A journey from a struggling student to an innovative developer
Basani Moahi journey from a struggling student to a successful Developer and Manager of Business Solutions at Standard Bank Insurance Brokers reflects her determination to overcome all the obstacles that life throws at her. She completed her matric in 2008.
After graduating from UNISA with a Bachelor of Science in Mathematics and Chemistry, she worked for a year before joining the Youth Employment Service (YES) programme. This opportunity marked a significant turning point in her life. At the time, she did not have a smartphone, relying on a basic phone capable of only calls and messages. The YES programme provided her with a smartphone which became an invaluable tool for her that opened up a world of possibilities.
Transitioning from earning R3,000 per month on the streets to R10,000 per month in a corporate environment at Standard Bank allowed Moahi to support her family and pursue her personal goals. The YES programme exposed her to the corporate world, enabling her to apply her knowledge and gain practical experience, which is often hard to obtain without such opportunities.
Her journey with the YES programme was filled with learning new skills. One of these was in automation, which was new to the insurance sector in 2021.
In 2022, she developed an app for Standard Bank to help branches in the Eastern Cape capture funeral policy claims for grieving customers. This innovation saved costs on paper by digitising forms and improving the customer experience. Today, the app is used across all Standard Bank branches in South Africa, ensuring timely payouts for customers. Her contributions earned her two significant accolades – the “Most Solutions Implemented in Production” in 2021 and 2022, and the “Most Innovative Candidate” in 2022 and 2023.
In 2023, she hosted master classes on process automation for Standard Bank, inspiring four candidates to apply what they had learned and develop their own solutions. In 2024, she was nominated as one of the top 10 achievers by Standard Bank Insurance Brokers.
As a Developer and Manager of Business Solutions, she analyses business processes to identify automation opportunities using tools like robotics and Power Automate, aiming to enhance stakeholder and customer experiences.
Being a woman in the male-dominated technology field, she has always faced the challenge of being underestimated. But she believes that through her perseverance, she has proven the naysayers wrong.