GET TO KNOW
How do you
deal with stress and unwind
outside the office?
Mostly stress can be reduced by actioning a
series of tasks that will resolve the underlying
issue. An acknowledgment upfront that there
is an issue and then a plan to remediate
goes a long way in settling stressful
situations. That said, I unwind by reading,
watching movies, travelling, exercising and
socialising with friends and family.
If you could go back and change one
career decision what would it be?
When I returned from the UK, I was
consulting at a large insurance company and
they kept offering me a permanent position.
Eventually I accepted the permanent offer,
even though I knew at the time that it wasn’t
quite right for what I wanted for my career
path. Ultimately, I lasted only eight months at
the company before moving on. In hindsight,
I should never have accepted the offer.
• Skills.
Unfortunately,
Africa is still
desperate
for adequate
technology skill sets
across the board.
Lack of skills leads
to significant delays,
including a huge
amount of rework of
systems implemented
by personnel without
the pre-requisite level
of skill required
• Legislation. There are pieces of
legislation that are antiquated for
the new digital realm, as well as pieces
of legislation that are not aligned to
each other, which creates confusion in
the market
• Data costs. They are still way too high
in Africa compared to the rest of the
world and this restricts businesses from
accessing their target market
What changes to your job role have
you seen in the last year and how do
you see these developing in the next
12 months?
Personally, there hasn’t been any significant
changes in my role over the last year. My
“
DON’T BE
AFRAID TO HAVE
THE TOUGH
CONVERSATIONS.
FOCUS ON
LEADING AND
EMPOWERING
PEOPLE, RATHER
THAN MANAGING
THEM.
focus going forward will be mostly on R&D,
strategic initiatives and strategic partnerships.
What advice would you offer
somebody aspiring to obtain
C-level position in your industry?
Don’t be afraid to take the initiative
when it comes to doing more outside
your day-to-day role. Don’t be afraid to
have the tough conversations. Focus on
leading and empowering people, rather
than managing them. n
What do you currently identify as
the major areas of investment in
your industry?
Digital transformation and all that it
encompasses. Many large corporates are
investing heavily in digital channels in
response to customers’ expectations as well
as threats posed by digital start-ups.
What are the region-specific
challenges when implementing
new technologies in Africa?
I would say that the top three challenges
are as follows:
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