Local ICT industry body elects second female chairperson Andrea Campbell in its 88-year history

Andrea Campbell.

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The Information Technology Association (ITA), South Africa’s official trade and employer body of the Information Technology Industry, held its Elective Board Meeting of Directors/Chairman and Vice-Chairpersons on Thursday, 1 September 2022.

The ITA Board elected Andrea Campbell as chairperson and Eric Thebe as well as Roger Latchman as vice-chairpersons. Campbell is the second chairperson who is female in the organisation’s 88-year history. The above team will be responsible to exercise supervision over the affairs of the association and perform other such duties pertaining to the office.

The ITA will continue to work in close liaison with the government, consumers and other specialist organisations to ensure it delivered value and guidance to its members as we recognise that SME entrepreneurial development and economic development within the ICT sector.

The association, which represents more than 200 companies concerned with the supply of IT equipment, systems, software and services, said this sector was core to ensure the country has a thriving digital economy built on access and expansion.

Campbell said they will drive digital innovation, skills development and capacity building for the country by partnering with the government and the private sector. “Transforming the country’s economy to become more inclusive and to stimulate sustainable growth requires, among a variety of things, the development of black-owned enterprises. This is particularly crucial to creating a dynamic environment, as small businesses are engines of job creation and a driving force for economic growth,” Campbell said.

She added that the ITA also had a longstanding commitment to human resource development within the industry and, through its close association with the MICT SETA, it promotes the maintenance of high standards of IT industry technical skills in accordance with international trends.

The ITA is currently busy with the final stages of a bid proposal to host World Information and Communications Technologies (WICT) Congress 2023. If ITA is successful in bringing this prestigious event to South Africa, it will be the first in Africa and will additionally become a key initiative that the new team will drive.

About the recently appointed leadership

Campbell is currently the commercial attorney for Microsoft Corporate, External and Legal Affairs, within the Middle East and Africa Team supporting South Africa and providing legal support to strategic and key deals within MEA. She also served as the Finance Director and Spokesperson of the Information Technology Association of South Africa (official industry body of the ICT sector in SA) and the Treasurer of the SA Women in ICT Forum (SAWIICT Forum). Campbell has more than 15 years’ experience in corporate law, financial services, investment banking and the telecommunications industry, which she has gained working and consulting for top tier banks and financial service institutions and ICT companies. 

Thebe is the current SI sustainability lead for HP South Africa and a Public Sector Strategist for HP South Africa. He was a board member, ITA Director and ITA Chairperson for Skills Development. Thebe has over 16 years of experience working in ICT, both public and private, as an ICT consultant, security specialist, managed services and managed print services expert, with extensive international experience in cyber security, soft skills, sustainability, leadership, entrepreneurship and community empowerment. He transforms a concept into reality through sound strategy development. He is an inspiring leader who shares stories that motivate action while still being anchored in financial data that drives the organisation. He also admires Nelson Mandela’s words: “Education is the most effective weapon you can use to change the world.”

Thebe offers to share his expertise with forthcoming leaders from all walks of life while working with strategic entrepreneurship incubators to develop future business leaders. He is committed to activating and developing a comprehensive solution to bridge the digital divide that inhibits many people from accessing education and driving digital inclusion to transform communities.

Latchman has been appointed by the Government of Georgia as the Honorary Consul General for Johannesburg. He has earned the designation of Chartered Director (CD SA), as conferred by the Institute of Directors of South Africa, and is an internationally Certified Compliance and Ethics Professional (CCEP-I), conferred by the Society for Corporate Compliance and Ethics (SCCE). To strengthen his international business knowledge, he completed the Global Executive Development Programme (GEDP) at the Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS). He holds a Master of Laws degree in International Commercial Law from the University of Salford, Manchester, UK. He has also attended the Applied Directorship Programme at Sirdar.

He is an active member of the Bretton Woods Committee, a committee that champions global efforts to spur economic growth, alleviate poverty and improve financial stability. He serves on the board of the French-South African Chamber of Commerce and Industry and on the South African-Saudi Arabia Business Council. He is a member of the Institute of Directors of South Africa and of India, and the South Africa-Georgia Chamber of Commerce, the Progressive Business Forum and the Durban Chamber of Commerce.

Latchman previously served as the Deputy-Chairman of the World Information Technology Services Alliance (WITSA), an organisation formed to promote the interests of the global ICT industry. He had been on the board for seven years until 2016, serving in several offices. Latchman has extensive experience in corporate governance, compliance and finance. He holds the position of Executive Chairman for Maruti Global, with subsidiaries including VeriFi BEE Compliance (est. 2006), Compliance Intelligence, Probitas Forensics, and International Corporate Training Limited – a company registered in the UK, Mauritius, Bangladesh and in his home country, South Africa.

Campbell also extended her gratitude to the outgoing Chairman, Thabo Mofokeng, for his leadership, impact and the support given to the ITA during his tenure. She also wished him well with his future endeavours.