Alkharrat has joined SAP MENA after having spent 16 years with Cisco Systems, where he held several leadership roles building Cisco’s business in the MENA region. Most recently Alkharrat held the position of MD of the Cisco’s public sector business across the emerging markets, with responsibility for the segment’s strategy and operations in Russia, Central and Eastern Europe, Latin America, and MENA regions. Alkharrat will be located at SAP’s head office in Dubai.
Following a transition period working alongside Sergio Maccotta, current MD of SAP MENA, Alkharrat will assume full responsibilities of the vendor’s regional operations on October 1, 2010.
Maccotta will take over the role of VP of Business Transformation and Development, as a member of the SAP EMEA Emerging Market Management Team and will remain in Dubai. In this new challenge, Maccotta will continue to support the development of this larger region, MENA included, fostering innovation and exchanging initiatives and best practices among similar fast growing countries.
has led the company’s expansion in MENA since September 2007 when SAP established direct operations in the region. During this time the organisation has grown rapidly and made significant progress in establishing itself as the business solution software partner of choice.
These milestones have all been achieved during a period in SAP MENA’s history dedicated to quickly building a strong foundation for the business, establishing enduring relationships with customers and partners, and confirming SAP as a Maccotta recognised contributor to the sustainable development and growth of the region. As this initial stage is now coming to completion, SAP has a built a solid platform in MENA and the vendor is looking to the next wave of growth and success.
Today, SAP MENA represents one of the fastest growing markets within SAP, largely due to the solid and progressive foundation established during this period.
Alkharrat will build on SAP’s achievements in the region by continuing to place the customer at the centre of SAP’s endeavours and bringing the full power of SAP’s industry and solution knowledge to organisations in the region. He will be responsible for further expanding SAP’s local ecosystem and extending the company’s role as a contributor to the economic and knowledge-based development of these countries.
“Since SAP established direct operations in MENA, its progress has been widely acknowledged and celebrated and I am honoured to have been asked to lead the next stage of the company’s development,” says Alkharrat. “The business has grown at an impressive rate through a combination of offering innovative and tailored business solutions to organisations of all sizes and by working closely with local partners, as well as industry and government bodies, to understand the needs of this unique and diverse region.”
Maccotta adds that he has thoroughly enjoyed helping SAP to become a leading provider of business software solutions in the MENA region. “It gave me the opportunity to work alongside local organisations, with bold ambitions and aggressive goals. These companies recognise that making business operations more efficient and competitive requires technology advanced enough to offer global best practices as standard and innovative enough to adapt to local demands,” remarks Maccotta. “SAP’s long-term strategy for the MENA region has always been to build an organisation that is fully attuned to the local and regional business environment and I am confident that Alkharrat will take SAP MENA to even greater heights in the years to come. I look forward to working with him to ensure a smooth transition and continue in my new role to have the opportunity to further collaborate with our customers and partners in the region.”
Business applications vendor SAP has appointed Sam Alkharrat to lead the next wave of SAP?s growth and development in the Middle East & North Africa (MENA).
