My purpose is to ignite the magic within and in turn spark the magic in others. With over 2 decades in IT, spanning across local, regional and global roles, I hold an MBA degree and have over 10 years experience in leadership roles strategically business partnering executives on IT strategy and operations. I am passionate about igniting a spark of magic within people and the crucial role of technology to become a strategic differentiator for businesses.

Louise van der Bank, Chief Information Officer (CIO) of AfriSam, is a business and technology leader who has redefined the role of CIO as a catalyst for digital innovation, business transformation, and sustainable growth. She brings over two decades of IT leadership experience across multinational corporations, private enterprises, and state-owned entities.

Recognised for her strategic foresight and ability to lead in complex environments, Louise drives AfriSam’s digital transformation journey with a clear focus on operational excellence, data-driven insights, and people empowerment. Her collaborative leadership style and passion for developing talent have fostered a culture of innovation, agility, and accountability.

With a proven record of delivering large-scale transformation programmes and measurable business outcomes, Louise continues to position technology as a true enabler of strategic value. She champions emerging technologies—from AI and automation to advanced analytics—to enhance productivity and customer experience while advancing sustainability goals.

Louise holds a BSc in Computer Science and a Higher Education Diploma from North-West University, and she completed executive programmes through Assessment Technologies International and the Darden Business School, University of Virginia, USA.

In 2019, she became one of the first CIOs to achieve Professional CIO certification at the highest level and was honoured with the “Decade of CIO Service” award in 2024 for her significant contributions to IT leadership. Louise was also named “Visionary CIO of the Year” in 2025 in recognition of her visionary leadership and strategic use of ICT to drive innovation, transformation, and measurable business value.

Nomonde is an award-winning executive and the Chief Information Officer (CIO) at Bidvest Bank, recognized as the 2023 Top Performer for her transformative contributions. With over two decades of experience, she has excelled in leading technological advancements and driving organizational growth in the financial and multinational sectors. Her career includes senior roles at ABSA Group, including Head of Governance, Risk, and Compliance, Joint-CIO for Infrastructure Services, and Head of Technology for ABSA Regional Operations. She also worked at British American Tobacco, where she further developed her leadership expertise.

At Bidvest Bank, Nomonde’s strategic vision has been central to the bank’s turnaround. In just 18 months, she significantly improved operations and technology, earning her widespread recognition. She is a passionate advocate for gender parity in technology, serving as Chairperson of Wired4Women, an initiative that champions women’s advancement in the tech industry through mentorship, visibility, and opportunities.

Her leadership has earned her numerous accolades, including being named Visionary CIO of the Year and Young CIO of the Year at the 2024 CIO South Africa Awards. Nomonde’s ability to innovate and lead high-performance teams has cemented her reputation as one of South Africa’s top technology leaders.

Academically, Nomonde holds an MBA from the Gordon Institute of Business Science and a BA Law degree from the University of the Witwatersrand. She has also completed executive programs at prestigious institutions, including MIT, Harvard, LSE, and Kellogg. These academic achievements complement her professional expertise, allowing her to successfully integrate business strategy with technology innovation.

Nomonde is deeply committed to youth development and leadership. As a OneYoung World Ambassador since 2015, she has mentored young professionals and helped foster leadership potential in the next generation of leaders. Her dedication to community involvement extends to advocating for greater representation of underrepresented groups in technology, ensuring they have the support to thrive.

Nomonde remains dedicated to shaping the future of technology with a focus on innovation, inclusivity, and equal opportunity. Her leadership continues to inspire others to break barriers and create impactful, sustainable change within the tech sector.

