In this episode, Duncan McLeod interviews Absa Group CIO Wilhelm Krige about the mammoth project, now mostly completed, of separating the banking giant’s IT systems from former parent Barclays.
The total cost of the separation amounted to R17.5-billion, with Barclays paying R12.6-billion to help fund it. Much of this spend went to the IT project involved in separating the systems of the two banking giants, with a significant amount also earmarked to marketing costs associated with the rebranding to Absa.
In the podcast, Krige talks about the scope of the IT separation, the complexity involved, how the group got it right with only a few hiccups along the way, and how it has positioned Absa for future innovation and growth.
He covers the milestones achieved during the project and what he’d do differently with the benefit of hindsight.
He also talks about the involvement of regulators in the project and why they had to be kept regularly updated on the progress.
Lastly, Krige explains the impact of the Covid-19 lockdown, both on this project and on the bank more broadly.
It’s fascinating discussion about one of South Africa’s biggest-ever IT projects with one of the country’s leading CIOs. Don’t miss it!
Watch the video
Listen to the audio
How to subscribe to TechCentral’s podcasts
There are many ways to enjoy TechCentral’s podcasts, beyond simply streaming them from the website or watching them on YouTube. The best way is by subscribing to them using an app on your phone, allowing you to listen in the car (via Bluetooth), at the gym or wherever you happen to be. Use the links below to subscribe.
iTunes
Pocket Casts
Spotify
Stitcher
iono.fm
RSS
iTunes
Pocket Casts
Spotify
Stitcher
iono.fm
RSS
iTunes
Pocket Casts
Spotify
Stitcher
iono.fm
RSS
TechCentral podcasts are governed by a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0) licence. This means you may copy and redistribute the material unmodified, but you must provide the appropriate credit to TechCentral, with a link to this page. — (c) 2020 NewsCentral Media