Newly appointed Group Executive Director: Group Information Communication Technology and Information Management (GICT&IM), Aubrey Mochela, aims to build a more efficient, connected, and prosperous City where technology bridges gaps between governance, businesses, and the community.
In his new role, Aubrey is entrusted with overseeing the planning, design, implementation, and management of ICT solutions and driving digital transformation initiatives within the City.
“The rebuilding of a world-class African Smart City that is diverse and vibrant to attract everyone from all walks of life to create the melting pot of Africa will be the north star I will be thriving for,” he says.
His focus lies in implementing business platforms geared towards enhancing service delivery, revenue management, governance, and facilitating smart city initiatives including job creation and SMME development.
“My new role entails driving the business of the City using technology and digital solutions that will ensure that employees and communities are affected in a harmonised manner that will bring the City, business, and communities much closer together to build a working and vibrant city,” says Aubrey.
He says he is most excited about the transformation of Joburg into a Smart City that provides livable spaces that are safe and secure with a high level of business activities that create wealth and jobs for people.
Aubrey plans to be a leader who can implement solutions using both a waterfall and agile method in his delivery as Group Executive Director. “Effective leadership is driving transformation, emphasizing a collaborative approach and teamwork. I embrace a transformational leadership style, recognising the importance of collective effort for meaningful organisational change.”
Aubrey was born at Joburg General Hospital (now called Charlotte Maxeke Hospital) and lived in Diepkloof, Soweto, where he matriculated in 1991. His highest qualification is a Master’s degree in Business Administration focusing on ICT Governance.
Throughout his 30-year ICT career, he has achieved significant milestones across government, private sector, and community-based organisations. Noteworthy accomplishments include leading the implementation of the first virtual desktop platform at the Department of Mineral Resources in 2010 and spearheading the adoption of public and private cloud platforms, including the automated operations centre for a prominent service provider in South Africa circa 2012.
Aubrey played a pivotal role in overcoming resistance to cloud adoption in the City of Johannesburg and introduced Microsoft Teams at City Power before the onset of Covid-19, subsequently proposing its implementation city-wide as part of a business continuity and disaster management strategy during the pandemic.
His innovative projects extend beyond South Africa, with deployments of network management solutions in Kenya and Zambia.
When he is not hard at work trying to change the world, he is playing golf, go-carting, paintballing, or going to places of entertainment with friends and hosting people.
He spends most of his time writing articles, motivating people, mentoring businesspeople, providing marriage encounter lessons, and participating in community-based initiatives.
Aubrey is married with two children, one boy and one girl. He has a lot of other children that he has adopted who are part of his family with four grandchildren.
“Apart from my family, my heart beats faster every time I see a young person who was out of a job or with no business transition acquiring a job or starting a new business and moving from poverty to a roadmap of wealth,” he says.