Nazia Pillay
New leader takes reins as region gears up for era of AI and cloud.
SAP has appointed Nazia Pillay as its new Managing Director for Southern Africa.
Sergio Maccotta, Senior Vice President at SAP Middle East and Africa South, says: “Our purpose as a business is to help the world run better and improve people’s lives, reflected in our ongoing commitment to transformation and corporate responsibility throughout the continent. Nazia will bring vital expertise and leadership skills to one of SAP’s most important regions as we continue to empower youth, drive innovation within our customers and partners, and build a more inclusive, sustainable future. With companies across Southern Africa gearing up for an era of AI- and cloud-led innovation, we are especially excited to see how Nazia’s leadership will guide how organisations adopt technology as a strategic lever for national development and growth.”
Pillay says she will focus on three core areas in her new role, including a laser-like focus on customers to ensure existing partnerships are strengthened and new ones cultivated, and helping customers prepare for a digital-first, cloud-first world. “Teaming up with our valued customer and partner ecosystem across the region is mission-critical for our business, especially as we showcase SAP’s latest capabilities as an AI-first, suite first technology partner. As a people-focused leader, I have also made it my longer-term ambition to make our local office the best place to work in South Africa.”
The appointment comes as companies across Africa gear up for AI and cloud transformation. A recent report found that AI could revolutionise Africa’s economy and contribute as much as $2.9-trillion to the continent’s economy by the end of this decade.
Research conducted by SAP found widespread challenges with access to AI and other tech skills throughout East, West and Southern Africa. According to SAP’s ‘Africa’s AI Skills Readiness Revealed’ report, six in ten African organisations view AI skills as ‘extremely important’ to their success.
However, all companies surveyed expected to experience some AI-related skills gap in 2025, with nine in ten saying a lack of AI skills is already hurting their organisations through failed innovation initiatives, delays in implementations, and an inability to take on new work.
Pillay joined SAP as a graduate over 20 years ago, and has worked in roles spanning consulting, support, quality management, customer success and, most recently, as the head of the organisation’s regional partner ecosystem. She fundamentally believes SAP has a leading role to play in helping Africa’s public and private sector companies achieve their AI and innovation ambitions.
“Large cloud vendors such as SAP can help offset local skills shortages by providing access to advanced tools managed by global experts. Companies across the region benefit from global insights and best practices while bolstering their internal capacity to achieve higher levels of efficiency, innovation and growth.”
Companies are also increasingly investing in upskilling and reskilling their workforce to meet the demands of a rapidly changing business and technology landscape. “Our research found that nearly half (48%) of African organisations consider upskilling their employees a top skills-related challenge this year. As the pressure to build greater skills depth mounts on companies, vendors such as SAP can be invaluable partners, providing insight, expertise and technical capabilities that help drive successful innovation and transformation.”