Despite unseasonably cold and wet weather, the 3-day event was ablaze with attendees sharing expertise, sparking innovative ideas and stoking fires of inspiration.

Day 1: Setting the scene for inspiration, learning, collaboration and insight

Day 1 kicked off with a series of thought-provoking themes covered by leadership representatives from Nedbank and distinguished South African and international industry experts. As always, the MCs did an excellent job of making everyone feel welcome and facilitating the proceedings of the day. 

The keynote was delivered by Khensani Nobanda (Executive of Group Marketing and Corporate Affairs) and Justin White (Divisional Executive of Managed Evolution and BITES), who spoke about how experience drives innovation, success and growth for Nedbank. Innovation is a mindset – it's not a nice-to-have. It focuses on what Nedbank can do for its clients. The role of purpose has never been more pivotal in creating curated experiences that resonate. Thinking about the interconnection between experiences, innovation and performance, Khensani highlighted the opportunity to redefine what a bank can mean for people, and Justin followed with a practical breakdown of how to do just that.

The audience saw the launch of the Experience Obsession book, the brainchild of Kyley Potgieter (Head of Design Experience) and Ramo Phalatse (Head of Design Strategy). In a panel discussion, participants held a thought-provoking conversation about how obsession with great experiences drives innovation, success and growth. Panel members included Buli Ndlovu (Executive Head of Retail and Business Banking: Marketing), Annalie Spickett (Business Architecture Executive), Nkateko Mabunda (Chief Digital Officer: Corporate Investment Banking) and Anton de Wet (Chief Client Officer: Retail and Business Banking).

International guest Tey Bannerman (Partner and Digital, Design and AI Leader at McKinsey & Company United Kingdom) took to the stage all the way from the Northern Hemisphere to share how AI is reshaping industries, augmenting human capabilities and revolutionising the way we interact with technology. A powerful graph illustrated how the pace of technological change went from decades to weeks in just a few generations. Biologically, humans cannot keep up with this, but AI is here to help. When AI is employed as a co-pilot, it enables humans to do things faster, and at scale.

Terry Behan (Executive Head of Design) delved into etymology and shared some semantics with the audience, focusing on heterodoxy and orthodoxy. While these two words may refer to completely different schools of thought, Terry artfully illustrated how one group cannot succeed without the other, and how healthy debating and challenging between the two camps can enable each other to grow and achieve success, if they can harmoniously coexist and collaborate.

Janet Kinghorn, renowned independent brand therapist, talked about ‘Fad or Forever’, and what makes which. In discussing the forces at play in the consumer–brand–technology feedback loops, she shared some clever hacks to solve common problems and obstacles in avoiding fads and creating forevers. When she moved on to the concept of a ‘phygital’ feedback loop, the audience heard some powerful and practical reminders of what is important in creating the ultimate brand experience.

After the lunch break George Ambler (Executive of Digital Fast Lane) spoke about how technology drives marketing efforts in Nedbank or, in his words, ‘human-centred marketing’. Touching on topical affairs, he reminded the audience that, in times of uncertainty, you need more conversation – not more content. Being human means having emotional relationships. If emotions exist only because of the experiences that create them, it begs the question: How is Nedbank building brand–consumer relationships? With safety and trust at the centre, of course.

Terri Gower (Senior Product Development Manager) closed out day 1 on the growing importance of product ownership. Exploring how effective ownership drives product excellence, customer satisfaction and business growth, Terri reminded the audience that a product acts as the vehicle through which excellent experience is delivered.

Days 2 and 3: Masterclasses and workshops

Day 2 saw designers gathering in breakout sessions for working sessions around the Stages of Fit (Problem-Solution Fit, Product-Market Fit and Commercial Fit) and design principles. They looked at real case studies and client problems, and the designers worked together to come up with innovative and practical ideas on how to solve these problems, applying the ideas and principles covered on day 1.

On day 3 attendees were treated to the following themes of interactive sessions:
1. Usability Heuristics, by Louise Salemink (Head of Product Design: Onboarding),
2. Golden Thread, by Annalie Spickett (Business Architecture Executive),
3. Product Owner Essentials, by Terri Gower (Senior Product Development Manager), and
4. AI Tools, by Jaun du Toit (Product Design Lead).

Unpacking the practicalities of what to do and how to do it, the hosts also spent time engaging the audience to hear how these topics relate to designers in their day-to-day work.

The CREATE.23 Summit ended off with a bang, bringing together local and international thought leaders, experts and stakeholders to share insights, engage in interactive discussions, and collaboratively shape the roadmap for Nedbank to achieve success in the years to come.

The CREATE.24 Summit will take place towards the end of next year. To be part of this transformative movement, keep an eye out for communication on Nedbank's internal platforms for further details on how and where to sign up.

Here’s to future-proofing the relationships that we build as Nedbank and how we serve our clients – and each other – in the experiences we create!