Steven Banick

A builder at heart with a passion for technology and the innovation it can drive, TELUS’ Chief Information Officer (CIO) Hesham Fahmy supports a global team of technology professionals who are driving TELUS’ transformation to a customer first, digitally-led technology powerhouse.

Favouring the use of the term ‘disruptive’ in a positive way, Fahmy’s career is brimming with disruptive startups and technologies. He broke into the telco sphere in 2008 when he built one of the first mobile money transfer systems before joining Virgin Mobile Canada at a time when telcos were starting to push the limits of what a telco can be. 

He joined TELUS in 2021. “I could not pass up on the opportunity to work with the innovation that we're doing here,” he shares. “TELUS is disrupting the telco space and really reinventing what it means to be a telecommunications provider.”

As CIO, he is spearheading the ongoing transformation at TELUS, guiding its shift from a conventional telecom organisation to an innovation-led trailblazing technology leader.

“How can we seamlessly cultivate the digital mindset we're instilling in our team and its members?” he asks. “Our core principles include a genuine customer-centric approach, data-driven decision-making, a deep appreciation for engineering excellence, a relentless commitment to eliminating inefficiencies and a steadfast focus on enhancing the overall well-being and joy of our team members.”

Steve Banick, Vice President, Strategy & Transformation has proudly been a TELUS team member for more than 25 years - although when he joined in 1997 as a software developer he only intended to stay a year. In his current role, he is helping drive and reshape how TELUS’ workforce operates in an emerging and ever-evolving digital world, by rethinking the processes, tools and the way they work together.

“Our mission is to make the work culture and environment at TELUS the very best on the planet so we can draw and retain the best people,” he shares. “I’ve had the opportunity to work through a wide variety of business areas, predominantly in technology, and I love the intersection of big, challenging problems to solve with exciting technology.”

What thrills Banick about TELUS is how technology - and how it is used - has evolved during his career, especially in the wake of the pandemic.

“TELUS has been at the forefront,” and Banick has no view of that slowing down. “We will continue to see increased demand and expectations of strong collaboration with teams not only spread across Canada, but around the world. We’re looking at how we introduce new technology, new processes, new habits and ways in which teams work together that bring out the best of the talent we can tap into. 

“The pace is quickening with the emergence of innovative technologies such as Generative AI, adding another tool to enhance team productivity. We don't see things slowing down, we see them speeding up and that's very exciting.”

This is echoed by Hasan Jafri, TELUS’ Vice President Platform Engineering & Common Services. With a varied career background in industries such as healthcare and banking, Jafri brings a unique perspective and set of skills to TELUS. 

TELUS reached out to Jafri to join their team. “I joined because of the amazing people and culture at TELUS,” he shares. “The social mandate associated with TELUS is something that can touch your heart. We're transforming TELUS into a software driven organisation, eliminating toil and increasing the happiness of our hard working teams.”

As TELUS evolves into a software-driven organisation, Jafri envisions it will completely transform how it designs software, builds solutions, drives automation and partners with other organisations. He says: “It's a completely new way of approaching how we deliver technology. We're delivering faster than ever at more efficient rates and lower costs. Our people are happy and I think ultimately our customers are seeing that change.”

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