Graeme Lockley
CIO at Investec Specialist Bank SA
Graeme Lockley, CIO at Investec Specialist Bank SA, has led a cloud first transformation rooted in the principle that innovation must serve people. Under his leadership, the bank migrated core systems to Microsoft Azure - slashing data processing time, cutting cost by over 40%, and enabling programmable banking through API driven platforms. A passionate advocate for human centred change, Graeme invested in upskilling teams as “Azure natives” and sees digital transformation as a multi phase journey-driven by strong partnerships, continuous learning and a deep commitment to enhancing the client and employee experience.
Graeme Lockley
Graeme Lockley serves as CIO for Investec’s Specialist Bank in South Africa, where he leads a transformational journey anchored in the belief that technology’s highest purpose is improving human experience. A key architect of Investec’s cloud‑first strategy, Graeme drove the migration to Microsoft Azure, enabling data‑intensive systems that once took 19 hours to process risk and regulatory data to run in just a fraction of that time - reducing processing windows to six hours and targeting further optimisation down to two, while cutting infrastructure cost by over 40%.
Under his stewardship, Investec has modernised its estate through a hybrid, API‑enabled architecture that balances innovation and stability. The platform empowers high‑touch client engagement by making services programmable and open via a secure API fabric and programmable banking initiatives - all while retaining a deeply human focus.
Graeme emphasises people first: he championed upskilling the workforce to become “Azure natives,” removing barriers to certification and fostering a culture of lifelong learning among both IT staff and business teams. He views digital transformation not as an end in itself, but as a multi‑act play - where technology enables new ways of working and serving clients with agility, empathy and insight.