Nedbank Strengthens Board with Global Tech and Risk Leaders Ahead of 2026

The South African bank is adding three independent directors with deep expertise in digital transformation, cybersecurity, and capital markets to accelerate modernization and reinforce strategic governance.

Nedbank, one of South Africa’s leading financial institutions, has announced the appointment of Dixit A. Joshi, Natasha Davydova, and Sanat Rao as independent non-executive directors. Their appointments, effective 15 January 2026, reinforce the bank’s governance structures in technology, digital innovation, and risk management.

Joshi will join the Group Risk and Capital Management Committee. A finance and capital markets specialist, he most recently served as Chief Financial Officer at Credit Suisse during its transition to UBS. His career also includes senior leadership positions at Deutsche Bank and Barclays Capital, and he currently sits on the board of the London-based investment firm Man Group.

Davydova and Rao will take seats on the Group IT Committee, supporting Nedbank’s technology oversight and modernization agenda.

Davydova, known for guiding large-scale technology transformation in complex, regulated environments, was most recently CIO at AXA UKI. She has held senior roles across Allianz, Salesforce, Deutsche Bank, Standard Chartered, HP Enterprise, and Accenture, with expertise spanning cloud modernization, cybersecurity, AI and machine learning, and infrastructure strategy.

Rao is the co-founder and managing director of Within The Box.ai, a company focused on AI systems and digital transformation. His background links financial services and technology leadership, with previous global roles at IBM and Infosys, including serving as the Global CEO of Infosys Finacle—one of the most widely deployed digital banking platforms in the world. He holds advanced degrees in AI Ethics & Society and Digital Anthropology.

In a statement, the bank said the appointments align with its long-term strategy to build resilient digital infrastructure, strengthen risk controls, and expand capabilities in areas such as artificial intelligence, cloud computing, and cyber resilience. Nedbank emphasized that the mix of leadership experience, international exposure, and domain expertise will support the group’s ambition to scale securely and competitively across key markets.

The bank noted that the three directors bring complementary skills across banking, capital markets, digital transformation, cybersecurity, and AI, enhancing the board’s ability to guide Nedbank’s evolution in a rapidly changing financial ecosystem.