Faces to watch: Digital transformation leaders in MEA

Digital transformation is accelerating across all industries in the region, with the pandemic having augmented its importance. While global service providers are lining up to assist regional businesses in cloud migration and digital transformation journeys, regional companies are also gaining a growing foothold of the market.

Anas Jwaied
VP and GM for Emerging Markets, Micro Focus
Micro Focus provides solutions that help businesses bridge the gap between existing and new technologies and accomplish ‘smart’ digital transformation. Spearheading the company’s interests in the region is Anas Jwaied.

Promoted to his current role last year after a four-year tenure as managing director for the Middle East and Africa (MEA) region at Micro Focus, Jwaied brings over 25 years of experience in leadership positions and has managed diverse teams across the EMEA region within the technology sector. Having previously held executive positions at HP and HPE, he transitioned to Micro Focus during the 2016 merger of HPE and Micro Focus.

Sunil Paul
Co-founder and managing director, Finesse Global
Equipped with operational and technical knowledge of the leading industry verticals, Finesse’s digital transformation portfolio includes solutions and services for artificial intelligence chatbots, blockchain, cloud, robotic process automation, managed services  and more. Heading the company is Sunil Paul, an industry veteran who has worked in the information technology and services sector for over 25 years.

He has been instrumental in expanding Finesse into 10 global locations since its launch in 2010. Paul also spearheads the company’s not-for-profit CSR platform, Finesse Foundation, set up to support education and healthcare.

Mohamed Amer
VP and regional GM – Middle East and Africa, Xerox
With the accelerated use of digital technologies by businesses, Xerox, traditionally known for its print infrastructure, is now applying its decades of expertise to the digital technology world and is innovating in areas such as 3D printing and the industrial internet of things.

Regionally, the company is also creating software solutions targeting SMEs. As the head of the MEA region, Mohamed Amer, a Xerox veteran, manages its operations, business growth and strategy development. He formerly served as the general manager at Xerox Distributor Group covering 34 countries in the Caribbean, Central America and South America. He began his career with Xerox Corporation in Alexandria, Egypt, in 1999.

Mark Ackerman
Area VP – Middle East and Africa, ServiceNow
In May this year, ServiceNow, which specialises in workflow management, set up a new office in Dubai Internet City. The launch of the new office is aimed at leveraging the digital transformation trend that is gaining ground in the region, according to Mark Ackerman, who sees 2021 as a ‘pivotal time for the region’.

Having joined ServiceNow in 2015, Ackerman is responsible for the company’s expansion as well as the development of a strong regional customer base. Under his leadership, the company has supported the digital transformation goals for several regional government entities and enterprises, particularly in the banking, financial services, insurance, energy, utilities, healthcare and telecoms sectors.