GET TO KNOW...
On the lighter side of things, we ask the
industry experts what makes them tick. . . .
Gys Kappers,
CEO of Wyzetalk
What would you describe as your
most memorable achievement?
Landing the AngloGold Ashanti (AGA)
account early on, having us build the
product and get a business like AGA to use
it in a life changing way. To have it continue
with us all this time, is one of the most
memorable moments.
What first made you think of a
career in technology?
I’ve always been fascinated with the role
technology plays in enabling businesses.
I started a tech business at the age of
20 called Tradesuite, which allowed
organisations (dial up) to manage their
online/offline order system before the
Internet was ubiquitous and companies used
to connect using dial up connections.
After that I went in to our family business
in concrete masonry, which I grew to a 19
factory national operation. We automated
through PLCs, integrated manufacturing
output of each factory into a central place so
we could manage the raw material input and
factory output through a single dashboard.
Then during my eMBA at UCT, I became
fascinated with systems thinking and social
business. I was fortunate to meet a group
of people that were looking at developing a
social business solution at the time and I was
in a position to invest and work on bringing
this innovation to Africa.
www.intelligentcio.com
“
I GIVE PEOPLE
SPACE TO GROW
AND LEARN, AND
COME UP WITH
SOLUTIONS
WITHOUT
IMPOSING
A SPECIFIC
DIRECTION.
How do you deal with stress and
unwind outside the office?
Sport, family time and reading.
If you could go back and change one
career decision what would it be?
In my early 20s, I became a dive master and
I was invited to work in the Grand Caymans,
but I never took up this opportunity.
What style of management
philosophy do you employ with your
current position?
I believe in giving my team autonomy. I
don’t believe in a hierarchical structure, I
give people space to grow
and learn, and come up with
solutions without imposing a
specific direction.
What do you think is the
current hot technology
talking point?
Chatbots and artificial
intelligence.
INTELLIGENTCIO
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