Teddy Daka, CEO of Etion, has been involved in technology-related businesses since 2000.
"I believe in enhancing humanity through technology. This is very important to me. I think when people have the ability to create jobs and don't, we have a problem."
He says South Africa and Africa as a whole face some tough challenges.
"Looking at the statistics, people lack secondary education, unemployment is rife, many don't go to school, and the World Economic Forum predicts that around 42% of jobs will be displaced because of automation. Our future skills will be different, and we need to think differently about how we can get those people into employment."
For the past five years, all the new technology that Etion has developed is aimed at bringing semi-skilled people into the formal economy.
Daka is passionate about Africa and its people, believing firmly in the continent's economic possibilities and development. Upon joining Etion (then Ansys) in 2012, he had two objectives. Firstly, to turn the business around from one that was doing poorly into a profitable one, and secondly, to transform it from its engineering heritage to a true digital technology entity that is ready to drive the 4th industrial revolution on the continent and around the world.
Etion, he says, is a company that views limitations as opportunities, and is repositioning the business along four broad capabilities: safety and productivity, digital network connectivity, cyber security, and original design manufacturing.
He says every employee is a free person, and no one has a monopoly on ideas. "We are a company of ideas, we are innovators, and we need to have an environment where everyone can express and share ideas. Culture beats strategy every time."
The winner and the finalists
Daka was named the IT Personality of the Year 2018 at the Institute of Information Technology Professionals South Africa (IITPSA) President's Awards, held on 27 November in Sandton.
He faced tough competitiion from five other finalists:
Brett St Clair: A non-traditional approach to technology
Charmaine Houvet: Harmonising and uplifting
James Grcic: Inspire, innovate, improve
Nico Steyn: A beautiful journey
Quintus Moolman: The art of the possible
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