Get to know the faces behind Diginex: Meet Hannah Thinyane – Director, Supply Chain Technology R&D at Diginex

Please introduce yourself and explain what your role as Director, Supply Chain Technology R&D entails

My name is Hannah Thinyane and I have been working in the area of Digital Technology for sustainable development for 17 years.?While previously my focus was more broadly on technology for transparency and accountability, over the past seven years I have focused on the use of technology to identify forced labour and exploitative work practices, working in academia, United Nations, and now in the private sector at Diginex.?

My role at Diginex is to lead our supply chain technology research and development, which entails managing a number of our products (diginexAPPRISE, our worker voice tool, and our US Department of Labor-funded project to trace goods made with child and/or forced labor) as well as contributing to thought leadership in the space.

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Q: Tell us about your time at Diginex and what you have loved about it the most so far?

A: I joined the team in late 2021 and have loved the opportunity to work with a group of like-minded colleagues. While we all have very different skill sets and backgrounds, we are able to work together to develop some pretty impressive tools that support businesses to identify and remediate exploitative practices in their supply chain.

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Q: What would you say your biggest accomplishment is and why?

A: I guess my biggest accomplishment so far is raising two strong, beautiful and deep-thinking kids who are (at most times) kind and compassionate to others. From a work perspective, I have been proud of the worker voice tool, diginexAPPRISE, that I designed and developed, and the opportunities I had to share it with a wide group of stakeholders. Including the different pilot studies we undertook with the tool, it has been used to give over 80,000 people a chance to anonymously report exploitative practices at work.

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Q: What would you say is the driving force in your life?

A: I have always had a strong sense of justice, and for years tried to figure out how I could use my computer science and research skills to contribute to alleviate injustice in society. This search has led me to work in academia, a UN research think tank, and now with Diginex. I believe that while there is a critical role for intergovernmental organizations in fighting forced labour, working with businesses at Diginex can contribute more positively to this aim.

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Q: Outside of work, what are some of your passions/hobbies?

A: I have two young(ish) kids, so outside of work I like to spend time with them and my husband. We bake together, eat together (very important), and have adventures together.?Other than that, I love any excuse to get active. Until recently I’ve been part of a dragon boat team, and regularly participate in CrossFit classes. I just moved across continents, so I’m excited to find my new normal.

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Q: What advice would you give someone starting in their career today?

A: I would suggest that they should find something that inspires them. Mid-way through my PhD I was close to quitting as I couldn’t see myself as (what I thought was) the typical computer scientist – sitting in front of a computer with no human interaction. I then discovered how fulfilling it can be when you apply your skills to a goal that inspires you