Open source provider Red Hat has named Mark Bannerman as country manager for Red Hat in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA).
In an announcement released yesterday, Red Hat says Bannerman will be responsible for managing and growing the software company across all sub-Saharan countries.
"He will play a key role in promoting brand awareness locally, in addition to driving customer knowledge of Red Hat's comprehensive solutions. Bannerman brings with him extensive understanding of the local SSA economy and environment," it says.
According to Red Hat's Web site, the company has a presence in SA as well as several European countries and Israel. It does not list which SSA countries it is active in, nor is there information available as to whom Bannerman replaces, or whether the role has just been created.
Bannerman joins Red Hat from MicroStrategy, where he was country MD from January 2011 to January this year, when he moved to Red Hat. Before MicroStrategy, Bannerman spent three years at SAP as a sales manager for the SSA region.
Red Hat notes his career has spanned more than 22 years, and he has worked at several tech companies, including Business Objects, Polygon Systems and IDCS.
Michel Isnard, Red Hat VP of Southern Europe, Middle East and Africa, says the company is "delighted" to have Bannerman join the team.
"He is a veteran of the IT industry and his excellent track record in the development of technology companies is exactly what we are looking for to increase brand awareness and partner engagement across sub-Saharan Africa. We see great opportunities in this region, and Mark's arrival comes at a perfect time for Red Hat in the region."
Bannerman adds: "Joining Red Hat is an exciting opportunity for me." He notes he is looking forward to helping Red Hat increase its footprint across sub-Saharan Africa.
"I'm eager to play a major role in Red Hat's success in the region, especially with cloud, middleware and mobile."
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