Intelligent CIO Africa Issue 11 | Page 74

A DAY IN THE LIFE GET TO KNOW . . . On the lighter side of things, we ask the industry experts what makes them tick . . . Tomisin Fashina CIO, Ecobank Group Ecobank Group has a larger African footprint than any other bank in the world. Here we get a chance to get to know the company’s CIO, Tomisin Fashina. What would you describe as your most memorable achievement? I do not have a most memorable achievement professionally, as I have had a string of achievements in my professional life. I believe that, anything worth doing is worth doing well, so I always give my best. I measure success at every point in my career, and so far I am very satisfied. What first made you think of a career in technology? I will say childhood fascination with devices and early days Commodore 64k. I wanted to know more about devices and wanted to study electronical engineering, but was offered admission to study computer engineering as a newly introduced field way back in 1984 in my university. I was 3rd set, and it has been technology since then. What style of management philosophy do you employ in your current position? I believe that I am a transformational leader as I believe in a collaborative and co-creating environment, that enables the definition of a vision and motivates and inspires the members to execute and achieve that vision. 74 INTELLIGENTCIO What do you think is the current technology trend of 2017 and why? In my opinion, the most interesting technology trend today is the evolution of artificial intelligence and robotics. Both have come a long way from just being in our imaginations to actually becoming a reality and now being used to solve everyday problems. The rate of development of AI has progressed quickly in the last few years; a good example of this development is the humanoid robot, Sophia, who was a guest at the recent United Nations meeting. The possibilities and the promises of AI and robotics are almost endless! How do you deal with stress and unwind outside of the office? I exercise regularly. I have a family which I love very much and like to spend as much time as I can with them. I am also a pastor and spend my leisure reading the bible. If you could go back and change one career decision, what would it be? No change, no knowledge lost! n www.intelligentcio.com