There is much more to being a chief information officer than being an advocate of the latest technology. In fact, articulating a vision, and architecting it, is critical.
That’s according to Shabhana Thaver, CIO at Investec Specialist Bank, who is the guest in the hot seat in episode 2 of TechCentral’s new interview series, Meet the CIO, which is presented by Wipro.
Meet the CIO is presented by Wipro
According to Thaver, technology is changing banking and many other industries in fundamental ways, and CIOs need to play a big role in providing an holistic view to the rest of the C-suite of what those changes mean for their company and for their industry.
“You have to be a risk officer, you have to be a compliance officer, you have to be a CIO, you have to understand the commercials and the revenue side of things… I’m a technologist, I love the fancy new stuff and dabbling and playing with it, but being in in a bank, which is systemic, you have to consider the impact of what you are doing, not just the change and the benefit.”
In the interview, Thaver discusses:
- Her career background in software development, and what led her to Johannesburg from Durban, her hometown, and then to Investec;
- Her career at Investec, leading to her appointment as CIO;
- The role of the CIO in a modern bank like Investec, and how the role of an IT leader differs in a bank compared to other industries;
- What makes a good CIO – and the role the CIO should play in helping establish organisational strategy;
- The big IT projects she is leading at Investec and the impact these will have on the bank;
- Investec’s technology stack and how it compares to other banks in South Africa;
- The likely impact of artificial intelligence – including generative AI – on Investec and its clients, including a look at how the bank is approaching AI;
- How AI will impact the banking industry – as well as what it means for productivity and jobs; and
- How else technology is changing the banking industry.
Don’t miss a fascinating interview.
Listen to this episode of Meet the CIO
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