A seasoned IT professional with 22 years of extensive experience across various industries, I serve as a Chief Information Officer (CIO), Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) and Data Privacy Officer (DPO). My expertise spans the realms of Banking and Financial Services, FMCG, Medical, ICT, Mining, and Motor industries. With a diverse skill set encompassing Leadership, IoT, Digital Transformation, GRC, Cybersecurity, AI, Strategy, POPI and GDPR, I excel in shaping and executing comprehensive business strategies. My international and local relationship-building skills and work experience have fostered a deep understanding of diversity, and my commitment to mentorship is evident in coaching the younger generations with hands-on experience. From managing multimillion-euro budgets, overseeing SAP life-cycle implementations, and making tangible differences professionally and socially, Managing strict governance and compliance, to being recognized among the Top 50 Women in Cyber in Africa 2020 and as the Winner of the Legend Award 2025 at the CIO 200 Summit, my journey reflects a dedication to excellence, innovation, and empowering the next generation.A seasoned IT professional with 22 years of extensive experience across various industries, I serve as a Chief Information Officer (CIO), Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) and Data Privacy Officer (DPO). My expertise spans the realms of Banking and Financial Services, FMCG, Medical, ICT, Mining, and Motor industries. With a diverse skill set encompassing Leadership, IoT, Digital Transformation, GRC, Cybersecurity, AI, Strategy, POPI and GDPR, I excel in shaping and executing comprehensive business strategies. My international and local relationship-building skills and work experience have fostered a deep understanding of diversity, and my commitment to mentorship is evident in coaching the younger generations with hands-on experience. From managing multimillion-euro budgets, overseeing SAP life-cycle implementations, and making tangible differences professionally and socially, Managing strict governance and compliance, to being recognized among the Top 50 Women in Cyber in Africa 2020 and as the Winner of the Legend Award 2025 at the CIO 200 Summit, my journey reflects a dedication to excellence, innovation, and empowering the next generation.

• Directed 4th Industrial Revolution Initiatives: Led initiatives including Big Data, Blockchain technology, and AI, focusing on integrating cutting-edge technologies to drive operational efficiencies and innovation.
• Developed AI Roadmaps and Strategies: Collaborated with business leaders to identify opportunities where AI could be leveraged to solve complex challenges and deliver exceptional business outcomes.
• Strategic IT Leadership: Formulated and executed IT strategies aligned with corporate goals, ensuring the technological direction supported the overall vision and objectives of DRDGOLD.
• Project and Program Management: Oversaw multiple large-scale projects and programs, ensuring they were delivered on time, within scope, and within budget.
• Risk and Governance: Reported to the Risk and Audit Board Committees, ensuring that all technological implementations complied with regulatory requirements and best practices.
• Vendor and Contract Management: Negotiated contracts and managed relationships with technology and business vendors, ensuring the best value and service for the company.
• Team Leadership: Led a diverse team of IT professionals, fostering a culture of innovation and continuous improvement.
• Digital Transformation: Spearheaded digital transformation initiatives, driving change across the organization and improving processes through the implementation of advanced technologies.

IT Executive, CIO and Non-Executive Director, with +25 years’ professional experience that span various sectors: Automotive, FMCG, Public Sector, Tech., and Financial Services. A Digital Transformation (Dx) evangelist with demonstrable strengths in aligning business and IT strategies, delivering large scale solution architectures and complex development projects.
– Experienced in financial services systems, incl. Banking, Fintech, trading platforms, and Straight Through Processing (STP).
– Experienced in car rental architecture, incl. integration with Global Distribution Systems (GDS), tourism industry partners, and designing Mobility as a Service (MaaS) capabilities.
– A Cybersecurity and, GRC advocate, with strong knowledge of legislative & compliance prescripts, incl. PCI DSS, Companies Act, GDPR, POPIA, PFMA, et al.
– An energetic people leader with proven abilities to effectively lead and work in complex business environments.
– An experienced conference speaker, presenter and panel participant; and a member of ISACA, IDC CIO Advisory Council, and the Institute of Directors South Africa (IoDSA).IT

Reinhardt Gerber is the Group Head of IT at Sea Harvest, looking after the IT infrastructure and applications of the Group. Since taking over as Head of IT in 2014, he has led the company’s full transition into a private cloud environment and recently migrated to the public cloud. He also completed the company’s transition to the O365 platform, adopting SharePoint Online, OneDrive and MS Teams, allowing remote working and access to information anywhere at any time. During his time as Head of IT, Sea Harvest has grown substantially through acquisitions, and as Group Head of IT, he was responsible for the IT integration between all these entities.
His background is in Software Development and ERP consulting, with a strong Financial background, and as business analyst has overseen extensive Microsoft Dynamics NAV implementations over the course of his career.

