To be a successful CIO and contribute to business strategy, you must sit on the exco, says Joshua Motsuenyane.

Joshua Motsuenyane was raised largely by his grandparents, farmers in what was then the ‘independent homeland’ of Bophutatswana. Deeply religious and community-oriented, it seems this couple provided their bright grandson with the right stuff for him to go on to become CIO of Africa’s largest bottler, Coca-Cola Beverages Africa (CCBA).

One of the characteristics of this rural childhood was the absence of technology – this is no story of a technology-struck boy making good. Rather, it was the ideal incubator for a man who understands how the world works, and how to get things done. A big influence was his grandfather, with whom Motsuenyane spent a lot of time as a boy.