Kabelo Makwane Appointed as Google’s New Country Director
Google has announced the appointment of Kabelo Makwane, an experienced and highly regarded business leader, as its new Country Director for South Africa.
Makwane will officially take up his new role on January 6, 2025, bringing over two decades of expertise in the technology sector to the global tech giant.
Makwane joins Google from Vodacom Business, where he currently serves as Managing Executive for the Cloud, Hosting, and Security division.
His impressive career trajectory includes leadership roles at major global companies such as Accenture, Microsoft, and Cisco. At Accenture, he served as Managing Director for the Africa Global Unit and led Cloud and Technology Consulting operations.
During his eight years at Microsoft, Makwane held various roles, including Country Managing Director for Nigeria and Public Sector Director in South Africa. Prior to that, he spent five years at Cisco as Regional Manager for Public Sector in South Africa.
Commenting on his appointment, Makwane expressed enthusiasm for his new role, saying,
“Google is an impactful, AI-first company whose innovative products and services continue to accelerate personal and economic development in Africa. I’m excited to join the team in South Africa and to help more people and businesses get more out of AI, the internet, and technology in general.”
Alex Okosi, Managing Director of Google Africa, also welcomed Makwane to the team.
“We are thrilled to welcome Kabelo as he joins us at an incredibly exciting time for both Africa and Google. With digital transformation accelerating across the continent, we are poised to leverage the power of 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,”
Okosi said.
Makwane holds an MBA from Wits Business School and a Bachelor of Commerce Degree from the University of KwaZulu-Natal.
His extensive experience and strong leadership background are expected to drive Google’s mission to harness AI and technology for the advancement of individuals and businesses across South Africa.