Global tech giant, Microsoft, has appointed Wael Elkabbany to lead
its new subsidiary, the Africa Regional Cluster (ARC), as
General Manager.
The formation of the Africa Regional Cluster,
according to Microsoft, forms part of the company’s ongoing commitment to enable
digital transformation powered by the people of Africa and will build on the
strong foundation established over the last 30 years of Microsoft’s operations
in the continent.
In
a statement, Microsoft said the newly formed subsidiary ARC would cover all
countries in the continent except South Africa.
In
his remarks, the President, Middle East and Africa at Microsoft, Samer Abu
Ltaif noted in the statement that “Our guiding principle is enabling customers
and partners through the unique value of the Microsoft Cloud while bringing to
life our mission of empowering every person and every organization on the
planet to achieve more. The ARC will enable us to maximize the huge opportunity
across the continent whilst creating synergies across operations.”
Prior
to his new appointment, Wael was in charge of the Africa Transformation Office
(ATO), Microsoft’s Africa growth and acceleration engine that was set up in
2021 as an integral part of Microsoft’s continued investment in the continent. And
as part of the ARC leadership, the ATO will remain as a function reporting to
Mr. Elkabbany.
Commenting on his appointment, Wael Elkabbany acknowledged the
tremendous opportunity and responsibility placed on them not only to accelerate
business growth in the continent but also to increase their role to help drive
impact at scale, reaching millions of Africans and accelerating Africa’s digital
transformation.
By: Kanto Okanta
