Google has appointed Kabelo Makwane to oversee its operations in SA as its new country director, effective from early next year.
On Thursday, the US internet giant said it had appointed the experienced business leader, who will be leaving Vodacom to take up the role.
Makwane, who has more than two decades’ experience in the technology sector, serves as managing executive for the cloud, hosting, and security unit at Vodacom Business.
Before his Vodacom stint, he was MD for the Africa Global Unit at Accenture Operations, and held the role of MD for cloud and technology consulting.
Makwane also spent eight years at Microsoft in various roles, including as country MD for Nigeria and public sector director in SA. He was also Cisco’s regional manager for the public sector in SA for five years.
His appointment comes while US authorities are mulling breaking up the Silicon Valley giant, with the US justice department recently issuing a landmark ruling that found Google to be operating an illegal monopoly in the field of internet searches.
According to a recent study commissioned by Google, the company’s operations in SA generated R118bn for the economy in 2023.
Google — like other Silicon Valley giants — has been stepping up its investment in Africa to better tap a market of about 1.4-billion people. With challenges such as low internet connectivity and disposable incomes compared with developed markets, the company has been helping to plug holes where it can as a means to get more people on the continent to use its services.
Google Africa MD Alex Okosi said: “We are thrilled to welcome Kabelo as he joins us at an incredibly exciting time for Africa and Google. With digital transformation accelerating across the continent, we are poised to leverage the power of artificial intelligence (AI) to deliver innovative solutions that enable our users, partners and advertisers to thrive in this dynamic era. We’re thrilled to have Kabelo join our leadership team.”
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