Ozayr Omar, Pareto

You don’t need AI to tell you that it’s a bad idea to place jewellery stores near the entrance of a shopping mall. Even the dumbest robber knows that makes their target so much easier.

But AI is changing the way shopping centres are designed and operate in several less obvious ways, as the real estate business finally catches up with technology. And Ozayr Omar is having a wonderful time as the CIO at Pareto, introducing IT to the company that owns seven of the country’s largest shopping malls, including Menlyn Park in Pretoria, Sandton City, and Tyger Valley in Bellville.