Although she is soft-spoken, even demure, Helen Constantinides is easily one of South Africa’s most knowledgeable and experienced technology leaders. “I’m so glad that I just missed the mainframe era! You know, when people used to insert punch cards to input data into the system. If I was part of that era, I don’t think I would have enjoyed it as much,” she says.

Beneath her calm demeanour resides an ambitious spirit that helped build a career, starting as a technology engineer to today being AVBOB’s group chief information officer and exco member. But it didn’t begin with an innate love for technology. When first considering her choices in the late ‘ 80s, her priorities focused on building her autonomy and finding a path to personal success.