At the end of a year that has seen a host of senior management changes at Oracle's local offices, the enterprise software company says the executive restructuring process is now complete.
This week it finally secured Moss Gondwe, who will head up the public sector team, notes Nicky Sheridan, VP and MD for Oracle SA. The sought-after Gondwe was sourced from IBM. The two IT giants battled it out with counter-offers for two weeks before he chose Oracle.
Speaking at the sidelines of ITWeb's recent Oracle BI City Forum in Rosebank, Sheridan said: "It's fair to say that, in the past, Oracle's global muscle has not been mirrored by its local delivery in SA - the previous regime here was somewhat more tactical than strategic.
"So, over the course of the last 12 months, we have built an executive team that is more a reflection of the significant opportunities that exist for us in SA," he added.
Oracle's increased headcount will support its ecosystem by ensuring its partners have the necessary skills to properly assist their customers.
Sheridan pointed out the key changes:
* Michelle Beetar returned to Oracle in April from her CEO role at CommerceZone to lead the commercial technology team.
* Martin Dlamini joined Oracle from Hewlett-Packard as director of marketing.
* Ike Ngwena was promoted to lead the alliance and channels division.
* Gondwe will join Oracle in January, heading up the public sector division.
Aside from the top management restructuring, about 60 new jobs have been created at lower levels. "We are even having to move to new premises in Woodmead to cope with the expansion," he said.
Sheridan pointed to the rapid local growth in demand for Oracle acquired products. "We have to grow internally, and we have to have the skills in our partners to successfully deploy - that's the greatest challenge."
He believes Oracle's revenue growth can be attributed to a product range which he says has never been more stable in terms of features and functions, and the company's acquisitions (on a global level) which has strengthened R&D, and brought in specialised expertise, which supplements Oracle's investments.
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