A place where CIOs come together.
In 2009, Microsoft put forward the idea of getting a group of CIOs together on a regular basis to discuss matters of relevance to their sector. Today, between 100 and 150 of SA's leading CIOs come together on a quarterly basis at Summer Place in Johannesburg to do just that at the CIO Council.
The CIO Council of South Africa is an independent body of professionals. The council and the topics it tackles are decided by the members.
The 2014 board of the CIO Council of South Africa comprises Len de Villiers (Telkom), Louise van der Bank (Afrisam), Carol Thomas (Avbob), Johan Bosch (Microsoft), Piet Janse van Vuuren (The Thinking Cap) and Ulrike Weitz (Microsoft).
The CIO Council of South Africa Board
The Board is made up of eight people from a wide assortment of industries. It meets quarterly to discuss topics and themes for council meetings. They identify experts in the industry and decide who they will partner with to present the most value to the high-level CIOs who attend these events.
Len de Villiers,
CIO of the Telkom Group, is the chairman of the CIO Council of South Africa.
His contribution to the council
De Villiers has 25 years of group CIO experience across the largest organisations and IT functions in South Africa.
His role
To offer South African CIOs advice and guidance on key CIO challenges that they face and experience.
To provide guidance on IT strategy formulation and structure.
To provide guidance and advice on board and corporate governance on IT-related strategic matters such as King III.
Louise van der Bank,
CIO of AfriSam, is a board member.
Her contribution to the council
Van der Bank is an experienced, competent and knowledgeable IT executive with 27 years' experience in information management, including developing and executing IT strategies in alignment with corporate objectives across a number of industry sectors.
Her role
To share experiences as a leader and business partner, with regards to collaboration with other executives.
To provide advice and guidance on key CIO challenges they face and experience.
To share experience and provide advice on how to use technology to transform and simplify business processes while delivering bottom line measurable benefits.
To act as a mentor for upcoming and aspiring CIOs.
Carol Thomas,
CIO and corporate strategist at Avbob Group, is a board member.
Her contribution to the council
Thomas has over nine years of CIO experience in financial services industries, both private and public sector, and in excess of 20 years of managerial experience in business across a spectrum of industries.
Her role
To provide advice and guidance on key CIO challenges faced.
To share experiences and provide support.
To offer advice on strategy formulation (not only IT strategy), structure, and in particular alignment of strategies.
To provide guidance and advice on board and corporate governance on IT-related strategic matters such as King III and IV.
Johan Bosch,
CIO (South Africa; West, East and Central Africa) Microsoft, is a board member.
His contribution to the council
Bosch has in excess of ten years of CIO experience in financial services, healthcare and professional services industries, and more than 20 years of managerial experience in business across a spectrum of industries.
To assist in the research and strategy of the council, working very closely with Microsoft in this regard.
To provide members with executive and business skills development for senior IT staff as well as for assistance with IT business strategy and value creation.
His role
To provide advice and guidance on key CIO challenges they face and experience.
To share experiences and provide support.
To give advice on strategy formulation (not only IT strategy), structure, and in particular alignment of strategies.
As a change agent in business.
Prof Pete Janse van Vuuren,
CEO of The Thinking Cap, is the co-founder and co-owner of the CIO Council of South Africa.
His role
To assist in the research and strategy of the council, working very closely with Microsoft in this regard.
To provide members with executive and business skills development for senior IT staff as well as for assistance with IT business strategy and value creation.
Ulrike Weitz,
Enterprise Marketing Lead for Microsoft South Africa, is one of the founding members of the CIO Council of South Africa.
Her contribution to the council
Weitz was involved in founding the CIO Council of South Africa back in 2009, when Microsoft first suggested the idea of getting a group of CIOs together to create a platform for the discussion of CIO challenges and the sharing of best practices to address some of these challenges. As a result, she has a clear understanding of the day-to-day challenges that CIOs face.
Her role
Weitz runs the operations around the council, from setting up meetings with the board members at which they discuss future events, to facilitating community communications via the council's social media platform.
The council runs four events per year, and Weitz oversees the logistics around these gatherings and sees to it that only CIOs attend them. The events provide a closed community for CIOs only to address their challenges, although they can invite colleagues when the topic under discussion permits. Including CMOs and CFOs at these events helps CIOs in bridging the gap between business and IT. Weitz also sources the relevant speakers to ensure our topics are covered by experts from the industry.
Switchboard: +27 11 361 9000
Email: uweitz@microsoft.com
