Charlene Cooke is the lead executive and branch manager of BBD Cape Town, where she’s helped grow the team from 20 to over 100 engineers – plus 35+ remote staff – all while keeping people and purpose at the core. With a background in software engineering and two decades in the ICT sector, Charlene has led high-performing teams across the financial, insurance and iGaming industries. She’s passionate about open, honest leadership, and believes trust and candid conversation are key to building motivated, productive teams. A people person who loves tech, Charlene is most energised when helping others succeed – because while engineers work with computers, it’s people who make the magic happen.