Absa Group CIO Wilhelm Krige on the big Barclays de-merger

Loading player...
In this episode, Duncan McLeod interviews Absa Group CIO Wilhelm Krige about the mammoth project, now mostly completed, of separating the banking giant's IT systems from former parent Barclays.
The total cost of the separation amounted to R17.5-billion, with Barclays paying R12.6-billion to help fund it. Much of this spend went to the IT project involved in separating the systems of the two banking giants, with a significant amount also earmarked to marketing costs associated with the rebranding to Absa.
In the podcast, Krige talks about the scope of the IT separation, the complexity involved, how the group got it right with only a few hiccups along the way, and how it has positioned Absa for future innovation and growth.
He covers the milestones achieved during the project and what he'd do differently with the benefit of hindsight. He also talks about the involvement of regulators in the project and why they had to be kept regularly updated on the progress.
Lastly, Krige explains the impact of the Covid-19 lockdown, both on this project and on the bank more broadly.
It's fascinating discussion about one of South Africa's biggest-ever IT projects with one of the country's leading CIOs. Don't miss it!
10 Sep 2020 English South Africa Technology · Business

Other recent episodes

TCS+ | Kinetic Skunk: fintechs risk cloud bill shock without proper planning

Fintechs choose cloud technologies in the hopes that the efficiency and scalability of cloud computing will give them a competitive advantage. But cloud adoption is no silver bullet. If done incorrectly, a migration to the cloud can cause costs to balloon instead of decreasing them, leading to frustration and even…
21 Aug 37 min

TCS | Alan Knott-Craig unveils Fibertime’s big bet on township fibre

Alan Knott-Craig’s new fibre internet business has been flying below the radar for some time now, but the serial telecommunications entrepreneur has finally unpacked his plans for the business. Speaking to the TechCentral Show this week, Knott-Craig – who has led a range of well-known tech businesses, including Mxit, World…
15 Aug 22 min

TCS | Pick n Pay’s Enrico Ferigolli on building asap! and taking on Shoprite

Although Shoprite Group stole a march on many of South Africa’s retailers in on-demand online grocery delivery during the Covid-19 lockdowns, Pick n Pay has a clear plan to make up lost ground and compete aggressively for market share. Enrico Ferigolli, who co-founded the liquor delivery app Bottles – which…
14 Aug 49 min

TCS+ | Cassava’s Adil El Youssefi on data centre growth in Africa

In this episode of TCS+, Adil El Youssefi, newly appointed CEO of the colocation business at Cassava Technologies and CEO of Africa Data Centres, chats about the challenges and opportunities in sub-Saharan Africa. El Youssefi delves into: • His background prior to being appointed into the role and how it…
13 Aug 30 min

Watts & Wheels Ep 3: 'We drive the new Dongfeng Box'

The Dongfeng Box electric city runabout has landed in South Africa, and Watts & Wheels has taken the vehicle – one of the cheapest electric cars currently on sale in the country – for a test drive. One of China’s biggest and oldest motoring manufacturers, the state-owned Dongfeng Motor Corporation…
11 Aug 46 min