Dr Philile Mkhize Chief Operations Officer - Technology, Absa.

Thinking out of the box and innovating in non-traditional ways is Absa’s Chief Operations Officer – Technology, Dr Philile Mkhize. From her beginning as a mobile solutions manager, she has risen through the ranks, primarily in the financial services sector to her current position and has recently also been appointed board chair for Absa’s Prague, Czech Republic, offices.

In her words, she attributes becoming a leader in the technology field by being fully present in the moment – both in her work and personal life. She does this through having trusted and reliable support at home and the same with her team at work and through such qualities as being brave, relatable and constantly studying to be relevant in terms of the rapidly changing world of technology.

“Having good support structures enables me to be the best I can be,” says Dr Mkhize. “I believe this has also been a contributor to the accolade of being appointed board chair in Prague.”

While passionate about innovation and technology, Dr Mkhize is also passionate about mentorship and has personally mentored over 80 leaders in various walks of life – and counting. “My 20-plus year journey has been one that has been community-based.

I’ve been surrounded by a village of mentors, sponsors, coaches, family and friends, who have provided support throughout my career and with whom I still have a relationship. I believe one cannot have one mentor or one coach, but budding professionals should build a panel of mentors and sponsors and put in the effort to get the best from these relationships and maintain their longevity.

“Young professionals today need to be brave, prepared to fail forward and fail fast, develop leadership skills, raise their hands to be heard and be on top of trends so that their opinions and views are trusted.

“Agility, nimbleness and lateral thinking is where the value is today, always keeping in mind that technology is one area, and people the other. I firmly believe in allowing experimentation because that can reveal opportunities and new revenue streams. It was stretching out of traditional thinking that led me to be a co-founder of a company that helps citizens with no credit record to get credit – and it operates in a nontraditional way.”

Dr Mkhize says she has seen increasing intentional change when it comes to attracting women, with organisations having proactive diversity agendas. The challenge is keeping women in the technology industry as women may decide to start a family and choose other, less stressful careers that don’t require the long hours technology demands. She advises organisations to have robust retention strategies in place and to constantly question their standards and policies.

Looking to the future, she says her focus is around AI from a productivity viewpoint across various areas of the business, and not just from a technology perspective. “Everyone has a role to play to be able to explore and apply the benefits of AI.”

What gets Dr Mkhize up in the morning goes back to her motivation to grow every day into the best version of herself.

“I want to leave a positive legacy, including in all my relationships. I derive enormous rewards, even if I make an impact on only one person that day, or share my story to inspire others. All things are possible, despite challenges,” she concludes.

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