Habib Baluwala

Habib Baluwala is the General Manager of AI and Data Foundations at One New Zealand, where he leads the company’s enterprise-wide AI and data platform strategy. His team is responsible for building scalable, secure, and production-grade foundations that power One NZ’s AI initiatives - spanning cloud-native infrastructure, data pipelines, GenAI platforms, and robotic process automation.

With a background that bridges deep technical expertise and business acumen, Habib is focused on delivering AI solutions that drive real impact - reducing friction, unlocking automation, and enabling new customer experiences. His leadership has been key in One NZ’s migration to a modern data and AI stack, ensuring platforms are resilient, trusted, and ready to support next-generation use cases.

Habib holds a PhD in medical imaging from the University of Oxford and brings over a decade of cross-industry experience across telecom, consulting, healthcare, and government. He also previously served on the Executive Council of AI Forum New Zealand, where he contributed to shaping the national agenda for responsible and future-focused AI adoption.