Cisco has appointed Ali Amer as Managing Director for Global Service Provider Sales in the Middle East and Africa. In his new role, Ali will be responsible for helping telecommunications service providers transform their networks, businesses and customers’ experiences to capture the opportunities created by the digital era. In addition to driving the segment’s sales strategy and growth across the Middle East and Africa, he will also focus on streamlining business operations, including sales and channel strategy, business development and customer support.
According to Cisco Amer will report to Peter Karlstromer, Senior Vice President for Global Service Provider Sales, Cisco EMEAR. He will work closely with the regions’ mobile operators to develop their digital transformation roadmaps as they evolve their business and revenue models to meet the growing demand for data services and financial and commercial services.
Speaking on the appointment Karlstromer. said “It gives me great pleasure to announce Ali as the new leader for our Service Provider business in the Middle East and Africa. Ali is a highly regarded leader known for his close working relationships and deep understanding of the telecoms industry landscape. His expertise and ability to build high performance teams will undoubtedly accelerate our momentum in delivering the digital ecosystem and network infrastructure that our customers need to capture rising opportunities.”
Amer joined Cisco in 2013, most recently serving as Managing Director for Cisco’s Service Provider segment in the Middle East and Turkey. He brings to the role over 25 years of industry experience and was previously the Senior Telecom and IT Consultant in the same unit, advising multinationals and start-ups on market entrance and go-to-market strategies in the region. Prior to Cisco, Amer spent fifteen years at Motorola Networks rising to the position of Vice President and General Manager for Europe, the Middle East and Africa, where he ran an organisation of 2,500 employees and business professionals with annual revenues in excess of $1 billion.
“I am excited to take on this expanded role within our Service Provider business as Cisco continues to push the envelope with solutions, technologies and a vision that drives exponential value and success for our customers and partners,” said Ali Amer, Managing Director, Global Service Provider Sales, Cisco Middle East and Africa. “With its significant growth potential, a rapidly expanding population, and increasing smartphone penetration, the telecommunications market in the Middle East and Africa is at an important junction. Cisco’s technology capabilities and strong partnerships will play a pivotal role in enabling SPs to become truly intelligent network operators that are able unlock opportunities, enhance business agility, and drive service innovation and customer-experience enhancement.”
The next phase for the Middle East and Africa telecommunications sector will be defined by an explosion in data demand. The annual Cisco Visual Networking Index forecast projects a 12-fold increase in Middle East and Africa mobile data traffic from 2016 to 2021, a compound annual growth rate of 65 percent. By 2021, the Middle East and Africa will have 2.4 billion networked devices (up from 1.7 billion in 2016) and 1.4 networked devices per capita, while 75 percent of all networked devices will be mobile-connected in 2021.
Across the Middle East and Africa, strong growth in mobile users, smartphones and Internet of Things (IoT) connections combine with network speed improvements and growth in mobile video consumption to significantly increase mobile data traffic over the next five years.
