Johannesburg:– International Data Corporation is delighted to announce that Stella Ndabeni-Abrahams, South Africa's Minister of Communications and Digital Technologies, will present the keynote speech at the upcoming virtual edition of the IDC South Africa CIO Summit 2021. Taking place on Thursday, May 20 under the theme 'Innovative Digital Strategies: Evolving to the Demands of a New Reality', the event will bring together senior business leaders, influential IT heads, and respected industry analysts to share their collective expertise on how best to meet the unique challenges of these unprecedented times.

"As we sit on the cusp of the Fourth Industrial Revolution, it is imperative that countries across Africa work to enhance their capacity for digital transformation," says Ndabeni-Abrahams. "The emergence of a New Normal in the wake of the pandemic presents a unique opportunity to develop regional and national policies that enhance cooperation across the African continent and accelerate transformation through the delivery of digital services and solutions that address local challenges."

Hosted on IDC's fully immersive virtual platform, the IDC South Africa CIO Summit 2021  will provide unrivaled insights into the very latest technological innovations, combining presentations, panel discussions, real-life use cases, and individual technology tracks to help prepare delegates for the task of transforming their organizations into future enterprises.

"The enablement of a 'Future Enterprise' must be the end goal for any business looking to rapidly adapt and respond to any further business disruptions that lie in wait," says Mark Walker, IDC's associate vice president for Sub-Saharan Africa. "At IDC, our vision of the future enterprise is an organization that leverages technology to underpin every single process, initiative, and value chain. To reach this state, organizations must prioritize the creation of dynamic work models, innovative services, and pervasive experiences."

IDC's chief research officer, Meredith Whalen, will expand on these priorities as she delivers a special session titled 'The Future Enterprise: Developing Digital Resiliency'. Meanwhile, IDC's CIO Advisory Council for South Africa will also feature prominently during the event, sharing their first-hand experiences of how best to meet the challenges of today's ongoing digital disruption. The council is an independent industry body tasked with spurring collaboration, incubating innovation, and accelerating the proliferation of new technology trends across the region, and its esteemed members for 2021 include:

  • Louise van der Bank, CIO, AfriSam
  • Reinette Fourie, Executive Manager of Information Technology, Medihelp
  • Luyanda Ntuane, CIO, MOTUS Car Rental Division
  • Reinhardt Gerber, Head of IT, Sea Harvest Corporation
  • Basil Manos, Group CIO, Cullinan Holdings
  • Frans Cronje, Group CIO, Adcock Ingram

F or the very first time, this year's IDC South Africa CIO Summit 2021 will also incorporate a dedicated CIO Masterclass Arena  that attendees can access throughout the course of the event. This section of the virtual platform will host technology-based sessions on cloud, security, and digital transformation strategies, as well as vertical-focused sessions for industries such as oil and gas, healthcare, banking, and government, with exclusive insights from international and regional industry pioneers such as:  

  • Tim Youngblood, Corporate VP & Global CISO, Global Technology Risk Management, McDonald's Corporation (USA)
  • Mike Towers, CISO, Takeda Pharmaceuticals International (USA)
  • Chris Clark, Senior VP & CIO, Levi Strauss & Co. (USA)
  • Bharathi Viswanathan, Chief Information & Digital Officer, Coca-Cola APAC (Singapore)
  • Sreeram Iyer, COO, ANZ Banking Group (Singapore)
  • William Braun, CIO, Chevron Corporation (USA)
  • Vipin Gupta, CIO, Toyota Financial Services (USA)
  • Nick Burton, Chief Information & Digital Officer, Avon International (UK)
  • Samresh Ramjith, Deputy CISO, ABSA Bank (South Africa)
  • Louise van der Bank, CIO, AfriSam (South Africa)
  • May Govender, CIO, Cards & Payment, Standard Bank (South Africa)
  • Yosheen Padayachee, CIO Africa, Momentum Metropolitan Holdings (South Africa)
  • Itumeleng Makgati, CISO, Standard Bank (South Africa)
  • Warren Hero, CIO, Webber Wentzel (South Africa)
  • Kayihan Altninoz, Senior VP of IT, Ministry of Interior (Turkey)
  • Saqib Chaudhry, Head of Digital Innovation & Development, Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi (UAE)
  • Rasha M Abu AlSaud, EVP & CISO, a Leading Bank in Saudi Arabia (KSA)
  • Ahmed Al-Lawati, Head of Information Security, Ooredoo (Oman)
  • Ghinwa Baradhi, CIO, MENAT, HSBC (UAE)
  • Sanjay Khanna, CIO, RAKBANK (UAE)
  • Taif Muhsin, VP, Integrated Operations, Innovation & Future Technologies, Expo 2020 (UAE)
  • Dr. Jihad Mohaidat, VP, Education Technologies, Higher Colleges of Technology (UAE)

IDC is excited to have a wide range of partners on board for the IDC South Africa CIO Summit 2021, including: Summit Partners: Workday, Huawei, Avaya, Nutanix, and UiPath; Platinum Partners: VMware, HCL, Riverbed, Fortinet, iOCO, Splunk, CoCre8, GlassHouse, and FireEye; Technology Focus Group Partners: Darktrace, ManageEngine/ITR Technology, Cloudflare, Aruba, and Clickatell; and Exhibit Partners: Oracle and Tata Communications.

To learn more about the IDC South Africa CIO Summit 2021 , please contact Sheila Manek at smanek@idc.com or on +971 4 446 3154. You can also join the conversation on Twitter using the hashtag #IDCSACIO.

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About IDC
International Data Corporation (IDC) is the premier global provider of market intelligence, advisory services, and events for the information technology, telecommunications, and consumer technology markets. With more than 1,100 analysts worldwide, IDC offers global, regional, and local expertise on technology and industry opportunities and trends in over 110 countries. IDC's analysis and insight helps IT professionals, business executives, and the investment community to make fact-based technology decisions and to achieve their key business objectives. Founded in 1964, IDC is a subsidiary of  IDG, the world's leading technology media, research, and events company. To learn more about IDC, please visit www.idc.com  . Follow IDC on Twitter at @IDC. 

IDC in the Middle East, Turkey, and Africa
For the Middle East, Turkey, and Africa region, IDC retains a coordinated network of offices in Riyadh, Nairobi, Lagos, Johannesburg, Cairo, and Istanbul, with a regional center in Dubai. Our coverage couples local insight with an international perspective to provide a comprehensive understanding of markets in these dynamic regions. Our market intelligence services are unparalleled in depth, consistency, scope, and accuracy. IDC MEA currently fields over 130 analysts, consultants, and conference associates across the region. To learn more about IDC MEA, please visit  www.idc.com/mea . You can follow IDC MEA on Twitter at @IDCMEA.

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