Interview

Wilma Crosson, CIO at Volkswagen Financial Services (VWFS) South Africa, says her passion for innovation and data keeps her motivated in times of rapid tech change.

Technology leaders at the first Johannesburg CIO Summit of the year said speed has become the critical differentiator in the AI era, as organisations work to build seamlessly connected digital enterprises.

In 2024, the National Health Laboratory Service (NHLS) fell victim to a devastating cyberattack. Less than a year later, Dr Sylvia Sathekge stepped into the role of CIO, a move carrying significant responsibility.

Ravi Bhat, chief AI solutions officer at Microsoft South Africa, speaks to CIO South Africa about the rise of AI agents, the role of CIOs in driving change and what organisations that win in 2026 will look like.

With over two decades in the world of IT, Phila Msizazwe, CIO at the Automobile Association (AA) of South Africa, has strategically risen through the ranks and says he has enjoyed every moment of the journey.

When Sne Dlamini stepped into AECI’s headquarters, she knew she wasn’t taking on a typical technology leadership role. As group VP of technology and digital, she inherited not just systems and networks, but the weight of a century-old industrial legacy and the responsibility to redefine its future.

Two Mountains Group CIO Sahann van der Vyver believes effective IT starts with simplicity, alignment and strong communication. His focus is on enabling the business, not adding complexity.

2025 High Performance Team and Strategy & Leadership Award winner and Mr Price Group CIO Kim Sim outlines her priorities and expectations for 2026.

Corlia van Zyl, digital and technology director (DNT) at Heineken Beverages South Africa, believes in putting up her hand and taking opportunities. Marking three decades with the company, her philosophy has remained constant: technology matters, but people matter more.

The 2025 CIO Award winners share the leadership lessons shaped by a year of uncertainty and rapid change. From agility and authenticity to timing and composure under pressure, Irwhan Rakiep and Hans Zachar outline the practical principles that guided their IT leadership in 2025.

A snapshot of South African CIOs who led high-impact transformation in 2025 by aligning technology, people and strategy to deliver measurable change under real-world constraints.

When Pick n Pay committed to a turnaround strategy in February 2024, the role of IT was clear: support the business and deliver results without unnecessary complexity. For CIO Mark Tudor, that meant focusing on practical innovation and measurable value.

Dr Bongani Andy Mabaso, group CTO at Altron, likes to think on the fly and at the age of five was already dismantling toys, trying to figure out how each component worked. With roots in engineering and a leadership philosophy shaped by accountability and empowerment, he has built his career on pragmatism, problem-solving and an unwavering focus on people.

In the rapidly changing world of healthcare, technology is not just an enabler but a cornerstone of sustainable transformation. At Life Healthcare, CIO David Price has emerged as a key architect of this shift, bringing a distinctive engineer’s lens to IT leadership.

Eswee Vorster believes in setting his young team free “to do their crazy”. Since joining low-cost airline FlySafair in 2015, the CIO has spent the last decade building the team, systems and thinking that underpin the airline’s high-performance digital backbone.

Absa group CITO Johnson Idesoh reflects on his triple wins and outlines how the recognition will drive his team’s next phase of digital and data innovation.

Sometimes things need to be built and sometimes, they need to be broken down to understand their purpose, their limits, or their failure points. BC Technologies’ head of technology Dionne Swart shares the early lessons that shaped him, and how those moments taught him to lead, to learn and to build teams differently.

Auditor-General South Africa (AGSA) CTO Phila Ndarana is a people-first IT leader who believes in cultivating dignified technology environments that serve both business and people.

As group IT executive at Adcorp, Abri Erasmus leads with a solutionist mindset rooted in curiosity, structure and service. His journey from theology to technology reflects a philosophy that sees complexity as opportunity rather than chaos.

At the University of Johannesburg (UJ), CIO Maletsema Phofu is redefining the balance between innovation and security by championing collaboration, business alignment and clear communication across the institution’s digital landscape.