Afzal is a seasoned leader in Business Intelligence and Data Management, with a career spanning large corporates like Sanlam Life and Savings and global consulting firms such as Accenture. As Head of Data Management, Afzal drives strategic transformation through modern data architectures, empowering teams to deliver scalable, cloud-native solutions that unlock business value. His expertise spans Data warehousing, Data architectures with a specific interest in governance, cost optimisation, and data democratisation. Passionate about enabling data-driven decision-making, Afzal has led impactful initiatives across finance and retail and is a trusted advisor in the BI and AI space — known for building high-performing teams and architecting solutions that meet evolving business and customer needs.
Session Overview
Scaling New Heights: Mastering Modern Data Architecture for BI & AI
In a world where data is the new differentiator, modern data architecture is no longer just a technical concern — it’s a strategic imperative. This session explores how cloud-native platforms like Snowflake and AWS are reshaping the way organisations unlock insights, empower teams, and stay ahead of customer expectations. Drawing from Sanlam Life and Savings (SLS) real-world journey, Afzal Dalwai will share how transitioning from legacy systems like SAP HANA to a modern, governed cloud ecosystem has enabled faster experimentation, scalable analytics, and a stronger employee value proposition in the war for data talent.
You will discover how data democratisation — when done with the right controls — can fuel innovation across business units, and how modern architectures like data mesh and lakehouse models support agility without compromising governance. Whether you are navigating your own cloud journey or looking to elevate your BI and AI capabilities, this session offers practical strategies and fresh thinking to help you architect for impact.
Three Tangible Learnings
From Legacy to Leverage: Learn how Sanlam is transitioning from SAP HANA to Snowflake, enabling scalable data replication, transformation, and real-time analytics using AWS S3, Glue, Python, and GitHub.
Governance Meets Agility: Discover how to balance data democratisation with robust governance, ensuring secure, compliant access to insights across the enterprise at an appropriate cost.
Talent Magnetism Through Tech: Understand how cloud-native platforms and modern data practices can enhance your employee value proposition and attract top-tier data talent.
Alternatively, please email sales@eventfulpeople.com for quote, invoice or any queries and we’ll be glad to assist.
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Afzal is a seasoned leader in Business Intelligence and Data Management, with a career spanning large corporates like Sanlam Life and Savings and global consulting firms such as Accenture. As Head of Data Management, Afzal drives strategic transformation through modern data architectures, empowering teams to deliver scalable, cloud-native solutions that unlock business value. His expertise spans Data warehousing, Data architectures with a specific interest in governance, cost optimisation, and data democratisation. Passionate about enabling data-driven decision-making, Afzal has led impactful initiatives across finance and retail and is a trusted advisor in the BI and AI space — known for building high-performing teams and architecting solutions that meet evolving business and customer needs.
