Johannesburg & Bangalore, India, 20 Aug 2015
Wipro (NYSE:WIT), a leading global IT, consulting and business process services company, and Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS), a leading business school in South Africa, today announced the commencement of the first module of the 'Future CIO' programme. The first leg of the programme kicked off on 17 August, where the 19 candidates began a four-day Strategic Thinking module at the GIBS campus in Illovo, Johannesburg.
Wipro and GIBS have come together to create the 'Future CIO' programme, which aims to build future technology leaders. The programme comprises three modules, and is spread over a period of six months.
The first module's objective is to develop the candidates' abilities to learn and understand the global technology environment and then develop the ability to craft strategies for their organisations. In addition to this, the candidates will also be introduced to project topics that will drive them to think innovatively to build products and solutions that support and meet the current and future needs of businesses.
The unique selling point of this programme is that the nominations for candidates come directly from the CEOs/CIOs and boards of their respective organisations, across industry sectors, in South Africa. The candidates are further shortlisted by a panel of experts.
"The first module of the programme that covers Strategic Thinking leadership is delivered on campus, facilitated by leading lecturers at GIBS. Lead integrator at GIBS, Abdullah Verachia, will assist the candidates to understand the overall strategic vision and approach that is required, along with CIO leadership skills, to successfully lead their organisations into the future," explains Nishen Munnisunker, Director Executive Education Open Programmes at GIBS.
Leading lecturers at GIBS, such as Dr Adrian Saville, Director of Canon Asset Managers; technology entrepreneur Stafford Masie; coach and facilitator Amy Moore; strategist Dr Jeff Chen; SA leadership faculty Anthony Prangley; and Noxolo Kubheka, CIO and Head of Transnet Capital Projects, will provide insights and pass on critical knowledge to these candidates.
After the completion of the first module, the candidates will travel to India, in October 2015, for five days, as a part of the second module, where they will receive in-depth theoretical and hands-on training on global leadership skills and technology themes by a multitude of technology companies, including Wipro. The third and final module on Functional Leadership will be conducted over four days at the GIBS campus in November 2015.
"The participants of the programme will gain access to experts who are thought-leaders in their respective fields. They will benefit immensely from exposure to high-level problem-solving and strategic thinking, which will encourage and nurture innovative thinking in a real-world global business context," said Naveen Rajdev, Chief Marketing Officer, Wipro.
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