Experienced Head of IT with a demonstrated history of working in the fishing industry. Skilled in Outsource and Vendor management, Infrastructure Management, Business Process Analysis, ERP Implementations, Databases Management, QlikView / QlikSense Development and Leadership. Strong information technology professional with a Bacelourius Commercia focused in Computer Science and Economics from University of Stellenbosch.

An IT Executive with ICT career of over 29-years, equipped with a proven track record of excellent delivery and transformation of ICT divisions together with business technology direction.

2020 Visionary CIO of the Year in South Africa (IITPSA) Winner.

2021 Africa Chief Information Officer Award Winner in Africa (AFICTA- Africa ICT Alliance)

Joined Wits in May 2017 as its Chief Information Officer (CIO) with expertise in ICT business strategy, digital transformation, cybersecurity, mobile strategy and cloud strategy. Within a short period of time, the ICT team was able to transform Wits’ technology capability by positively influencing methods of learning, teaching, and research. Envisioned the concept of the “Smart Classroom” which was approved in 2018 and combined with the University’s “Blended Learning” objective. The implementation of Blended Learning gave Wits University the “edge” and advantage in its response to COVID19, adopting full online learning and teaching in less than a month under my stewardship.

Wits ICT was further recognized by the University’s Senior Executive Team (SET) and the University Council amidst the pandemic as central to the successful learning and teaching, the University continued seamlessly throughout the year 2020. I had the mammoth task of changing the ICT culture leading to 2020 and this led to the ICT division being rated by the Senior Executive Team and the University Council amongst one of the University’s best rated in the score card results.

In addition to my current CIO role, I am acquainted with taking leadership roles external to Wits University:

– Chair Person of HEITSA: A Board of CIOs from 26 Government Universities.

– Member of Ministerial Task Team for Higher Education, and

– Board Member of Tertiary Education & Research Network of South Africa (TENET)

– Council Member of Cranefield College

Disciplined, influential, ethical, and copes very well in difficult terrain and “fixer” of chaos. I am competent at developing and executing strategies, implementing governance structures, and developing a service catalogue to manage service and Service Level Agreements. I have over the years proven my abilities in the public sector, including Eskom Enterprises & Transnet before joining Wits University.

I hold the principles of ownership and accountability closely and prefer using agile methods, skilled in Innovation Management, Youth Development, Tech-savvy, Business Savvy, and Decision-Making.

With more than two decades of IT expertise, Wilma has navigated strategic planning, digital transformations, stakeholder management, systems design, and leadership. Her rich professional journey spans diverse industries, including financial services, mining, telecommunications, engineering, retail, insurance, media, healthcare, and research and development. Having worked across various countries and immersed herself in different cultures, she has honed invaluable life skills and interpersonal acumen. As a dedicated advisory board member for the Women In Technology SA Chapter, Wilma actively contributes to the growth and empowerment of young women in South Africa.”
Wilma’s entrepreneurial expertise became evident as she founded and co-owned two thriving IT consulting firms. Her relentless passion for all things digital propels her to constantly seek out and engage with new technological frontiers.”
Outside of her professional achievements, Wilma channels her passion into creating impactful forums. These spaces empower individuals to step into leadership roles, enhance their skills, offer mentorship, and engage in round table discussions. Through these connections, women find common ground based on shared experiences, interests, and aspirations.”