Aveena Mothilall’s life and career have been shaped by her experiences and the values instilled by her community. Her journey to becoming a Chief Information Officer and now the Group Head of Data is a testament to her diverse career path and extensive experience across various industries and organizational functions.
Aveena’s career highlights include her early days as a management trainee at South African Breweries, her pivotal role in transforming City Power during its establishment, and her various transformative roles at Sasol, where she implemented numerous innovations through technology. Her international experience as a Marketing Manager in Mumbai and her recent role as the Engen Journey Transformation Manager have further enriched her professional journey. The 7 SAP projects she has led have been significant, and the lessons were many. There are defining moments in a project that determine success and at the heart are people.
As a leader investing in oneself and self-care has been crucial to building her resilience and deepening her understanding of her purpose. Aveena is passionate about youth development in the digital age and believes that investing in young talent is crucial for Africa’s future.
In a recent exclusive interview with Digital First Magazine, Aveena shared her professional journey, insights on diversity and inclusion in tech, the secret to her success, her favorite quote, future plans, and words of wisdom. Here are some excerpts from the interview:
Hi Aveena. Can you walk us through your background and what you’re most passionate about in your work?
I am a strategist and thought leader with over 20 years of SAP experience, fulfilling various leadership roles to enable business transformations. I am passionate about technology as a catalyst for change, building resilient, insight-driven organizations. I truly love what I do, and believe in the future reimagined as being possible, and my energy is derived from this.
What aspects of your current role bring you the most joy and fulfillment?
Being a leader is about bringing out the best in your teams. Seeing their joy and engagement in their work makes me love my job even more. Working with young graduates, helping to shape and inspire them, and creating experiences that build their confidence and growth is incredibly fulfilling. Additionally, collaborating with business executives and witnessing the tangible value and appreciation for the technology we implement is deeply rewarding.
How do you stay informed about the latest technology trends and advancements?
I stay informed by attending webinars, roundtables, and conferences, as well as through online reading and formal courses. I also enjoy experimenting with new software and technologies whenever I have the time.
What impact do you believe increased diversity and inclusion would have on innovation, creativity, and progress in your industry?
Diverse, multifunctional teams inspire innovation through collective genius. I’ve observed that teams with diverse personality strengths are more creative and curious, leading to greater value delivery.
You were recently honored with ‘The Smart Data Award’ at the 2024 CIO Awards in South Africa. Our readers would love to know the secret mantra behind your success.
My approach focuses on the customer and business value, with a PEOPLE-first mindset. SMART can mean intelligent, but it also stands for Simple, Measurable, Accurate, Realistic, and Tangible—principles that guide our progress in the data journey with business.
Data is like blood running through the veins of an organisation. Rich in oxygen that gives life; however, without the heart pumping (our people) there is nothing. So investing in data and your teams will result in magic of insights to action and innovation that leads organisations to thrive.
Who has been a personal role model or mentor to you throughout your career?
There have been many amazing individuals that have shaped me through my career and guided the journey. My biggest role model is my mum and aunts growing up that showed me how the power of women to balance many roles and to always care for those around you. How to make a plan with minimum resources available. This has shaped how I lead my heart first, gut and then head.
How do you keep your mind healthy and stay resilient? And how do you motivate your team?
Mindfulness is key, starting the day being grateful and appreciative sets the beat. Being resilient is a journey which is tested with each seismic event in life, and remaining positive, authentically true to what brings you joy and knowing your purpose in life keeps me going.
Motivating my team is to engage them honestly and openly and show them that they are seen and appreciated. Taking a strengths-based approach to driving the team applying their strengths and knowing what that is drives them on a path to personal mastery and being engaged by doing what drives them to be in flow.
What is your favorite quote?
I have two that is embedded into my life philosophy and inspires my thoughts and actions.
My philosophy in life can be summed by a Charles Darwin quote “It is not the strongest or most intelligent that survives but rather the one that is most responsive to change.”
Mantra: quote by Mahatma Gandhi “Be the change you want to see in the world”.
Where do you see yourself in the next 5 years?
At the rate that tech is changing anything is possible. I would love to continue following my passions and helping organisations prepare for the future of work. Future fit teams should be led by nurturing their unique strengths and talents and working as diverse multidisciplinary teams that spend their energy doing meaningful work that will create exponential business value. Building Innovation capability.
I would really like to start my own organisation that focuses on Digital for Good, empowering the youth in the communities to have the opportunities I had to realize their full potential. Providing skills, mentoring and inspiration to dream for more.
Working with the networks to help create connections to solve social challenges and create value opportunities for South Africa.
What advice would you give to aspiring women in technology?
Be audacious to believe in yourself and dream big, know that you are in this world for a purpose, and you must claim your space. Whether you pursue a career in corporate or start your own business success is determined by your GRIT factor and your networks you build. So, invest in yourself.