Women Leading Digital Transformation in Global Financial Services

Gudani Mukatuni is an accomplished technology executive with over two decades of leadership experience, primarily in the financial services sector. She is currently the Chief Information Officer at Glacier by Sanlam, a leading investment administration platform under Sanlam, one of Africa’s largest and most respected insurers. Her career spans across major financial institutions, telecommunications, and global consulting firms.

In a recent conversation with the Global Woman Leader Magazine, Gudani shares insights on how a tech expert must bridge business and technology, simplifying concepts. She urges to raise a hand for ambitious projects, be visible in your organization, and ask for support as growth comes from continuous learning, seeking mentors, and building resilience.

From your journey leading tech strategy across financial institutions, what practices have helped embed women leaders at the center of digital transformation programs successfully?

Firstly, as both a technology leader and a business leader, I believe it is critical to align technology transformation goals with business objectives. Every initiative must demonstrate how it supports the overall business strategy and creates value. One of the key factors behind my success in implementing digital solutions has been securing the buy-in of business stakeholders and senior executives, ensuring they understand the vision and the tangible benefits of the transformation.

Secondly, success relies on having a strong, resilient team and fostering a culture of agility, being comfortable with testing, learning, and sometimes failing, but failing fast, learning quickly, and improving continuously. Digital transformation requires an environment where people feel safe to innovate, without fear of punishment, because each failure is simply a stepping stone to faster, better delivery.

These pillars, business alignment, stakeholder engagement, strong teams, and a culture of agility, have been central to driving successful digital transformation initiatives in the financial services sector, particularly in this digital era.

In your experience consolidating tech platforms, how have you ensured women leaders are part of critical decisions like cloud migration or platform rationalization?

It all starts with the business case. Fortunately, I have worked in mature organizations, including Sanlam, where funding and prioritization depend on a strong case for change. A solid business case must show both qualitative and quantitative benefits.

On the qualitative side, it's often about risk; legacy systems can create vulnerabilities or reputational damage if they fail. So it's important to clearly articulate those risks and why upgrading or moving to the cloud reduces them.

On the quantitative side, the case must demonstrate efficiencies, cost savings, or revenue opportunities. For example, migrating to the cloud not only improves scalability and speed but also supports digital-first solutions such as straight-through processing and self-service. These capabilities open up alternative distribution channels, reduce manual intervention, and ultimately generate measurable financial benefits.

When risks, efficiencies, cost savings, and revenue growth are quantified, it becomes much easier to gain buy-in from colleagues and senior executives. That’s been key in helping me secure support, drive digital transformation, and deliver on both business and organizational goals.

While leading IT at Glacier and other firms, can you share a moment when a woman-led initiative in digital strategy brought measurable business growth or operational efficiency?

At the moment, within Glacier by Sanlam, we have implemented a new digital ecosystem called the Glacier Hub. The idea was to consolidate five different digital systems into a single platform. We launched the life investments component in 2024 and completed phase 2 of our five-phase digital transformation by July 2025. Adoption by intermediaries has surpassed expectations, with strong results in advisor and client retention. We continue to track value against our submitted business case. That’s been a clear, measurable outcome of the initiative.

In my previous roles, I have been part of teams that delivered impactful digital solutions, for example, the WesBank app with FNB, as well as several initiatives at Nedbank more than a decade ago. Across these experiences, I have seen how the right digital solutions can directly improve client experience, enhance ease of doing business, and deliver measurable business benefits.

At Glacier, with the two phases of the Glacier Hub, we have been able to simplify processes for intermediaries, strengthen client retention, and ultimately make the business more efficient.

Beyond the successes, each project has also brought valuable lessons that continue to shape how I approach digital transformation today.

Based on your leadership across banking and insurance, what skills or mindsets should women in mid-senior tech roles develop to prepare for C-suite transformation roles?

One thing that worked for me mid-career was realizing that I needed more than just technical expertise; I needed stronger business acumen. I didn’t want to be the ‘techie’ in the boardroom who only spoke technology. So I pursued an MBA, which gave me an end-to-end understanding of the business value chain. That way, when I speak about technology, I can place it in the right business context.

My advice is to never stop learning. Having a computer science degree or a technical qualification is not the end; if you aspire to be a technology executive, you also need to be business-savvy. A CIO or tech leader is essentially the bridge between technology and business goals, so you must be able to speak the language of the business while simplifying technology in a way that executives can understand.

That continuous learning, taking the time to understand what drives the business, its financial metrics, and what success looks like, has been key. It allows me to identify where technology can truly enable growth and help the organization achieve its goals.

LAST WORD: Advice For Women Leaders on using Technology to Influence Business Strategy & Drive Change

I always encourage people, especially women in male-dominated fields, to find mentors and put themselves out there. Stepping into leadership can feel lonely at times, so it takes grit and a strong sense of self. Mentors, whether male or female, can play a huge role in helping you navigate your career and overcome imposter syndrome.

We often wait until we feel ‘ready’ before raising our hand. But the truth is, you are worthy, you belong, and you have earned your place. Don’t shy away from ambitious projects or big targets. Step up, learn as you go, and make yourself visible in the organization. Invest in yourself, seek mentors, ask for support, and have the courage to raise your hand. That mindset has helped me navigate the corporate world, and I believe it’s key to building a successful career.