An accomplished, high energy IT Executive, business strategist and sales leader with 30 years’ experience providing bespoke business solutions to companies; The last 10 years have been focused on backup solutions. Outside of work, enjoying all things family and sport

Faye Murray is Field Chief Data Officer (EMEA) at Dataiku and a strategic leader in data and AI, with over 15 years of experience driving transformation across organisations from start-ups to $1B+ enterprises.

She specialises in helping organisations move from AI ambition to execution, delivering measurable outcomes including seven-figure cost savings and significant ROI on AI investments. Faye is known for bridging the gap between business and technology, advising C-suite leaders on AI strategy, governance, and scaling data-driven innovation in complex, regulated environments.

A regular keynote speaker, she shares insights on AI governance, digital transformation, and ethical innovation.

Faye holds degrees in Natural Sciences from the University of Cambridge and an Executive MBA with Distinction from Warwick Business School.

Yesh Surjoodeen is the Southern and Central Africa Managing Director, within HP Africa. He is currently responsible for leading the end-to-end business for the region, which includes all routes to market, driving profitable growth for HP’s Printing and Personal Systems businesses.

As a well-respected leader (veteran of 27+ years) in the IT community, Yesh joined Compaq in 1999 and his tenure at then later HP afforded him the roles and experiences that ranged from Pre-sales, Category, Retail Sales, Commercial and Enterprise sales (storage, print and services). These roles cemented his strong foundation for his expertise in leadership, sales, customer strategic engagements, business development, marketing, product management, and channel engagement.

In 2018, Yesh took an opportunity to join Microsoft. This role allowed him to further strengthen his expertise in Microsoft’s multi-national vendors, commercial/consumer distributors, partners and retailers that market the range of Server, Office and Windows client operating systems. Returning to HP in 2021, as the regional leader for Southern Africa and then as MD for Southern and Central Africa he is a strong advocate in his belief that respect & credibility are earned, through consistent partnerships and strong ethical collaboration. He has a strong personal association, to making a sustainable difference in the world and promotes technology as an innovative enabler towards making an impact to all.

Johan is a seasoned IT and cybersecurity professional with over two decades of experience in Solution Architecture, Senior Presales, and complex project delivery. He specializes in deciphering intricate security challenges, with a particular focus on simplifying identity and messaging risk management. Throughout his career, Johan has developed deep expertise in cloud technology and email security, complemented by a proven track record in navigating diverse IT environments and infrastructure transitions. Driven by a commitment to technical excellence and customer satisfaction, he is known for fostering collaboration and delivering innovative solutions that exceed expectations.

Stefan is a growth-driven sales executive with a consistent track record of exceeding targets and scaling regional business across EMEA. He specializes in building and leading high-performing, cross-cultural teams that deliver measurable impact in complex, fast-moving markets.   Stefan leads SOTI’s operations across the Middle East, Africa, and Central, Southern, Eastern & South-East Europe – driving revenue growth, market expansion, and long-term customer success.

SOTI is a Canadian software company and global leader in enterprise mobility. With over 2,000 employees, SOTI´s SaaS platform helps organizations securely manage millions of mobile devices and leverage data to optimize their mobile operations.

Previously, Stefan held senior leadership roles in the mobile, SaaS, and digital sectors.

Blake Davidson serves as the chief operating officer of MagicOrange. He has extensive experience working for several global enterprises in the financial services sector. A chartered accountant, he studied in South Africa and completed his articles with one of the country’s big four accounting firms. After gaining valuable experience in Edinburgh and London, he returned to South Africa, bringing his mature skill set to MagicOrange.

29-year veteran of the IT industry in South Africa, with experience across multiple vendor domains, but specifically in infrastructure for a large portion of that time. Currently employed at IBM South Africa as a specialist in the ecosystem (channel), helping partners and customers identify infrastructure optimizations strategies and driving these strategies to fruition. Heavily invested in assisting application modernization and the embracing of 4IR trends, driving towards a more inclusive digital world across enterprises, small businesses and technology mavericks.

