(MENAFN- Arab News) Cisco has appointed Haytham Alohali as its new public sector regional manager for Saudi Arabia. The appointment is stated to be part of its continued strategy to invest in and develop local talent.

Alohali started his journey with Cisco in 2006 as an account manager demonstrating exceptional talent and leadership with the handling of large accounts including the Ministry of Interior King Saud University King Faisal University and Dammam University. Over the years he has also has been recognized both internally within Cisco and externally for winning several industry awards as well as leading his teams in some substantial new business wins for Cisco in the Kingdom.

In his new role Alohali will oversee and drive Cisco's focus within the public sector which has been Cisco KSA's cornerstone for business success over the past few years representing a considerable portion of the company's revenue in the region. He will also be responsible for growing and maintaining the already established key strategic partnerships with key government entities such as the Ministry of Justice the Saudi National Guard the Ministry of Higher Education and Royal Saudi Air Force.

Mohammed Al-Abbadi GM of Cisco KSA commented: 'We are delighted to have Haytham take on this role especially at such a time when we are witnessing considerable growth and investment in ICT within the Kingdom. At Cisco it is vital that we nurture talent from our local pool to help us identify and grow opportunities for Cisco within the local marketplace. Haytham has the proven leadership as well as technical skills to support Cisco's next phase of growth and development in Saudi Arabia. I am looking forward to working with him as a key contributor to the Cisco Saudi leadership team.'

Alohali earlier held positions of DGM for the ECDL Foundation in the Kingdom and systems engineer at Motorola.