Paul Van der Merwe

Paul van der Merwe is a dynamic and insightful enterprise architect known for his conceptual thinking and significant contributions to data management, software development, risk management, IT governance, and enterprise architecture (EA). Under his leadership, Real IRM expanded EA consulting and education globally, positioning South Africa as a leader in this field. His work at Real IRM, including the development of an EA approach now recognised as a TOGAF best practice, and his award-winning transformation roadmap for Nedbank, highlight his expertise. Passionate about EA, Paul has promoted it as a discipline, contributing to TOGAF 9 and serving as Chair of The Open Group’s Architecture Forum. He frequently presents at major industry conferences. For the past five years, he has led the EA practice at Standard Bank Group, earning accolades such as the Forrester’s EA Award for EMEA in 2022 and the BIAN Transformation Champion Award in 2023.