Job Description

Our client is keen to continue with the growth momentum they have achieved in the South Africa region and with this objective would like to build their leadership team to help grow the business profitably.

The technology business in South Africa - both Information Technology and Telecom - has been expanding at a rapid pace. To ensure that we continue to gain market share and increase the top line and bottom line in a competitive and rapidly evolving industry, our client is keen to bring on board a sharp, seasoned, and strategic leader to lead the RSA business.

This is a senior position within the company’s MEA Leadership team and the incumbent will lead the local business, driving growth in Technology distribution (Cloud, software and related enterprise) through visionary leadership, strategic execution, and operational excellence. This executive is responsible for building and executing a robust go-to-market strategy, expanding customer adoption, and representing the company with key stakeholders across the region.

The key accountabilities of the role will be to:

• Provide leadership to the business -
  • One of the key tasks for the Country Head - RSA will be to develop and own the country’s growth strategy, ensuring alignment with regional and global objectives.
  • Act as the chief spokesperson for the company in South Africa, representing the business at industry events, with the press, and in public forums.
  • Oversee the legal entity, including people management, site strategy, compliance (e.g., B-BBEE), and budget ownership.
  • Report on business, financial, and operational performance to regional leadership and participate in strategic leadership forums.
• Manage human capital effectively –
  • Build organizational capability and capacity to meet the pressing demands of rapid growth in a competitive and changing environment.
  • Lead and inspire local teams across sales, solution architecture, marketing, finance, and operations to deliver revenue growth and user adoption.
  • Foster a customer-obsessed culture and strong team identity, upholding company values and local relevance.
• Drive Operational Excellence and systems thinking - Build and nurture strong executive relationships with customers, partners, government, regulators, and media to drive market adoption and brand presence.
• Bring credibility and gravitas to internal and external relationships. The Country Leader will be responsible for establishing and growing long-term relationships with key clients in the region/country. A high degree of customer-centricity will be critical in this role. In addition, the role will influence and collaborate effectively with a large group of internal stakeholders within the company.

Reporting Relationship and Location

The Country Head - RSA - will be based in Johannesburg or Cape Town, RSA and report to the Africa Cluster Head. The span of control for the position will be in the range of ~ 4-6 direct reports and s/he will be indirectly responsible for all the country-level teams.

Candidate Profile

Experience

• The ideal candidate for this role will be a seasoned and highly qualified leader with 15+ years of experience in managing the IT Distribution business in the areas of Cybersecurity, Storage, of comparable size, scale, and complexity.
• Overall P&L responsibility for this business is in line with the goals set by the company for the financial year. Experience managing budgets, legal compliance, and operational execution at a country level.
• Proven experience in country management or senior leadership roles within technology, software, or cloud sectors.
• He/ she should have a strong executive presence, relationship-building skills and an ability to make an impact with external stakeholders. Excellent relationship-building skills with C-suite executives, government, and industry stakeholders
• Demonstrated ability to scale businesses from early-stage growth through maturity.
• Strong commercial acumen and track record in enterprise sales and go-to-market execution.
• Inspirational leadership with the ability to drive high performance across diverse teams
• Deep understanding of the South African business environment and regulatory landscape.
  
  

Personal Attributes

• The individual will be an independent, dynamic, high-energy personality with strong interpersonal, influencing and relationship skills. He/She will have the gravitas, maturity and credibility to be accepted at the seniormost levels in client organizations as well as in industry and have the clout to ‘open doors’ and ‘win businesses.
• Strong understanding of IT Distribution trends, and the South African market landscape.