in your business and in our country to set us up for the future. Your present day is what sets up the future, and that is fundamentally important in our journey. In your enterprise, this is exactly the role that you perform. You perform this role of a skills strategist, a business partner, a business leader demanding a return and outcome based on the enablement of technology. You are a technologist, you are an innovator, you are fundamentally many, many different things in one person and that’s all of you, not just the person winning this,” he said.
“Ultimately in life there has to be a differentiation, and that differentiation is what leads to the culmination of the award,” added Ziaad.
Inspirational moves
Musa Motha, a full-time professional dancer, choreographer and motivational speaker was one of the most memorable highlights for the evening. He is a cancer survivor, and as a performer with one leg, he aims to inspire other people who live with disability and break down social stereotypes. His dance performance captivated the audience.
During a fireside chat, Musa narrated his inspirational story of turning hardship into trump and the beauty and strength of the human spirit.
“Your dreams need to scare you, appreciate and, believe in the impossibilities, break the word possible," he said.
“I hate it when we say we’re our ancestor’s wildest dreams because we assume that we are better than them. You’re a true example of our ancestors living…every one of you in this room are their ancestors living, so thank you for giving birth to their dream, to their legacy, and thank you for making sure that your names will be forever held high when it comes to CIO history,” said Unathi.
And this is exactly what the 6 winners at the 2024 CIO Awards have done - pursued their dreams and become an inspiration to others along the way.
This year’s CIO Awards were held in partnership with MakwaIT, Deloitte, Entelect, Workday, iOCO, and Liquid Intelligent Technologies.
Table sponsors included Africa Data Centres, BCX, Equinix, HCL Tech, NeoSOFT, Old Mutual, RMB, and Bidvest Bank. Associate Partners were Communication Genetics and Nkgwete IT.
