To improve responsiveness to local customers with faster, locally astute decisions in East Africa (EA), NEC XON has appointed a regional management team (RMT).
“Traditional corporate decision-making structures aren’t necessarily as aware of the regional market as local leaders are. We need business agility and to achieve that, we will empower local senior leaders who understand how to support East African customers,” says Gary Munro, vice-president: African operations at NEC XON.
William Hunter, regional manager for NEC XON in East Africa, compares the dynamic to a local farmer who understands his land and the local climate. “As a farmer, you develop a connection with your land. Kenya has been the regional office since the eighties. In truth, the members of our new EA RMT have been farming the land for many years, with support from Japan and South Africa.”
Hunter points out that the local management knowledge is critical for navigating the EA market. “As the market has grown, so has our ‘farm’, and decision speed and accuracy are both vital to maintain competitiveness.”
Philip Nganga, regional sales manager at NEC XON, says strong relationships lead to success. “We provide solutions, and good solutions require deep customer knowledge. That knowledge is a product of relationship-based familiarity.”
It’s not just knowledge, either – it’s also about trust. As Nganga points out, local RMT members have grown up and done business with all of NEC XON’s key regional clients for years.
“We are one people across the EA market. Many of our regional clients speak Swahili, so it makes sense for Swahili speakers to lead efforts to develop regional clients. The region includes countries like Djibouti, Ethiopia, Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda, and Zambia.”
East Africa is a very technically mature market and, as a result, highly competitive. Nganga says the responsibility given to the new team will enable previously untapped opportunities to be met. More opportunities also means more personal growth and development opportunities for local employees and leaders.
“Apart from the established local team, we’ve also had the chance to hire some key new people who will further support improved service delivery across our business units,” he says.
Although the East Africa team is still relatively small, Munro expresses confidence in the quality of its people. “We have good human capital. Our skills include management, telecoms, networking, and safety and security. Their contact with local customers will be key to the strategy we implement in the next five to 10 years.”