Photo Gallery: 13 November 2025, CIO Awards, Inanda Club, Johannesburg

As businesses become increasingly dependent on digital infrastructure, investing in new technologies is only part of the challenge. Without the right skills, partnerships and visibility across their systems, organisations risk spending heavily on tools that fail to deliver the intended results.

Ankit Shah, chief data officer at Virgin Active, urged technology leaders at the 2026 IT Indaba to look beyond generative AI to quantum computing, post-quantum cryptography and blockchain. He spoke during a session titled Beyond AI: Navigating quantum computing, blockchain and the next digital frontier.

Under the glimmering chandeliers of the Inanda Club’s Polo Room, IT leaders gathered on 13 November for the 2025 CIO Awards, the most glamorous night in the digital calendar.

MakwaIT’s head of governance, risk and assurance, Michèle Duncan, shares the company’s commitment to recognising IT leaders who are leading in the cybersecurity space.

With youth unemployment above 60 percent, IT leaders stress the urgent need for strategic skills development, mentorship programmes and anti-fragile organisational thinking.

Artificial intelligence is as transformative as electricity was to previous generations, fundamentally reshaping how we live and work.