Rishal Balkissoon

Speaker Bio

Rishal has dedicated his career to shaping the intersection of digital transformation, technology transformation, strategy and artificial intelligence. With a background in Engineering, Strategy Consulting, and AI + Computer Science, he combines technical depth with strategic vision — bridging business, governance, and emerging technology.

Throughout his career at MTN and in prior strategic roles, Rishal has led programmes in AI strategy enablement and scale, digital ecosystem growth, and large-scale transformation. He currently drives MTN's Strategy Transformation portfolio including Strategic partnerships and enabling the AI CoE.

A strong advocate for responsible innovation, Rishal contributes to academia and thought leadership on AI governance, AI system development, Digital transformation, and Business re-invention, reflecting his belief that Africa’s Techco evolution can redefine both inclusion and intelligence at scale.