Dr Denisha Jairam-Owthar has had a varied career, but thinks the key to her success is being versed in the balance between details and high-level views. Her first job was as an internal auditor for an insurance company. She then joined the South African Revenue Service, first as a business intelligence analyst and later as a senior auditor, before landing the role of senior manager: Finance, Risk and Performance Management. Her most recent appointment – as Stellenbosch University’s chief director of ICT – shows how central technology has become to her career.

“I was invited to participate in SARS’ e-filing project, and that’s where my passion for technology was born. It was an exciting, fascinating technology project, and I knew I wanted to be involved with technology.”