SAP, a leading provider of business software, has appointed Sam Alkharrat to lead the next wave of the company’s growth and development in the Mena region. Alkharrat will be located at SAP’s head office in Dubai.

Alkharrat joins SAP Mena after having spent 16 years with Cisco Systems, where he held several leadership roles building its business in the Mena region, said a statement from SAP.

Most recently Alkharrat held the position of managing director of the company’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.

Following a transition period working alongside Sergio Maccotta, current managing director of SAP Mena, Alkharrat will assume on October 1 full responsibility for SAP’s business operations across the region, the company statement said.

Maccotta will take over as the vice president of Business Transformation and Development, as a member of the SAP EMEA emerging market management team and will remain based 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.

Maccotta has led the company’s expansion in Mena since September 2007 when SAP established direct operations in the region.

During this time the organization has grown rapidly and made significant progress in establishing itself as the business solution software partner of choice, it added.

Today, SAP Mena represents one of the fastest growing markets within SAP, largely due to the solid and progressive foundation established during this period, the company said.

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 organizations in the region.

“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,” said Alkharrat.

Alkharrat 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.

“I have thoroughly enjoyed helping SAP to become the leading provider of business software solutions in the Mena region. It gave me the opportunity to work alongside local organizations, with bold ambitions and aggressive goals,” commented Maccotta.-TradeArabia News Service