Orange Business Services targets growth in new IMEAR 'super-region'
The global digital transformation is impacting the way we do business on almost a daily basis, making it harder for enterprises, government bodies and service providers to properly strategise how to make the most of the technologies available.
Orange Business Services (OBS) believes its value is in helping companies to harness the power of those digital technologies and IT solutions, thus allowing them to create new business models which capture new revenue streams and empower employees.
Now to ensure that OBS manages to do so in the most effective way possible, it is now employing two of its heavyweights to look after a new ‘super-region’ of sorts, where the company is targeting significant growth. The company’s newly-formed IMEAR region combines established business operations, including indirect operations (SITA Business Unit), the Middle East and Africa (MEA), and Russia-CIS.
The new region will be looked after by Richard van Wageningen, who’ll take the lead in his role as senior vice president. His job will be focused on grouping the growing markets - essentially, the Middle East, as well as Russia and Africa, and the indirect business in the Air Transport industry. The idea behind the operational structure is that the newly-formed region will create more opportunities to share best practices in key areas, for example the smart cities which we told you about in this month’s edition of Business Review Middle East.
OBS’ activities in Russia and CIS have been headed up by van Wageningen since 2013 and he has developed extensive management experience in telecommunications, dealing with IT companies, service providers and equipment vendors. He also has international experience, having worked in a number of countries and cultures, including Saudi Arabia, Russia, Portugal and the Netherlands.
And van Wageningen’s right hand man will be Luc Serviant, who expands his role as vice president, Middle East and Africa. Serviant retains his responsibility for Middle East, North Africa and Turkey and will now take over African operations following the retirement of Giorgio Heiman. Serviant’s main expertise lies in marketing and the implementation of IT solutions within the enterprise sector, where he has over 25 years’ experience, mainly focusing on strategic planning and people management.
Orange Business Services has previously described itself as “a trusted partner to many businesses and governments in the Middle East for more than 20 years” and the company believes that its new regional structure will best facilitate the growth of its business in the region moving forward.
To facilitate the move, three regional headquarters will now be built in Dubai, Johannesburg and Moscow, with van Wageningen operating out of the Russian capital, and Serviant reporting to him from his new base in Dubai.
