2025 Young CIO of the Year Irwhan Rakiep does not lead through noise or bravado, but through deep thinking, calm, clarity and a deep respect for people. That mindset shapes not only how technology works, but how teams thrive at Metropolitan Life.
Spend a few minutes with Irwhan Rakiep and two things become clear very quickly: he thinks in systems and he thinks long-term.
Whether he’s talking about technology, organisational culture, or South Africa’s economic future – he comes across as a natural optimist with some interesting perspectives.
In 2025, Irwhan was named Young CIO of the Year, a recognition for CIOs under 40 who have delivered significant value to their business and shown outstanding leadership.
“For me, it was certainly a career milestone, mainly because all of us want to do something meaningful in our career and get recognition for it. But none of this would have been possible without the incredible team I work with,” he says with gratitude.
That grounding shows up strongly in how Irwhan approaches his work. As CIO, he leads a team of more than 100 IT professionals across Cape Town, Johannesburg and India, supporting a large and complex insurance business. But he does not speak about his role in terms of purely technology, he speaks about people.
“I want people to enjoy coming to work and feel challenged and excited about what they’re working on, but I first need to create an environment that is conducive to this. I try to be approachable and mindful of how I speak to people and ensure that no one feels like they’re not allowed to speak up,” he says.
He believes that setting high standards does not mean you can’t have a healthy culture too. It is all about how it’s done, respect and treating colleagues the same way you want to be treated at work.
Engineer first, executive second
Although Irwhan sits at the intersection of technical depth and business strategy, at heart, he still considers himself an engineer.
“As a child I loved learning and understanding how things worked by taking them apart and putting them back together. That curiosity never really went away.”
He added that his dream job, if technology leadership did not exist, would involve reviewing sports cars around the world. “If I had to describe my dream job, it would be as a presenter on Top Gear. Although being in front of a camera doesn’t come naturally to me, I’m fascinated by the engineering in modern cars and the advanced technology that brings them to life. I would love the opportunity to explore and review a wide range of vehicles, and share those insights with others. The role would also allow me to travel to different cities around the world, combining my passion for cars with my love of discovering new places.”
Earlier in his career, that curiosity expressed itself through algorithms and programming. Today, it plays out at enterprise scale. Instead of debugging code, he’s diagnosing organisational bottlenecks, system architecture constraints and hunting for growth opportunities through digital and data.
“I enjoy solving problems with technology, but it has to be practical. If you are unable to explain your solution on a page, so that others can simply understand, then you have likely over-complicated it and execution may be difficult,” he explains.
Staying calm when systems fail
That pragmatism became particularly important during the decommissioning of a long-standing mainframe system.
Rather than attempting a “big-bang” overhaul at once, his team sequenced the change carefully: modernising customer-facing systems first, then optimising business processes, and finally replacing the core insurance systems and data platforms on the back end.
“Large scale transformation programmes are complex in their nature and time is always against you. By breaking problems into smaller components, and keeping the solutions practical, it’s easier to keep the project moving forward and explain to fellow team members,” he adds.
He laughed when he described calmness as his ‘claim to fame’, but it becomes most visible when things go wrong, which in financial services happens often and publicly. He believes this is when leadership truly matters.
“In times of uncertainty, that’s when the real role of leadership emerges. When everybody is panicking and it feels like everything is on fire, you need to centre yourself, calm everybody else down and get them to stay focused on the bigger picture,” Irwhan says thoughtfully.
He often explains this using the example of pilots. “Planes can take off, land and fly autonomously but pilots still have a well-paying job because when things go wrong, you want a human being there who can land the plane and get everyone to their destination safely.”
Still, despite being a leader and deep thinker who can show up calmly during times of crises, he’s deliberate about creating space for opinions before making big decisions. “People need to feel heard and I try to listen more than I speak. Once you’ve done that, you can align and move forward.”
Curiosity beyond technology
Irwhan always finds time to nurture his intellectual curiosity by reading and learning about new business models, economics, politics and emerging technologies – especially those driving exponential change or industry disruption.
He believes the best CIOs are those who deeply understand how business generates revenue, where it leaks value and how customers experience it. “CIOs must be able to connect the dots and identify where technology can unlock growth and create better client experiences that set you apart from your competitors,” he asserts.
Away from work, Irwhan is first and foremost a family man. He and his wife are raising three children, whom he speaks about with warmth and intention.
“When I am not at work, I am spending time with my family. I don’t really have many hobbies that don’t include them. Our favourite thing to do is travel to different cities and experience new cultures, food and environments. Travelling broadens your thinking and ignites curiosity, it also makes you more tolerant when things don’t go according to your plan or work exactly the way you want.”
Disconnecting is also something he protects. “You can’t be a top performer if you’re exhausted. And you can’t be present at home if your mind is always at work. That balance has been critical to how I am able to show up as a leader,” he says.
Looking ahead, he hopes to be able to play a bigger role in contributing to South Africa’s future.
“I was born and raised in South Africa and would really like to see the country and its people thrive. We have lots of potential: plenty of natural resources, a young population, diverse cultures and beautiful cities. But there are also many challenges to overcome, which I think is possible if we had good and honest leaders in place that have a shared ambition for South Africa.”
