Johannesburg, 09 Jan 2020
iTMaster’s newly appointed CEO, Stanton Pillay, knows exactly what it takes to succeed, having initially begun his career at the company as a driver and installer. His 15-year journey to the top has given him not only a clear understanding of the industry itself, but also, and more pertinently, a good grasp of what is required to empower people and businesses.
He says iTMaster was founded in 2001 by three women in Polokwane, so its empowerment credentials were established from the outset. Pillay joined the business in 2004 and played his part in helping it grow from what was originally a business with an annual turnover of R1.6 million. That was 15 years ago; these days, the corporation boasts an annual turnover of R200 million-plus.
“My appointment as CEO was based on the board’s search for the right person to help drive forward the organisation’s fourth industrial revolution (4IR) strategy. I’m very passionate about enterprise development, humanitarian work and helping the disadvantaged overcome their challenges. Through our education sector play, I have had the privilege of helping to empower disadvantaged students through technology, affording them a better chance at life,” he says.
“While driving education and healthcare solutions into rural areas is a passion of mine, as CEO I must also focus on our people and our customers. This means investing in the company’s internal culture, obtaining buy-in from employees and always maintaining our corporate mantra of ‘Speed, agility, scale, prayer and generosity’. These are the five values that we consider to be the secret of our success.”
He explains that agility, defined as the need to be flexible, and speed are vital in an industry where 4IR is driving rapid evolution, while the ability to scale allows the business to drive its enterprise development programme by enabling micro enterprises to work on projects as an extension of iTMaster itself.
The remaining two elements, prayer and generosity, are focused on Pillay's desire to build a company that does good, gives thanks for its successes and is generous to those in need.
“I aim to have these elements so closely intertwined with our business that they are the first things that spring to mind for anyone who meets someone from our organisation," he says.
“We are a true transformation organisation, and we have the history to back us up. We are certainly not merely about ticking a BEE box. It’s in our DNA, and we’re continuously investing in driving our already significant transformation agenda forward.”
With this in mind, he adds, the company works closely with HP, particularly in terms of the company’s education strategy. Pillay says many of the devices and technology placed at schools is done in partnership with HP, which also demonstrates the company's passion for making a difference in the world, given its focus on people, the planet and the community.
Pillay and iTMaster won the award for Innovation and Transformation for Europe, the Middle East and Africa, as announced by Canalys in Barcelona last year.
Says Pillay: “For me, the answer to addressing the comprehensive needs of the education sector is for organisations like ours to put aside our differences and collaborate closely with all others in this field, even the competition. After all, who says we have to do things the way we have always done them before?
“Everyone is already doing great things, but how much greater could they be if we all worked together to meet the needs of students and schools? Think of the impact we could jointly have when it comes to educating students in the ways of 4IR and ensuring that they are better prepared for the new, digital world,” he concludes.
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