What's Next with Aki Anastasiou

AI and the future of work are transforming every business—but people remain the biggest competitive advantage. Deloitte explains why organisations that combine human expertise with AI will lead the next wave of innovation.

Andre Vermeulen, Partner | Human Capital Leader Consulting Services at Deloitte Africa, joins What's Next powered by Deloitte to unpack the key findings from Deloitte's latest Global Human Capital Trends report. He explains why organisations must rethink traditional ways of working, embrace continuous adaptation, and build cultures that allow people and AI to work together effectively rather than compete against one another.

The discussion explores the concept of "Human x Machine", why only a small percentage of organisations are successfully embedding AI into everyday work, and how leaders can balance automation with human judgement. Andre also examines the risks of over-relying on AI, including declining critical thinking, data quality concerns and trust, while highlighting practical examples of AI-assisted decision-making from Deloitte's work in Formula 1. The conversation concludes with insights into organisational agility, adaptive learning, and why human capability—not technology alone—will determine which businesses succeed in the AI era.

For South African business and technology leaders, this episode offers practical guidance on preparing organisations for rapid technological change while ensuring people remain at the centre of innovation.

0:00 Intro
1:25 Deloitte's Global Human Capital Trends report explained
3:31 Why organisations must become faster and more adaptable
5:05 Human × Machine: the future of AI at work
10:03 The risks of over-relying on AI
15:04 Formula 1, AI and human decision-making
20:07 Why human advantage is the real competitive advantage

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Sponsor:
Deloitte - https://www.deloitte.com/za/en/Industries/technology/research/tech-trends-2026.html

#ArtificialIntelligence #FutureOfWork #DigitalTransformation

AI is transforming insurance faster than ever. Soul Abraham explains how Old Mutual Insure is using artificial intelligence to improve customer experience, reduce costs and make insurance more accessible for South Africans.

Soul Abraham, CEO of Old Mutual Insure, joins What's Next to discuss how one of South Africa's oldest insurers is preparing for an AI-powered future. Drawing on nearly two centuries of insurance expertise, he explains why building a modern data platform was the foundation for adopting AI, and how the company is using artificial intelligence to empower employees, strengthen underwriting, and deliver faster, more personalised customer service.

The conversation explores the three pillars of Old Mutual Insure's AI strategy, the role of cloud infrastructure and data in enabling innovation, and how AI could help improve insurance affordability and penetration across South Africa. Soul also shares his vision for AI-assisted brokers, personalised insurance products, faster claims processing, and why upskilling employees will be critical to ensuring AI enhances—not replaces—the workforce. Looking ahead, he outlines how Old Mutual Insure aims to redefine customer expectations while making insurance simpler, more responsive and better suited to individual needs.

For South African business and technology leaders, this episode offers valuable insight into how AI is reshaping financial services and what the future of insurance could look like over the next five years.

0:00 Intro
2:15 Soul Abraham's journey to CEO of Old Mutual Insure
7:58 How Old Mutual Insure is adopting AI
11:06 The company's three-pillar AI strategy
17:14 Improving customer experience with AI
29:15 Upskilling employees for an AI-powered future
32:11 The future of insurance in South Africa

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#ArtificialIntelligence #Insurance #SouthAfrica

AI and legacy systems don't have to be at odds. Graham Parker explains how businesses can modernise existing technology, unlock value from their data and adopt AI without expensive rip-and-replace projects.

Graham Parker, Executive Chairman at Britehouse, joins What's Next to discuss how organisations can cut through the AI hype and focus on practical business outcomes. Drawing on decades of experience building and scaling enterprise software businesses, he explains why successful AI adoption starts with understanding business problems, making better use of existing systems, and creating measurable value rather than chasing the latest technology trends.

The discussion explores how AI is transforming enterprise software, why legacy systems often remain valuable foundations for innovation, and the importance of data governance when deploying AI solutions. Graham also shares how Britehouse helps organisations modernise critical business applications through incremental improvements instead of disruptive replacements, while highlighting real-world AI projects spanning industrial operations, enterprise software engineering and even professional cycling through its work with Pinarello Q36.5. For South African organisations navigating digital transformation, the conversation offers practical guidance on implementing AI responsibly while keeping people firmly at the centre of technology.

0:00 Intro
2:16 Cutting through the AI hype
3:23 What Britehouse does
6:01 Two practical ways businesses can use AI
9:39 Modernising legacy systems with AI
19:54 AI in professional cycling and Team Q36.5
23:29 The future of enterprise software and AI

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#ArtificialIntelligence #DigitalTransformation #EnterpriseSoftware

In this episode of What’s Next, Aki Anastasiou speaks to Jan Hendrik van der Westhuizen – Lexus Brand Ambassador about craftsmanship, humility and the discipline behind excellence. From growing up on a farm to earning global culinary recognition, he reflects on how consistency, patience and refinement shaped his journey long before the accolades followed.

The conversation explores his philosophy of modern luxury as emotional connection rather than status. He shares why simplicity, authenticity and meaningful human experiences define true success, and how building something lasting matters more than noise or fleeting recognition.

Fibre expansion in South Africa's secondary towns is transforming communities. Van Zyl Botha, co-founder and CEO of the Herotel Group, joins Aki Anastasiou to discuss bridging the digital divide outside major metros. Botha details how the network operator evolved from consolidating local wireless ISPs into an infrastructure powerhouse deploying high-speed fibre across 180 municipalities.

The conversation covers Herotel’s vertically integrated model, explaining how handling infrastructure construction, installations, and ISP operations internally removes the middleman to lower costs and boost uptime. Botha highlights localized innovations like their flexible 7-day voucher payment systems tailored to the township economy, alongside their redundant "Super Core" data centers that dramatically lower latency for regional users. Finally, he unpacks the business impact of their landmark acquisition by Maziv-aligning them with Vumatel and DFA-and how this partnership scales up operations to bring uncapped broadband to seven million unconnected homes.

0:00 Intro
1:30 Solving the digital divide outside SA metros
5:30 Evolving from local WISPs to national fibre infrastructure
17:40 Why vertical integration beats the traditional ISP model
21:30 Innovations for the township economy: vouchers and aerial fibre
28:00 The Maziv acquisition and scaling to a million homes
36:50 Unpacking the network's redundant "Super Core" secret sauce

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#FibreInternet #BroadbandSA #WhatsNext