Wessel du Toit is Director of Professional Services for the Middle East and Africa at Strategy, where he leads the execution of large-scale data, analytics, and AI transformation programs across the region. He is responsible for driving customer success, ensuring delivery excellence, and enabling organizations to translate data investments into measurable business value.

With a strong background in business intelligence, data architecture, and financial management, Wessel brings a unique blend of technical depth and commercial leadership. He has extensive experience guiding enterprises through complex data modernization journeys—aligning business strategy with scalable, governed data foundations that support advanced analytics and AI.

Wessel is passionate about helping organizations operationalize data and AI at scale, empowering leaders with trusted insights to make faster, more informed decisions in an increasingly data-driven world.

I have a B.Com degree in Economics and Information Systems from NWU and a certified PMI Agile Certified Practitioner. Throughout my career I worked in, and managed, many disciplines in the IT landscape including BI and Application Development, Infrastructure and Operations and Architecture. This experience gained me and in-dept appreciation of the various teams I now lead as Head of IT.

I am the Head of IT of the FNB Cash Investments business unit and involved in various technical skills development initiatives within FirstRand Group with a focus on breaching the critical skills gap.

I enjoy seeing what is possible with technology. One of my latest projects is to set up a local AI Lab and playing around with different models and agents.

A family member started a new company to build a hospital information system. Because it was a startup with few resources, I assisted him with a foundational codebase where I created a bespoke workflow engine with a front-end to configure the steps. This has a robust form builder and rendering engine which can be plugged into the workflow for rich interactions. It also incorporated a dynamic menu system, robust security and rich reporting built into the platform.

Other functional components include ERP functionality with stock management and issuing with inventory control and supplier orders across hospital locations and store rooms within the hospital. Patient file and medical information management catering for levels of security for sensitive information, ability to upload patient documentation into a customisable taxonomy with record retention and disposition rules built-in.

The build-in workflow is used predominantly, but the framework is built to also integrate to Camunda 7 and 8 using a configuration. The framework is now handed over to the new team employed by his company.

During these engagements, I was often one of the primary customer interaction leads, co-designing the UI and UX with the customers. I stepped away from this once the business started growing and could employ their own staff.

I believe that innovation follows at least a foundational knowledge of the domain. So in the sideline projects I like keep close to technological developments to more effectively lead the team.

My current hobby project is building a Kubernetes cluster using GitHub Actions and Argo CD for full CI/CD. This is done for my wife’s yoga studio where I built the app to book classes and receive payments.

C.J. Naidoo’s career began in engineering and evolved into a dynamic role at the intersection of digital innovation, AI, and executive leadership. As Chief Digital and Information Officer, he is passionate about blending strategic thinking, emerging technologies, and people-centric leadership to drive digital evolution. He holds a Master’s in Computer Science from the Georgia Institute of Technology, specialising in Artificial Intelligence, an Honours-level management qualification from GIBS, and a BSc in Electronic Engineering from UKZN. His experience includes transformative roles in financial services, logistics, insurance, and technology, from developing telematics systems for InsureTech to co-founding a data-driven start-up.

