The show’s success comes down to this key ingredient: exceptional guests with stories worth hearing.
South Africa’s favourite technology podcast, What’s Next with Aki Anastasiou, has hit another major milestone – surpassing 17 million views.
The achievement highlights the incredible momentum behind South Africa’s premier technology talk show, which continues to attract a large and engaged audience.
South Africans keep returning because they are eager to hear from South Africa’s most influential business and technology leaders.
The show’s success comes down to this key ingredient: exceptional guests with stories worth hearing.
From top CEOs and entrepreneurs to innovators and industry pioneers, What’s Next has built a reputation for bringing viewers face-to-face with the people shaping South Africa’s digital future across every industry.
South Africa’s industry leaders
When What’s Next was launched in 2020, it instantly hosted South Africa’s top business leaders – and this is a trend that has continued throughout its history.
The very first guest was prominent venture capitalist Michael Jordaan.
Over the course of the next few years, What’s Next continued to host industry leaders like Vodacom CEO Shameel Joosub, Dimension Data founder Jeremy Ord, Sygnia CEO Magda Wierzycka, Afrihost CEO Gian Visser, and former MTN SA CEO Godfrey Motsa.
In 2026, this lineup continues to impress, with industry leaders like:
- Amazon sub-Saharan Africa managing director – Robert Koen
- Lenovo South Africa general manager – Yugen Naidoo
- NTT DATA CEO for MEA – Alan Turnley-Jones
- Discovery Bank CEO – Hylton Kallner
- Wesbank CEO – Robert Gwerengwe
- Maziv CEO – Dietlof Mare
- MetroFibre CEO– Jan-Jan Bezuidenhout
- Blu Label Joint-CEOs – Brett Levy and Mark Levy
- Lexus South Africa Senior VP for sales and marketing – Leon Theron
- Tracker CEO – Dillan Fernando
- British American Tobacco chief corporate officer – Kingsley Wheaton
- Managing director of SAP South Africa – Nazia Pillay
- Cell C CEO – Jorge Mendes
Each of these experts offers unique perspectives on the trends transforming business and technology in South Africa.
The discussions span artificial intelligence, cloud computing, telecommunications, cybersecurity, financial services, digital transformation, infrastructure, entrepreneurship, and much more.
What’s Next
What’s Next continues to give viewers front-row access to the people and ideas shaping South Africa’s future.
Hosted by Aki Anastasiou, every episode delivers insightful conversations with the leaders driving innovation across the country’s biggest industries.
Surpassing 17 million views is a testament to the show’s growing influence and the appetite for high-quality business and technology discussions.
With an ever-expanding audience and a steady stream of world-class guests, What’s Next with Aki Anastasiou continues to set the benchmark for technology interviews in South Africa.
