Q & A: DISCOVERY BANK
With technology continuously evolving, how do you balance staying ahead of tech trends with building trust among clients and aligning to regulatory standards? In leading delivery and prioritisation of projects, balancing innovation, trust, and regulation is central to my role. Innovation is not just about introducing new technology – it is about solving real problems, creating meaningful value, and improving people’ s lives in a responsible way. In banking, that responsibility is even greater because clients trust us with their money, data, and financial wellbeing.
Before we implement any new technology or digital capability, I come back to three questions. Does this improve the client experience? Can we deliver this in a way that protects trust and meets our regulatory obligations? And does this align with our purpose to enhance and protect people’ s lives?
The balance isn’ t innovation versus regulation. It’ s innovation with trust, compliance, and purpose built in from the start.
AI is often noted to enhance operational efficiency, but what other opportunities does it provide Discovery Bank? For us, AI isn’ t just about efficiency. It’ s about growth, client value, and personalisation. Because we were built as a digital and behavioural bank, data and shared value are already part of our foundation. AI helps us understand clients, anticipate needs, and engage with the right solution at the right time.
A good example is our AI tool for call centre agents. It recommends the next best action, giving agents context for more meaningful conversations. It shows how AI can enhance the human experience rather than replace it.
We’ re also using generative AI to make client self-service simpler and more natural. Clients can ask questions about their banking and get immediate support. Over time, AI will also handle certain actions, like payments, while keeping clients informed, protected, and in control.
The real power of AI is in amplifying human connection. It removes friction, simplifies routine tasks, and equips our people to show up with empathy and judgement where it matters most.
As a leading woman in the IT industry, what were some of the key challenges you faced on your career journey? One of the biggest challenges has been learning to trust my own voice and become comfortable with the fact that my value does not come from fitting a traditional mould.
At some point in my career, I felt that to be credible in technology, I had to be a certain type of IT leader. Over time, I realised that my strength is not in being a technocrat. My strength is in translating technology into business value, helping people understand how technology enables strategy, improves client experience, and creates real impact.
My career has also been broad, with exposure to technology, business, people, change management, and strategy. At first, that can feel like a mix of things that do not fit neatly together. But I have come to see that as my superpower. It allows me to connect the dots between technology, people, execution, and business outcomes.
Discovery has allowed me to grow into that and lead in my own way. The biggest lesson has been to step into my uniqueness and trust that it makes a difference.
The biggest lesson has been to step into my uniqueness and trust that it makes a difference."
To what do you credit your success, and what keeps you motivated? I credit my success to a few defining moments. First was choosing Information Systems over Accounting early on in my career. I was fascinated by the role technology would play in business and society. One of my first IT projects was building a system for a video store, similar to Blockbuster. Ironically, that business model was later disrupted by technology and replaced by streaming platforms like Netflix. That showed me early on that technology can change industries and the way people live.
The second moment was when my career moved outside IT into the people and HR space. At the time, I felt
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