Microsoft announced last Monday the appointment of Laurence Janssens as Country Manager for the French-speaking Indian Ocean and Pacific Islands (IOI & PF). Laurence is of Belgian and Swiss nationality, and holds an MBA from the Chicago Booth school of business and a Master’s degree in business engineering from the Université Catholique de Louvain.
She replaces Paul Bunting who is the Small & Medium Businesses Lead for the West, East, Central Africa and Indian Ocean Islands region. As soon as she takes office, Laurence will move to the Microsoft offices in Mauritius to carry out her mission. As Country Manager, she wishes to bring her experience and expertise of the industry.
A career rich in experience
After several years in the technology and telecommunications industry, Laurence joined Microsoft in Belgium in 2015. She was then responsible for the public sector for Belgium, which includes all Belgian governmental and international institutions (EU and NATO). She has also served on the boards of the Microsoft Innovation Centres, which are public/private partnerships with the Brussels and Walloon regions, Microsoft and other private partners.
A major role
The arrival of Laurence Janssens will play a crucial role in the implementation of Microsoft’s continued growth strategy and its leading position in the market for cloud solutions and services in Mauritius and the French-speaking Indian Ocean and Pacific region.
“I have already had the opportunity to meet and talk with various Microsoft partners and customers in the IOI & PF region. There is a real momentum and many opportunities for the cloud. I hope that with my experience and the support of my colleagues, we can further contribute to the growth of technology in Mauritius and the region. We will continue to work closely with our partner network which is essential to the growth of our business,” says Laurence.
Work already underway
So far, we have to admit that the previous Country Manager has not wasted any time, being notably present, last year, for the launch of the collaboration between Microsoft Indian Ocean and SMEDA.
The signing of this MoU, which falls under Microsoft’s 4Africa initiative, aims to mentor startups and entrepreneurs in Africa, but also to make technology more accessible in Africa, specifically in the hands of young Africans, to support SMEs and startups in Africa and to support innovation on the African continent to encourage the development of applications.
“We are very pleased today to enter into this agreement with SMEDA, as it will give us the opportunity to strengthen our existing support to SMEs and to join forces for various projects. SMEs are the engine of our economy and we at Microsoft are committed to helping them unlock their potential,” said Paul Bunting, former General Manager of Microsoft Indian Ocean and French Pacific.
This agreement will therefore allow Microsoft to provide SMEs with the necessary tools through training specific to their needs, which will enable them to better undertake their projects.
