Microsoft has appointed Mteto Nyati, IBM's former director for global technology service for SA and central Africa, to head up its South African subsidiary, the US software group announced yesterday.
Nyati will take up his new position on 1 September, after a 12-year career at IBM where he held his previous position since June 2005.
His appointment comes after Microsoft SA's first black MD, Pfungwe Serima, quit to take up the position of MD of SAP's South African operations.
Serima, while black, is a Zimbabwean citizen and so his appointment did not add any points in terms of the Department of Trade and Industry's black economic empowerment score card.
Nyati will be the first black South African to hold the position.
He led three large business units at IBM: telecommunications, small and medium business, and IBM Global Services.
Nyati holds a BSc in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Natal and an MBA from Wits University. He was awarded a Rhodes Scholarship in 1985 and, in 2004, was named as one of Yale University's World Fellows on Global Leadership.
"SA is a key market for Microsoft, and this is an exciting time for the ICT industry and the country. It's an honour to be leading a team that is committed and passionate about contributing to the nation and its people in this way," said Nyati.
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