F5 Networks (NASDAQ: FFIV) has appointed Matthew Barker as its new Director for the sub-Saharan Africa region.
Reporting directly to Diego Arrabal, Middle East and Africa VP, F5 Networks, Barker will lead a team comprised of salespeople, channel staff and system engineers focused on consolidating F5’s position as one of the region’s leading application delivery companies.
In particular, there will be a strong emphasis on security, multi-cloud deployments and a further expansion of channel reach.
“Matthew is an important appointment as we ramp up our business and channel impact across Africa,” said Arrabal.
“As we continue to stand out in the market for application security and performance management in the cloud, it is vital we expand the ambition and capability of our team. Matthew has extensive experience driving sales growth in challenging environments, as well as a strong track record in impactful channel achievement and we are delighted to have him on board.”
Barker brings over 15-years’ industry experience to the company, having played a key role in driving profit and market-share for a range of top IT players. He joins F5 from Fortinet, where he was Sales Manager for Secure Access Architecture in Africa. Barker has also held a number of leadership positions across the region, including as Aruba Networks’ sub-Saharan Africa manager, NetApp’s channel manager and Symantec’s partner manager.
“I am excited to join F5 Networks at a time when its profile, focus and solutions are gaining increasing traction across sub-Saharan Africa,” said Barker.
“We have a fantastic team already in place and the challenge is now to take the business to the next level, capitalising on our growing security portfolio and clients’ need to unlock new levels of performance via the cloud.”
Staff Writer
