In this Driving Sustainability with Aki Anastasiou interview, SolarAfrica Energy’s Brandon Horn discusses Electricity 2.0 – a new virtual power solutions suite for South African businesses in the commercial and industrial sectors. Horn is the Head of Commercial at SolarAfrica Energy and boasts over 16 years of experience working for multinational corporations in local and international markets. This has included working at Puma Energy, Brent Oil, and Centurion Systems. In this Driving...

In this What’s Next with Aki Anastasiou interview, First Technology’s Barry Neethling discusses the power of AI technologies in the workplace. Neethling is the Chief Technology Officer at First Technology Group – and has worked at the company for 40 years. He is an expert in assisting South African companies to get the best value for their Microsoft licenses, and has been involved in licensing for about 30 years. In this What’s Next interview, Neethling discusses why it is important for...

In this What’s Next with Aki Anastasiou interview, gicom’s Stefan Hilger discusses how retailers can improve their profitability by using SAP solutions. Hilger is a Co-Founder of gicom and an Executive Member of its board, where he is responsible for the company’s Sales and Marketing division. He has spent over 25 years working to ensure that his global clients optimise their financial agreements, margins, and profitability. In this What’s Next interview, Hilger shares how retailers can...

In this What’s Next with Aki Anastasiou interview, Liberty’s Kedibone Chuene discusses the latest insurance trends in South Africa. Chuene is the Chief Risk Product Marketing Specialist at Liberty and has over 16 years of industry experience. During this time, she has worked at several leading companies — including m-Cubed, Alexforbes, Guardrisk, and Nedbank. In this What’s Next interview, Chuene discusses the latest insurance industry trends — including several trends impacting...

In this What’s Next with Aki Anastasiou interview, Thabiso Hlatshwayo discusses how OpenText helps South African retailers drive innovation and improve customer engagement. Hlatshwayo is the Solution Consulting Senior Manager at OpenText Africa, and has over a decade of experience in high-tech industries. He leads a team of highly-experienced consultants who are responsible for designing multifaceted technology solutions that serve the needs of OpenText’s clients. In this What’s Next...

In this What’s Next with Aki Anastasiou interview, ZTE’s Charles Yang discusses the success of the Mossel Bay 5G Ultra-range Maritime Coverage Project — executed by MTN and ZTE. Yang is the Director of Marketing and Solutions at ZTE South Africa, and plays a key role in the development and execution of projects like the Maritime Coverage Project. Yang and ZTE approached MTN after identifying Mossel Bay Harbour as the best location to run the project — thanks to its popularity as a tourism...

In this What’s Next with Aki Anastasiou interview, PEP’s Helmuth Luttig unpacks the value that PAXI offers to businesses through its business-to-door courier service. Luttig is the Chief Executive for Commercial at PEP South Africa and boasts over 15 years of industry experience. This includes serving as the Commercial Director and General Manager for Financial Services at Ackermans, as well as the COO at Capfin. In this What’s Next interview, Luttig details the benefits of PAXI’s...

In this What’s Next with Aki Anastasiou interview, Accenture’s Aadil Jappie explains why retailer need to implement a powerful cloud ERP system. Jappie is the SAP Retail Capability Lead for Accenture Africa and is a seasoned IT executive with over 20 years of experience. He excels at building and maintaining strong relationships with clients and stakeholders, and has worked with retailers from across South Africa, the UK, and Europe. In this What’s Next interview, Jappie explains why...

In this What’s Next with Aki Anastasiou interview, Absa’s Msizi Khoza discusses the challenges that African nations face in securing adequate climate finance - and how they can advocate for themselves at the upcoming COP29 conference. Khoza is CIB Managing Executive for ESG at Absa and leads the company’s extensive responsibility related initiatives. He has held several notable roles at Absa during his career, including Principal of Structured Asset Finance, and Chief of Staff to the Absa...

In this What’s Next with Aki Anastasiou interview, Technology Corporate Management (TCM) solution experts Phillip Ambartzakis and Vishnu Naidoo discuss IBM’s use of AI and machine learning for power and storage management. Ambartzakis is a Senior Account Executive for External Sales at TCM, and has been in the IT industry for almost three decades. He has worked with IBM products and solutions since 1998. Ambartzakis was initially an IBM Advisory Telesales Brand Specialist, before becoming an...

In this What’s Next with Aki Anastasiou interview, Master Power Technologies CEO Menno Parsons discusses the company’s founding and incredible success in Africa. Since founding Master Power Technologies in 1999, Parsons’ leadership has been instrumental in the company’s strong growth. Over the past 25 years, the company has expanded to more than 16 countries and completed over 150 data centre projects. In this What’s Next interview, Parsons explains why he decided to start Master Power...

In this What’s Next with Aki Anastasiou interview, MVN-X CEO Valde Ferradaz discusses the value his company brings to the South African MVNO industry. Ferradaz is a highly respected and experienced business leader in the telecommunications industry, having held key positions at prominent technology companies before joining MVN-X. In this What’s Next interview, Ferradaz explains what MVN-X does and how it has established itself so strongly in the South African MVNO market. He discusses how...

