Equinix appoints new managing director to lead Middle East and North Africa business

Dubai: Equinix, Inc. (Nasdaq: EQIX), the global interconnection and data center company, today announced the appointment of Kamel Al-Tawil as its new Managing Director for the Middle East and North Africa. In his role, Al-Tawil will oversee and continue to grow Equinix’s business portfolio in the region, defining the evolving strategy for the local markets.

The new MENA lead brings a wealth of experience to the role, having worked with major corporations like NCR, EMC and Oracle, where he served in multiple senior leadership positions—most recently as Vice President of Business Applications. Al-Tawil has led large-scale projects across business functions and companies, leveraging leading business and technology practices to deliver effective and efficient ways of working, whilst driving ongoing scale and growth.

The appointment further strengthens Equinix’s developing business in the MENA region, as the company supports organizations with deploying interconnection and other digital strategies to unlock growth in new markets, diversify and improve business and financial performance.

The Middle East has proven to be an exciting market of growth for cloud adoption, with cloud becoming a key component of the region’s digital transformation. According to the International Data Corporation (IDC), investments in digital transformation and innovation will account for 30% of all IT spending in the Middle East, Turkey, and Africa (META) by 2024, up from 18% in 2018[1]. Indeed, Equinix’s 2019-20 Global Tech Trends Survey, found over two-thirds (67%) of UAE IT decision-makers view digitizing their IT infrastructure as a priority. 7 out of 10 (72%) IT decision-makers surveyed in the UAE consider moving infrastructure to the digital edge a priority for their organization’s technology strategy.

Highlights/Key Facts

• Platform Equinix® in MENA offers dense and diverse network, cloud and IT ecosystems to help regional enterprises bring applications, data processing and clouds closer to local users at the digital edge, via a portfolio of direct and secure interconnection services.
• Equinix’s presence in the United Arab Emirates is the result of an alliance partnership with Emirates Integrated Telecommunications Company PJSC (commercially branded as du). du’s datamena services—only available in Equinix’s UAE data centers­—include a transit zone that offers regional and international connectivity to customers, enabling cost-effective hosting, distribution of content, and trade data capacity.
• Equinix currently operates three data centers in the UAE—two in Dubai, and one in Abu Dhabi:
• Equinix’s flagship MENA facility is strategically located in Dubai, and is the focal point for connectivity inside the region, for both regional and international data traffic. DX1 is powered by Equinix’s global Interconnection Oriented Architecture® (IOA®) and offers exceptional network choice both in terms of density and diversity, with 50+ networks available.
• DX2 is home to an emerging ecosystem of networks, clouds, financial services, payments, enterprises, and content and digital media platforms in the MENA region.
• Both DX2 and AD1 are located within a Khazna facility—a wholesale data center provider in the United Arab Emirates.
• In addition to this, Equinix and Omantel announced in July 2018 that the companies had entered into a joint venture to deliver data center and interconnection services to customers in the Middle East through the development of a new network-dense data center in Muscat, Oman. The resulting site, MC1, will create a regional peering hub for networks, content providers and large enterprises to exchange Internet traffic across the Middle East and global markets.
• By providing critical infrastructure in 55 markets across the world—including in the Middle East—Equinix is ensuring its customers are better equipped to securely reach everywhere, interconnect everyone, and integrate everything that matters to their business.

Quotes

• Judith Gardiner, Vice President, Growth and Emerging Markets, Equinix: “We are excited to have Kamel on board as our new Managing Director for MENA as the region pivots towards digital transformation in its next phase of growth. Kamel will continue the development of our business in-region, supporting organizations with their digital transformation strategies and delivering real value to customers, staff, partners, shareholders, and other stakeholders.”

• Kamel Al-Tawil, Managing Director for Middle East and North Africa, Equinix: “Having worked in the IT industry for 25 years, I am familiar with Equinix’s business and the critical role interconnection can play in digitizing businesses for success in today’s environment. I am looking forward to continuing Equinix’s expansion in the MENA region, helping organizations in their digital transformation journeys as they look to innovate and grow. We will continue to engage and collaborate with the world’s leading clouds, networks and service providers, supporting companies across the digital economy.”

About Equinix

Equinix, Inc. (Nasdaq: EQIX) connects the world's leading businesses to their customers, employees and partners inside the most-interconnected data centers. On this global platform for digital business, companies come together across more than 55 markets on five continents to reach everywhere, interconnect everyone and integrate everything they need to create their digital futures. Equinix.com 

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. Actual results may differ materially from expectations discussed in such forward-looking statements. Factors that might cause such differences include, but are not limited to, the challenges of acquiring, operating and constructing IBX® data centers and developing, deploying and delivering Equinix products and solutions; unanticipated costs or difficulties relating to the integration of companies we have acquired or will acquire into Equinix; a failure to receive significant revenues from customers in recently built out or acquired data centers; a failure to complete any financing arrangements contemplated from time to time; competition from existing and new competitors; the ability to generate sufficient cash flow or otherwise obtain funds to repay new or outstanding indebtedness; the loss or decline in business from our key customers; risks related to our taxation as a REIT; and other risks described from time to time in Equinix filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. In particular, see recent Equinix quarterly and annual reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, copies of which are available upon request from Equinix. Equinix does not assume any obligation to update the forward-looking information contained in this press release.

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