SAS announces key appointment at Public Sector division

SAS Institute, the leader in business analytics software and services, has announced the appointment of Mandla Xaba as Business Development Manager at its local Public Sector division.

Xaba will be responsible for working with public sector clients in better understanding their business requirements, mapping these to technology solutions and assisting them with the deployment of business analytics to improve performance management within their departments.

“Mandla joins us with an excellent understanding of what government agencies and departments at a local, provincial and national level need from technology,” says Desan Naidoo, General Manager - Public Sector Division at SAS SA. “I am looking forward to working with him and drawing from his past experiences to add value to and strengthen the SAS Public Sector team.

Prior to joining SAS, Mandla worked at global technology company Oracle, where he held the position of Client Manager, working his way up the ranks into the position of Technology Accounts Manager for the Public Sector division, where he was responsible for the national public sector portfolio. He has also worked at a senior/executive level at HR-Focus Holdings, Global Makana Strategies; Quatro Trading; IDCS (Monyaka Gaming Machine Supply) and South African Breweries to name a few.

He currently holds a Business Management Development Programme diploma from the Natal Technikon, and a certificate in finance for non-financial managers from the University of Witwatersrand. Other qualifications include certificates in: Business Skills, Marketing Management, Power Production, and his ITIL qualification from Foster-Melliar. He is currently studying a certificate programme in Marketing Strategy at UNISA and a Masters of Business Administration (MBA) at Buckinghamshire University College in the UK.

“My passion is working hand in glove with clients in order to best understand and ascertain their exact business requirements,” states Xaba. “Public sector clients need to improve performance management issues, and as vendors we are responsible for not just dumping off technology on their doorsteps, but rather offering solutions that meet their immediate and future business needs, as well as help them achieve their government mandate.”

His current portfolio at SAS includes: the KwaZulu-Natal Office of the Premier, the KwaZulu-Natal National Treasury, the Department of Education, the South African Post Office, the Presidency, Department of Communications, Home Affairs, SITA, and the Department of Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs.