Thato Sopeng
Profile Summary
Thato Sopeng is a visionary Chief Information Officer with over 22 years of experience driving digital transformation and innovation across Telecoms, Financial Services, Retail, and Energy sectors. Currently, as Vice President of Information Technology of Sasol, she leads strategic data engineering, digital growth, and cybersecurity initiatives. Thato has played a pivotal role in implementing cutting-edge digital architectures, enabling seamless integration through microservices and APIs, and laying the foundation for future innovations, such as a retail loyalty platform.
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Her expertise in AI, data analytics, cloud computing, and cybersecurity has been instrumental in advancing Sasol’s ambition to become a data-driven, analytics-led organisation. Thato has also held senior IT roles at African Bank, Absa, The Foschini Group, and SAB, where she spearheaded transformative IT systems that propelled business growth.
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As an international speaker, Thato regularly shares her insights on digital delivery, data innovation, and AI at industry conferences. She is passionate about fostering a culture of collaboration and innovation, having founded Sasol’s Women in IT mentoring circles to empower female talent. Thato holds a BSc in Computer Science, an MIT from the University of Pretoria, and several professional certifications. Beyond her career, she promotes cycling among black women through her club, Vukani.
Session Description
Critical Steps for Businesses to Successfully and Ethically Integrate AI
AI is evolving rapidly, and organisations are in the early stages of implementing inspiring AI/Gen AI use cases with the expectation of reaping significant value. However, these expectations may fall short without balancing the value and risks of AI through well-thought-out AI governance. This session delves into the practical steps that Sasol is taking to enable the responsible adoption and implementation of Gen AI solutions. Sasol is integrating AI into its operations through a playbook that focuses on aspects of policy, training, ethics, data privacy, use case identification and evaluation to ensure the integrity and effectiveness of these solutions.
