TheShelf - Issue 01 Nov. 2013 | Page 17

What are your expectations for the Belkin and Linksys brands as the Country Manager? Both Belkin and Linksys brands have been in the market for many years. We are perceived as valuable brands by consumers as well as our channel partners. The channel and consumers trust our brands and we have a wide range of products to offer to them. This is a great advantage for both the brands, I am working very closely with the Linksys team to make sure that we are present everywhere in the region; we both have skilled teams and experience people in the field. We are joining our efforts by sharing experiences and best practises and make sure that we expand our presence across the region. How important is the Middle East and Africa to the larger Belkin family and where do you, realistically, want to see the region vis-à-vis other areas within the Belkin global network? MEA is a very important region to the Belkin international. We have been growing our business year on year across all categories and the most important thing is that we have been profitable in such a competitive market. Despite the challenges in the international region, we are still aiming to grow not only our business but also our investment in new product innovation and differentiation. And that for sure will help us differentiate ourselves in MEA where there are many players in the market that don’t have the chance to do that. Africa also falls within your sphere of operations. Discuss your operations within the continent and your growth projections there. In the coming year Africa will be a major focus for us. We have a strong presence in South Africa www.redingtonmea.com Belkin has successfully established its presence in this region for the past many years and is perceived not only as a multi category brand, but also as a superior and trusted brand in this industry. where our partners are serving the market with the full Belkin portfolio. Our aim this year is to expand our presence in Nigeria, Kenya and North Africa. We can see the smartphone, tablets and ultrabook business growing very fast in that region and there is a very high demand on our products. One key difference to do business in Africa is to bring in solutions. And this is where Belkin make people-inspired products and provide solutions to enhance the use of technology. With literally dozens of options for customers for com