The second Digital Transformation Congress kicked off on Tuesday, 30 July 2019 at the Sandton Convention Centre with an opening address by Nomantu Nkomo-Ralekholo, the MEC of Gauteng Provincial Treasury and e-Government.
#DTC2019 brought together senior executives from various organisation who outlined ways in which businesses can stay ahead and keep abreast of this ever-changing phenomenon. The event also hosted a diverse audience of industry experts and business technology leaders, as well as top IT solution providers.
Mduduzi Eric Zakwe, CEO MICT SETA unpacked how accelerating digital transformation in government can enhance service delivery. He highlighted how digital transformation is changing the face of government to enhance service delivery. Zakwe said for businesses to mitigate cyber risks “digital transformation must equate to security transformation.”
International speaker, Russel Warman, Head of Infrastructure and operations at Auto Trader UK delivered a keynote address. Warman shared how Auto Trader transformed its business to being the 16th largest internet website in the UK.
He said, “Digital transformation is a massive subject and requires more attention. “Whether you want to move from bricks and mortar business to building an online presence, you can use technology to transform your business operations or whether you just want to stay ahead of the competition and avoid being disrupted.”
Speaking about the company’s digital journey, Warman said, “In terms of digital transformation we are two years ahead of the people who actually started their business before us. Changing the culture of the organisation was where we saw the most success. We realized that transformation is what made a massive difference to our organisation.”
“We created a culture that is digital and is fostering innovation, experimenting with new ideas and solutions. Our thinking is all based on having a values-driven culture and using data to make decisions” he continued.
Warman outlined some of the key requirements for successful digital transformation. He stated that businesses need a clear vision, commitment at all levels in order to yield good results. “Digital transformation requires a review of how your business operates, you need to be bold and just because it works for you now, doesn’t mean it will be relevant in the future,” said Warman.
He stated the right culture and trained stuff are important when digitally transforming and emphasised that a clear purpose and inclusive culture is key.
Other speakers at the event include SA Country Manager of Tymlez, Marcus Mudd who spoke about the value of blockchain in the enterprise while Ali Shabdar, business development director MEA at Zoho Corporation looked at what needs to be done before businesses jump into digital transformation projects and how they can build a strong foundation for change.
Michal Kaufmann, product lead for customer engagement and AI at LogMeIn delved into the human element of digital transformation. Under the topic, “bringing humanity back into the customer experience, Kaufmann shared best practices to digital engagement in order to deliver customer and employee experience. Head of communication products partnerships, MEA at Google, Johanna Kollar looked at the new era of mobile messaging and how businesses are using technology to reach their customers.
The event featured tracks where companies presented in-depth case studies about a range of topics with panel discussions on topics such as the role of the CIO in enabling effective digital transformation as well as how becoming a transformational business leader can ensure a smooth transition to digital.
By Fundisiwe Maseko
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