Three leading CIOs share how their reading habits shape their leadership, from service excellence and purpose to continuously connecting ideas across disciplines.
CIO South Africa asked three prominent technology leaders, Irwhan Rakiep, CIO at Metropolitan Life; Wilma Crosson, CIO at Volkswagen Financial Services (VWFS); and Mathabo Nakene-Mginqi, vice-principal of ICT and CIO at Unisa, what has been on their reading lists and why it matters to how they lead.
Irwhan Rakiep received his recommended read as a gift at a leadership summit. The book was Unreasonable Hospitality by Will Guidara, and although it arrived as a prescribed read, Irwhan found himself genuinely engaged by it.
The book follows Will Guidara's mission to transform a New York restaurant into the best in the world, not by perfecting the food alone, but by focusing on how guests feel. "People go to a restaurant not just for the food, not just for the product," Irwhan explains. The central argument is that truly great service means going so far above and beyond that it almost seems irrational.
For Irwhan, the real resonance was in the arc of Will's career. “The author moves from the autonomous culture of a small restaurant, where decisions are made quickly and creativity is valued, into corporate management, where efficiency, profitability and process take over and he eventually tries to reconcile the two worlds,” Irhwan explains.
At around 200 pages, Irwhan describes it as a light but insight-packed read on team dynamics, the personalities needed for a high-performing culture, and how leaders can keep innovation alive inside large, risk-averse organisations.
Purpose as a guide
Wilma Crosson's most influential book is not a business or technology title. It is The Purpose-Driven Life by Rick Warren, a book she says continues to shape how she leads and how she lives.
"This book has been one of the most influential in my life. To this day, I still teach people that it's critical not to miss your purpose in life, thanks to the lessons from the book."
For Wilma, purpose is not abstract. It is the lens through which she filters decisions and priorities. In a demanding and fast-moving role, knowing her core purpose provides a clarity that no framework or methodology can replicate.
A library, not a list
Mathabo Nakene-Mginqi does not read one book at a time. She reads several, moving between titles as her energy and focus shift, and she draws no firm line between professional development and personal reading.
Her current stack covers design thinking, product management, innovation, communication, platforms and ecosystems, culture and strategy. She does not see these as separate disciplines but as connected parts of the same thing: leadership. "Those are the themes I'm currently focused on, so I'm reading different books that cover all the facets of leadership."
Fiction also features regularly, with Mathabo gravitating toward stories with female protagonists who navigate complex circumstances with intelligence and humour. She finds it just as instructive as any business book.
Her approach is guided by a habit of active reading, always looking for what a text might transfer across sectors and contexts. A book set in manufacturing may hold an insight that solves a problem in higher education ICT.
Her view is straightforward: if you are not actively taking in new knowledge, you are already behind. "Things are always moving fast, especially in the technology sector, so it’s essential to keep up.”