Dr Nerina Naik, is deeply passionate about the evolving relationship between technology and people, believing that true leadership is rooted in empathy, collaboration, and respect. Guided by the principle “Treat one as you would want to be treated” and the Zulu proverb “Umuntu ngumuntu ngabantu”, she embodies the conviction that people are the heart of great teams and the driving force behind meaningful progress. Her academic journey reflects an unwavering thirst for knowledge and growth. She holds a BSc in Computer Science, a Masters in Psychology, and an MBA, where her thesis explored support models for global organisations. Most recently, she concluded her doctoral studies at the Swiss School of Business and Management, focusing on “The Technology Singularity: Adapting to New Ways of Work”. Alongside these achievements, she has earned certifications in Cloud, Blockchain, and Service Management, and participated in international executive development programmes across Holland, Kenya, Israel, and South Africa, with leadership training from GIBS University and mentorship through Harvard. Professionally, Nerina’s career spans South Africa, the broader African continent, and internationally. From developer and analyst to CIO, she has built a holistic understanding of technology’s impact on business. Her experience includes systems engineering, client services, operations, application support, and service management. She is SAFE-certified, has led Agile teams, and is passionate about harnessing technology to drive positive disruption in organisations. Her doctoral research underscores her vision of technology as a transformative force that will increasingly shape business models and the future of work. Nerina’s dedication to staying at the forefront of her field is matched by her ambition to use technology as a catalyst for a better present and future, not only for organisations but for society at large. Her journey is a powerful testament to how passion, knowledge, and purpose can converge to create impact.

Theven Naicker is the Head of Information Technology at Scania Southern Africa with over 24 years of experience across enterprise infrastructure, systems, and digital platforms. He has held senior leadership roles shaping IT strategies that enable digital transformation, responsible AI adoption, business resilience, and long-term technology value. His background combines deep technical expertise with executive-level experience, allowing him to bridge engineering, governance, and business stakeholders while building scalable, future-ready digital foundations across complex organisations and evolving industry landscapes within modern enterprises.

Erin currently leads the human capital portfolio for Technology at Absa (formerly Barclays Africa) Group Limited, one of Africa’s largest diversified financial services groups. A seasoned HR Executive, qualified with postgraduate qualifications in both business and psychology, she previously led the talent management agenda for 25 countries across the Africa region for secure solutions and facilities management multinational G4S (Allied Universal).

She is a Master HR Professional with the South African Board of People Practice and a Procsci Certified Change Management Practitioner, well-versed in leveraging organisational design and development to drive strategic change and digital transformation, coupled with a comprehensive understanding of the impact of the HR value chain on business performance in complex multicultural environments. She has a proven track record of developing scalable people solutions in both unionised and non-unionised environments, resulting in cost efficiencies, increased engagement and improved business productivity.

Erin has lived in Africa, the Middle East and North America, developing a broad working experience with diverse cultures in both developed and emerging markets.

I am a goal-orientated ICT professional with over 35 years in strategic ICT Management. I have extensive knowledge in Executive Management and managing Enterprise implementation of Datacentres, Servers, Desktop, and other IT-related systems. Proficient in gathering, analysing, and defining business and functional requirements.

With over 2 decades in IT – spanning across local, regional and global jurisdictions and over 10 years in executive roles. I hold an MBA, alongside strong technical and business qualifications and I have a proven track record of strategically partnering with executive teams to shape and execute technology strategies that drive business growth, resilience, and innovation. I am deeply passionate about unlocking human potential and harnessing technology as a strategic differentiator.

I am an award-winning technology leader and the first Black Mrs. South Africa; blending elegance, innovation, and authenticity to inspire transformation in every space I lead.

With over 19 years of experience across the technology landscape, I’ve successfully led strategic digital transformations, built high-performing teams, and delivered complex programs in fast-paced, high-stakes environments. As Head of Technology: Delivery & Testing, I specialise in architecting agile, resilient, and scalable technology ecosystems that accelerate business growth and ensure excellence in quality assurance and delivery.

As a Tech Futurist, I anticipate trends and unlock next-generation opportunities. As an Innovation Strategist, I turn complexity into clarity through solutions that drive impact. My passion lies at the intersection of strategy, innovation, and execution – guiding organisations to not only evolve but lead in their industries.

I am equally committed to the empowerment of women in technology. As the founder of She Technophile (NGO), I’ve made it my mission to help women rise, lead, and thrive in the digital era with confidence and purpose.

Whether I’m driving digital innovation, mentoring future leaders, or telling transformative stories, I lead with grace, bold strategy, and unwavering intention-believing that technology, innovation, and purpose are powerful allies in shaping a future that works for everyone.