What's Next with Aki Anastasiou

In this episode of What’s Next, host Aki Anastasiou speaks to Mmathebe Zvobwo, Director of Market Development for South Africa at Truecaller, about the alarming rise in spam and scam calls—and how technology is being used to fight back. With South Africans receiving billions of spam calls annually and losing over R40 billion to scams, Zvobwo explains how fraud has become an industrialised global p...

In this episode of What’s Next, Aki Anastasiou sits down with Yugen Naidoo, General Manager at Lenovo South Africa, for an inspiring conversation about leadership, resilience, and purpose. From humble beginnings in a small town on the KwaZulu-Natal north coast to leading Lenovo’s operations across Southern Africa, Yugen reflects on the formative moments that shaped his journey — including early ac...

In this episode of What’s Next, Aki Anastasiou speaks to Hector Beyers, CEO and founder of Codehesion, following the company’s win at the prestigious MyBroadband Awards for Best Software Development Company. Hector shares what the recognition means for his team and unpacks the core philosophy behind Codehesion’s success — combining strong technical execution with collaborative, client-focused part...

In this episode of What’s Next, host Aki Anastasiou is joined by Mark Wayne, Head of Solutions at iOCO, and Greg McDonald, Sales Director at Hewlett Packard Enterprise, to unpack the “great VM reset” and what it means for organisations rethinking their virtualisation and cloud strategies. They discuss the rising cost pressures around traditional virtualisation, why hybrid-by-design is becoming ess...

Healthbridge founder, chairman, and Chief Innovation Officer Gerrie van Zyl joins Business Talk to discuss how artificial intelligence is transforming healthcare and why South Africa is well positioned to innovate in the sector. Speaking from Atlanta’s Tech Square, one of the world’s leading AI hubs, he explains how his team uses global innovation insights to build solutions for South Africa’s hea...

Hylton Kallner, CEO of Discovery Bank, joins the show to discuss the bank’s strong interim results and the strategy driving its rapid growth. With client numbers, deposits, and revenue all rising sharply, Kallner explains how Discovery Bank’s shared value model, full-service digital banking platform, and broader Discovery ecosystem are helping attract new customers and deepen engagement with exist...

In this episode of What’s Next, Aki Anastasiou speaks to Jason Oehley, Regional Sales Manager at Arctic Wolf, about why cyber security remains the number one risk facing businesses today. With South Africa ranked among the most targeted countries globally, Jason unpacks the latest threat trends, including the rise of data extortion, the continued impact of ransomware, and how attackers are increas...

In this episode of What’s Next, Aki Anastasiou speaks to Gregory Rood, CEO of Sigfox South Africa, about the powerful but often invisible role Sigfox plays in the Internet of Things ecosystem. As a zero-G network built for ultra-low power, long-range connectivity, Sigfox enables devices to operate for years on battery while collecting and transmitting critical data. From monitoring water levels an...

In this episode, Aki Anastasiou sits down with Andre Nepgen, CEO of Discovery Green, to unpack the rapidly evolving renewable energy landscape in South Africa. Andre explains how Discovery Green procures large-scale wind and solar projects and wheels that clean energy to businesses, helping them reduce costs, lock in long-term price certainty, and lower carbon footprints. With electricity prices h...

In this episode of What’s Next, host Aki Anastasiou is joined by Justin Hume, Samsung South Africa’s Vice President of Mobile Experience, to unpack the launch of the new Galaxy S26 range and what Samsung’s latest AI upgrades mean for everyday users. They explore Samsung’s on-device AI approach, the shift toward agentic AI assistants that work across apps, and the industry-first privacy display on...

In this episode, we sit down with Aliyah Allie, Executive Head at X, bigly labs by Dis-Chem, to explore how Dis-Chem is transforming from a traditional pharmacy retailer into a fully integrated health authority. Aliyah unpacks the role of Executive Head at X, bigly labs as Dis-Chem’s innovation hub, driving progress across data, digital platforms, automation, and customer-centric design to improve...

RAM, SSDs, GPUs, CPUs — the tech building blocks behind everything from laptops to media players — are getting harder to source and more expensive by the week. On What’s Next, host Aki Anastasiou is joined by Craig Nowitz (CEO) and Ryan Martyn (Co-founder, Sales & Marketing Director) from Syntech Distribution to unpack what’s really behind the supply crunch — and why it’s not a “COVID-style” blip....

