2019

Committee purpose

The Technology and Information Committee is charged with ensuring that technology and information is managed, appropriately resourced, and sufficiently defined to enable operations and to achieve the strategic objectives set. The committee is responsible for ethical and effective risk and compliance systems for Information, Communication and Technology (ICT) as defined by King IV principle 12. The EOH EXCO is accountable to the committee for the implementation, effectiveness of, and adherence with, the EOH Governance Framework. EOH ICT Ambassadors have leadership responsibility to communicate and inform the EOH EXCO of ICT opportunities and risks across operational and functional areas.

The committee is responsible for:

• Ensuring the effectiveness of the IT strategy, ensuring that ICT capabilities support the EOH Group business strategy
• Leading the delivery of ICT capabilities that enable the integration of people, technologies, information and processes across EOH entities
• Ensuring sufficient ICT management capacity, resources and IT systems, including applications, hardware, software and networks
• Enterprise-wide management of technology and information risk, in line with the EOH Governance Framework, ensuring ISO 27001 compliance
• Proactive monitoring and management of intelligence to identify and respond to incidents, including cyber-attacks and data security
• Managing the performance of, and the risks pertaining to, third-party and outsourced ICT service providers
• Reviewing ICT capital and operating budgets, assuring value delivered from EOH Group investments in technology and information
• Ensuring the effectiveness of governance relating to systems, programming, network and operations activities
• Ensuring ICT backup procedures, including periodic testing, and disaster recovery planning, to ensure business continuity and resilience
• Ensuring the responsible disposal of obsolete technology, ensuring the confidentiality of information, with minimal impact on the environment
• Ensure the responsible use of technology and information, including compliance with statutory and regulatory obligations

Activities during the year

The committee was suspended during the early part of 2019 whilst the focus of the Board was redirected toward the recovery of the company's reputation following the identification of wrongdoing and the need to take mitigating action. During this time the Board was reconstituted with a new membership to reflect the relevant skills and experience required to deliver future governance.

As such the Technology and Information Committee was re-established in September 2019, with a refreshed membership, and aligned to deliver against the EOH Governance Framework, which contains measures relating to the ethical and effective oversight of ICT matters.

Data protection

Over the course of the year we have continued to keep track of best practices relating to the protection of personal information, including the evolving regulation landscape. Opportunities associated with the advancement of technology and digitisation associated with the 4IR were considered, and EOH continues to operate in a way that meets statutory obligations, with ongoing compliance risk assessment to ensure readiness for future change.

Evolving governance

The committee is fully abreast of the wider EOH initiative to galvanise and embed the EOH Governance Framework. Over the course of 2020 our focus will be to ensure that EOH role players and resources are mobilised to define ICT requirements for enterprise-wide governance and oversight. We reaffirm the importance of EOH ICT Ambassadors, responsible for representing operational and functional areas to ensure that future process standardisation is supported by systems are fit-for-purpose across diverse EOH entities, enabling any opportunities that arise from innovation.

Leading by example

As Africa's leading technology services provider we need to lead by example with an ICT capability that reflects our core competence. In a digital world that is continuously evolving, and given the requirement to strengthen ICT for governance. In 2020 this will entail demonstrating best practice change management and communication for our own internal customers, to ensure business continuity and resilience for the customers that we serve.

RoI on ICT investment

The committee notes its responsibility for oversight of return of investment on EOH ICT investments. After a year in which much value has been lost, the committee reaffirms its intention to ensure that such investments contribute maximised value to the EOH Group.

Conclusion

The committee is refreshed and revitalised, and intends to ensure an EOH architecture that is aligned to our restructured business model. We undertake to deliver our role in ensuring there is an integrated approach to the strategic and tactical ICT objectives of the EOH Group, managing associated risks for our wider enterprise, and for all our stakeholders.

Andrew Mthembu

Chairperson, Technology and Information Committee

24 October 2019