Namibia financial landscape’s data architect
Uniting finance and business for meaningful change
Sergio de Sousa is FNB Namibia's first-ever digital transformation head.
Sergio de Sousa is a digital transformation strategist and FNB Namibia’s Chief Data and Analytics Officer (CDAO). He joined FNB in April 2016 as their first-ever digital transformation head and has since climbed the corporate ladder to his current position. He also oversees their process engineering and robotics process automation – divisions he started because of his interest in digital transformation.“Namibia is still a growing market, so we wear many hats,” he said.
De Sousa recalls his novice days at FNB Namibia with pride, highlighting a recently held team meeting. Here, he saw how the department has grown from him alone to 29 staff members, each of whom adds significant value to the organisation. He said he is privileged and humbled to have such a talented team of vibrant, intelligent people around him.
In 2019, he won the CEO’s Award for his outstanding performance, leadership and contribution to FNB Namibia. “It is always great to be recognised for one’s contributions, part of which was implementing numerous key projects and firsts for FNB Namibia,” said De Sousa.
Background
The digital transformation strategist has always had a keen interest in technology. Having been exposed to business at an early age, he quickly became enthusiastic about marrying the two fields to drive meaningful change. De Sousa went on to study information systems at Rhodes University in South Africa, where he obtained a master's of commerce degree in 2007.
De Sousa joined Trustco Group Holdings as a systems administrator and developer liaison the same year. He left in August 2008 for the Bank of Namibia (BoN), where he spent seven years before joining FNB. He also spent three years on Namclear’s board of directors from 2017.
“I have been in the financial industry for 14 years, dealing with regulation, research and development, system operations management, digital strategy development and execution, data robotics and process engineering. Twelve of those years have been in management positions, which led me to my current position at FNB Namibia.”
Roles and responsibilities
During his tenure at BoN, he focused on enhancing and safeguarding the national payment system. He regularly reviewed data on various payment systems across financial institutions, both locally and abroad. “This is where I first got interested in data. Seeing and understanding the trends in how money flows through the economy was enlightening and, in turn, helped me make the right decisions. After the move to FNB, developing into chief data and analytics was a natural path over some years.”
As FNB Namibia’s CDAO, De Sousa develops and implements their data strategy and ensures that they derive value from it. As data is critical to understanding the organisation’s standpoint and trajectory, he ensures all data is collected properly, understood thoroughly, and utilised effectively across all business operations.
Bridging the digital divide
De Sousa believes true digital transformation happens at both corporate and societal levels, as they are interdependent.
“The challenge we have in Namibia is the notable digital gap, despite efforts by businesses to progress digitally. Many people still lack access to fast internet and the devices necessary for internet services. I thus aim for societal change where everyone can benefit from internet opportunities, essential for real digital progress and innovation in Namibia,” he said.