Top 10: Data Centre Leaders in MEA
The data centre industry in the Middle East and Africa (MEA) region is experiencing significant growth and development.
Whilst the Middle East’s data centre market is expected to double by 2030, on account of developments like AI, the African data centre industry could experience up to a 50% capacity increase by 2026. Ultimately, MEA is poised for continued growth, with both local and international investors eager to increase their commitments.
As demand is expected to rise, Data Centre Magazine looks at some of the leading figures in the data centre sector in MEA who continue to champion ground-breaking innovations for the region.
10. Tarek Al Ashram, CEO & Founder at Gulf Data Hub
Tarek Al Ashram has been CEO of Gulf Data Hub since he first founded the company in 2011. With him at the helm, the company’s mission is to provide a world-class carrier and vendor neutral data centre in the MEA region.
According to Tarek, Gulf Data Hub prides itself on maintaining neutrality to increase its range of customers. He hopes that this will lead the company to become the region’s first choice facility to store mission-critical equipment for businesses.
9. Ayotunde Coker - CEO of Open Access Data Centres
Dr Ayotunde Coker is one of the leading players in the development of the data centre industry in Africa and is Chairperson of influential industry group, the Africa Data Centres Association.
Before joining Open Access Data Centres as CEO, Dr Coker led Rack Centre to become a household name in Nigeria and a leading brand in Africa, with global recognition and numerous prestigious international awards.
Throughout a distinguished international career as a technology and business leader, Dr Coker has held senior positions in finance, energy, management consulting and UK Government.
8. Mohammad Bin Sulaiman, CEO at Moro Hub
With more than 19 years of experience in sales, account management, customer service and strategy, Mohammad Bin Sulaiman has a strong presence in the fields of telecommunications and data centres. At Moro Hub, he oversees the company’s mission to offer data, integration and managed services supported by a world-class alliance network.
Prior to Moro, he worked with Etisalat in a range of different roles, most recently Director of Enterprise Sales. He worked to develop a sales plan and business strategy based on revenue retention, ICT sales and customer satisfaction.
7. Wouter van Hulten, CEO at PAIX
Wouter van Hulten is the CEO of PAIX Data Centres, a Pan African cloud and carrier neutral data centre operator. He is an internet pioneer with more than 20 years of industry experience.
In 1997, he co-founded the first carrier neutral data centre in Amsterdam, SpeedPort, before moving his developments internationally. In addition to his responsibilities at PAIX, Wouter is also a founding member and board member of the Africa Data Center Association, in addition to The European Data Centre Association (EUDCA), designed to strengthen the data sector within these regions
6. Jonas Bogoshi, CEO at BCX
Jonas Bogoshi is a determined and principled leader who was appointed as CEO of BCX in 2018. He holds a deep knowledge and expertise of the ICT sector, having worked within it for nearly 30 years, which he brings to his leadership role.
As CEO, his aim is for BCX to build an agile ecosystem by partnering with small and medium-sized companies, in addition to building upon existing partnerships already established with bigger players. One of his goals is also to see BCX providing effective and efficient pay-per-consumption services when migrating clients into cloud computing.
5. Jan Hnizdo, CEO at Teraco Data Environments
Based in South Africa, Jan Hnizdo joined Teraco Data Environments in 2011 as Chief Financial Officer, before being appointed CEO in 2019. His role within the company has been instrumental, as he helped it develop from a start-up organisation to a leading data centre player across the African continent.
Prior to joining Teraco, Jan has an extensive background as a Chief Finance Officer (CFO) for several companies, in addition to being a manager for KPMG in the 1990s.
4. Hussain Sajwani, Founder & Chairman at DAMAC Group (Edgnex)
Hussain Sajwani is a businessman and founder of DAMAC Properties, a global property development company and a pioneering figure in the Middle East. He founded DAMAC in , which has since grown to become one of the largest property development companies in the Middle East.
He has ensured that innovation and digitisation are central to DAMAC Group’s business ethos, which has ventured into the data centre industry through DAMAC Data Centres
Innovation and digitisation are central to DAMAC Group's business ethos, which has ventured into the data center industry through DAMAC Data Centres.
3. Hassan Alnaqbi, CEO at Khazna Data Centers
Hassan Alnaqbi is a transformative leader aiming to drive the evolution of digital infrastructure in the MEA region. Since joining Khazna Data Centers as CEO in 2014, he has been instrumental in scaling the company into a global leader in hyperscale data centre solutions.
Under his leadership, the company has been pivotal in enabling AI-driven economies, helping to position the UAE as a digital leader. Hassan’s focus remains on expanding Khazna’s global reach while empowering businesses to leverage the power of AI and data to meet future challenges.
2. Snehar Shah, CEO at IXAfrica
Appointed as CEO at IXAfrica in September 2023, Snehar Shah now oversees the leading developer and operator of hyperscale-ready data centres in East Africa. With an extensive background in the telecommunications space, having worked for the likes of Orange, Snehar is using his expertise in building and running businesses to drive the company to new heights.
Snehar has previously held key leadership roles in finance and strategy across the UK, Europe and East Afirca.
1. Funke Opeke - CEO of MainOne
For more than a decade, Funke Opeke has been one of the driving forces behind the development of Nigeria’s digital infrastructure and economy. Her company, MainOne quickly grew to become West Africa’s leading communications services and network solutions provider, before it was acquired by Equinix for US$320m in 2021.
Funke has overseen the construction of the region’s first privately-owned, open access, 7,000 kilometre undersea high capacity submarine cable, as well as the country’s largest Tier III data centre.
Funke was named one of the World's Top 50 Women in Tech by Forbes in 2018 for her efforts in sparking the internet revolution in Nigeria. She has also previously been named as one of the Top 10 Women in Data Centres in MEA by Data Centre Magazine.
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