INTELLIGENT BRANDS // Enterprise Security
POWERED BY
Trend Micro deepens investment
in Middle East and North Africa
in 2018
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T
rend Micro, a global leader in
cybersecurity solutions, has shared
some of its 2018 investment and
growth plans for the Middle East and north
Africa (MENA) markets. The company has
positioned top executive talent to lead
programmes specifically designed for
opportunities available in MENA.
Part of Trend Micro’s recently launched
corporate venture fund in partnership with
Trend Forward Capital, is paying special
attention to start-ups across MENA. The
venture will offer companies financial
backing, access to its world-class global
strategic alliances, as well as its channel of
more than 28,000 partners.
Moataz Bin Ali will lead and transform the
MENA region, which is a high growth region
for Trend Micro in 2018 and beyond.
Bin Ali, now Vice President for Trend Micro
MENA region, is an expert leader in the
digitisation space and a transformation
specialist with over 15 years’ experience
in the business. He has helped optimise
numerous next generation enterprise
companies and facilitated many government
digital transformations.
With a strong track record in leadership
roles at top-tier technology firms, such as
SAP, IBM and Microsoft, Bin Ali is also highly
recognised within the industry as an author
and speaker in national and international
conferences on issues surrounding
countrywide digitisation, industry specific
applications, cutting edge technology
innovations, transformational digital
business models, cloud computing, IoT and
information security.
“I’m happy to join the Trend Micro
ecosystem that is vibrant and focused in
www.intelligentcio.com
Moataz Bin Ali,
Vice President for
Trend Micro in the
MENA region
protecting its customers, while helping to
drive innovation, forge transformational
alliances and develop regional talent,” said
Bin Ali.
“Our channel community is the backbone to
our continued success and finding new ways
to further strengthen our mutual businesses
is also an emphasis for 2018 and beyond,”
added Bin Ali.
Bin Ali has prioritised strengthening Trend
Micro’s existing relations in the region, while
fueling the strong growth that the company
is witnessing by forging new transformational
alliances with both the public and private
sectors. He is also keen to drive new
investments into the region in 2018 and
foster new opportunities for growth.
Ihab Moawad, previously heading Trend
Micro in the region, will now be joining
Trend Forward Capital as
a key executive helping to
find and manage venture
fund investments in MENA.
Moawad’s record of
accomplishment includes
leading Trend Micro in
the region for five years,
while tripling revenue and
doubling the team size. With
Ihab’s involvement, Trend
Forward Capital is making
its first portfolio investment
into the market with
Egyptian grown business
Instabug. Initial successes
for Instabug include
securing investment from
Accel Ventures, a Silicon
Valley investor and reaching
out to one billion users.
“Working with Trend Micro
and helping to secure the region has been
a rewarding experience for me. In my
time with Trend Micro we reached many
a milestone. Today, with Trend Forward
Capital, I can help businesses realise
their true potential and give companies a
platform to grow,” said Moawad.
Instabug Co-Founder and CEO, Omar Gabr,
said: “We are proud of our momentum but
not taking our eye off what is needed for
further growth. Trend Forward Capital is a
key part of helping us reach our vision as a
scalable and operationally efficient company.”
Working with portfolio investments, the
business can uncover insights into emerging
ecosystem opportunities, identify disruptive
business models, market gaps and address
skillset shortages. This will further align Trend
Micro’s investments to better serve the region
and allow for a higher level of impact. n
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