In this What’s Next with Aki Anastasiou interview, Brian Armstrong discusses the emerging technologies impacting the South African financial landscape. Armstrong is an independent Non-Executive Director at Old Mutual and Professor in the Chair of Digital Business at Wits Business School. He is regarded as one of Africa's foremost ICT industry leaders and has over 30 years of top-level management experience. In this What’s Next interview, Armstrong discusses how technology is reshaping the...

In this What’s Next with Aki Anastasiou interview, Kevin Aron discusses the exciting changes coming to Medshield’s benefits and contributions for 2025. Aron is the Principal Officer for Medshield Medical Scheme and boasts over 30 years of experience in the healthcare industry where he held multiple key positions across several major financial and healthcare businesses. These include Acting Chief Operating Officer at MSO, Private Equity Specialist at Investec, Financial Director at Solution...

In this What’s Next with Aki Anastasiou interview, Connect SA Sales Director Charlene George discusses the company’s end-to-end customer experience services. George oversees Connect SA’s sales strategy and execution, and manages the company’s team of account managers and business development managers. She has over 20 years of IT industry experience, which she acquired working at global technology companies such as IBM, Dell EMC, Oracle, and Cisco Systems. In this What’s Next interview,...

In this What’s Next with Aki Anastasiou interview, Vodacom Business Chief of Sales Peter Malebye discusses how the company became a leader in the IoT sector. Malebye is a respected leader in the South African IoT industry. Before taking on his current role, he was the BCX Managing Executive responsible for industrial and commercial IoT and operational technology commercialisation. Malebye has also worked for major technology brands Nokia, Absa, MTN, Alcatel, and Accenture. He is...

In this What’s Next interview, Ross discusses the 2024 SingularityU South Africa event. She explains what the event is about and why Old Mutual has decided to sponsor it. Ross then highlights how Old Mutual prioritises sustainability and creates solutions that prioritise people. She also unpacks Old Mutual’s obsession with championing financial wellness in Africa and highlights Old Mutual’s focus on embracing technology and data-driven insights.

In this episode of What’s Next with Aki Anastasiou, Merchant Capital Founder and CEO Dov Girnun shares his insights on the incredible entrepreneurial opportunities in South Africa and the unmatched resilience of homegrown entrepreneurs. A disruptive innovator, Girnun began his career in London’s financial sector before his ambition to start his own business brought him back to South Africa. Recognising a gap in funding for small and medium sized businesses, he and his founding partners...

In this What’s Next with Aki Anastasiou interview, Ernst Fonternel discusses the importance of putting customers first. Fonternel is MTN South Africa’s Chief Consumer Officer and boasts over 20 years of experience in the telecommunications industry. During this time, he has worked in many important roles - including as Senior Manager at MTN Group, Chief Marketing Officer at MTN Zambia, and Chief Marketing Officer at MTN Uganda. In this What’s Next interview, Fonternel explains why it is...

In this What’s Next with Aki Anastasiou interview, Altron Group CTO Dr Bongani Mabaso discusses the company’s impressive performance, growth, and profitability. In his current role, Dr Mabaso leads Altron’s group-wide technology function, product designs, and innovation strategies. Dr Mabaso was previously the CEO of SITA and the CIO of Digital and Customer Journeys at Standard Bank CIB, before joining Altron Group. Dr Mabaso talks about Altron Group’s stance on AI, as well as how it has...

In this What’s Next with Aki Anastasiou interview, Resilient Innovations CEO Willem Olivier discusses the value of Disaster Recovery as a Service, backup as a service, and work area recovery spaces. Olivier explains why it is important for South African businesses to embrace DRaaS and how Resilient Innovations clients weren’t affected by the recent CrowdStrike outage. He then reveals that Resilient Innovations recently built its own DRaaS and backup facility. Olivier also explains the...

Romulen Pillay is the Managing Director of Philips Southern Africa and has held this position for over five years. In this What’s Next interview, Pillay discusses the key findings from the 2024 Philips Future Health Index report. He explains how South Africa’s skills shortage is affecting the healthcare sector, and reveals how the industry is addressing this challenge. Pillay then talks about how the healthcare sector is using innovative technologies like AI and streamlined data collection,...

In this What’s Next with Aki Anastasiou interview, Everest Wealth CEO Thys van Zyl discusses the impact the Government of National Unity is having on local markets. Van Zyl has played a key role in South Africa’s financial industry for the past decade, and under his guidance Everest Wealth has grown into a multi-million-rand enterprise. He is passionate and knowledgeable about private equity and alternative investments, and is respected as a leading South African financial expert. In this...

In this What’s Next with Aki Anastasiou interview, Botha van der Vyver - Founder and CEO of JustSolve - discusses how hyperautomation can help local businesses accelerate their digital transformation efforts. Van der Vyver is an IT leader with more than two decades of industry experience. In 2016, van der Vyver founded JustSolve with the purpose of building an innovative community of problem solvers dedicated to empowering clients to achieve more with less through the acceleration of global...