South Africa’s energy crisis isn’t just about keeping the lights on — it’s about cost, strategy, and long-term competitiveness. This podcast cuts through the noise to explain how power, policy, and private innovation are reshaping business in real time. Hosted by Aki Anastasiou, the show is built for business leaders, executives, entrepreneurs, and decision-makers who need clarity on complex issue...

In this episode of What’s Next, Precious Nduli, Chief Commercial Officer at Discovery Insure, joins Aki Anastasiou to unpack how technology, telematics, and data-driven insights are transforming the insurance landscape. She explains how Discovery Insure incentivizes safer driving through real-time behaviour tracking, fuel rewards, and innovative features like impact alerts and sleep-related risk a...

In this episode of What’s Next, Nicolaas Hanekom, Sales Lead for Digital Air Solutions at Samsung South Africa, joins Aki Anastasiou to unpack how consumer expectations around home air conditioning have transformed in recent years. Nicolaas explains why air conditioners have become essential, all-year appliances focused on comfort, efficiency, and seamless integration within the modern smart home....

In this episode of What’s Next, Aki Anastasiou sits down with Hector Beyers, CEO and founder of Codehesion, to unpack the remarkable growth of his software development company. Beyers shares how his passion for computer engineering and early leadership experience shaped his entrepreneurial journey, leading him to build a business focused on high-quality custom software, strong development processe...

In this episode of What’s Next, Amantha Naidoo, Managing Executive at NTT DATA South Africa, joins Aki Anastasiou to discuss her career journey and the forces shaping modern transformation. She shares how her background in engineering, consulting and culture change led her to NTT DATA, and why timing, purpose and the desire to lead meaningful change made this the right step in her career. Amantha...

In this conversation, Discovery Bank CEO Hylton Kallner unpacks the remarkable growth of South Africa’s fastest-growing bank and the shared-value model powering its success. He explains how Discovery Bank’s full-service digital approach, industry-leading security, seamless ecosystem integration and customer-first design have reshaped the banking experience for nearly one and a half million clients...

This episode of What’s Next brings together financial literacy advocate and author Nicolette Mashile and Yande Nomvete, Africa Operations Manager at Binance, for an in-depth discussion on crypto adoption in South Africa. They unpack the success of The Getting Crypto Show, the growing appetite for digital assets on the continent, and why education remains the most important tool for avoiding scams...

In this episode of What’s Next, Aki Anastasiou is joined by a panel of experts to unpack the Africa Digital Assets Report 2025. The discussion features Rob Downes, Head of Digital Assets at Absa Corporate and Investment Banking (CIB); Juanetta Furusa-Matelakengisa, Head of Digital Product, Carbon Banking at Absa CIB; and Zanele Thembisile Baloyi, Senior Researcher at Krutham. Together, they explor...

In this episode of What’s Next, we speak with Nick Yarham, Head of Operations at TP-Link South Africa, following the company’s remarkable achievement of winning the MyBroadband Award for Best Networking Brand for the second year in a row. Nick shares what this recognition means for the team, why South Africans continue to trust TP-Link, and how the brand focuses on solving real-world connectivity...

In this episode of What's Next, we sit down with Cliff de Wit, Group Chief Innovation Officer at Accelera Digital Group, to unpack the rapid acceleration of AI and the growing readiness gap facing modern organisations. Cliff reflects on his journey from Microsoft to leading large-scale technology initiatives and now helping businesses across Africa and beyond adapt to a world where AI is reshaping...

In this episode of What’s Next, we speak with Sharon Leong, Chief Executive Officer at Thompsons Travel, about how corporate travel has transformed and what modern businesses need to prioritise heading into 2026. Sharon reflects on the company’s 40-year legacy and explains how technology, mobile tools and smart booking systems are reshaping business travel—making it faster, more seamless and more...

Medshield’s Chief Operating Officer, Angela Blackburn, joins us to give more detail on Medshield’s 2026 product and benefit enhancements and what members can expect in the year ahead. From a lower-than-average contribution increase to a strengthened GCR rating and unlimited hospital access across all plans, Medshield is focused on value, stability, and affordability during a time when healthcare c...

In this episode of What’s Next, host Aki Anastasiou speaks with James Lanigan, CEO of Luno, following the company’s recognition as 'Best Crypto Exchange' at the MyBroadband Awards. James reflects on Luno’s journey from its South African origins to becoming a trusted global platform with over 16 million users. He explains how simplicity, trust, and innovation have been key to Luno’s success, emphas...