On the lighter side of things , we ask the industry experts what makes them tick . . . .

As Managing Director Africa for Vertiv , Piorko drives business growth and market penetration , as well as orders , revenue and profitability targets . In addition , Piorko manages , coordinates and optimises the commercial activity within the region , balancing the portfolio to increase customer satisfaction in Africa , while implementing the go-to-market strategy in coordination with the various functional leaders .

In this role , Piorko provides regional leadership to sales , service , operations and technical solutions teams , as well as to finance , HR , IT , legal and marketing , to engender a cohesive Africa team and deliver on Vertiv ’ s ambitions in the region .

What are your strengths and abilities that you bring to the above role ?

In his capacity as Managing Director Africa , Piorko brings more than 20 years of experience in the company , including eight years in the Middle East and African regions . Over this time , Piorko has enjoyed various assignments across different geographies in sales , application engineering and local manufacturing management .

He has built new structures , creating efficient processes and developing talents to reach new heights . Piorko believes in strong leadership attributes , and enjoys setting up new , successful teams , while understanding and respecting cultural differences .

Please describe the expectations of the end customers that you address . What are their pain points today ?

It is said that there is no short-term investment in Africa ; if you want to be successful in the region , there has to be commitment to a long-term journey . Piorko fully agrees with this statement . Vertiv has been present in Africa for many years now and with its new Africa for Africa project .

The project is meant to address client needs and we are doing this by creating a new internal structure that focuses strongly on leveraging local skills and

Piorko believes in strong leadership attributes , and enjoys setting up new , successful teams , while understanding and respecting cultural differences .

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