INDUSTRY APPOINTMENTS
Freshworks appoints Abe Smith as Chief of Global Field Operations
Abe Smith
Freshworks announced appointment of Abe
Smith as the company ’ s Chief of Global Field Operations . He will be responsible for field sales worldwide as Freshworks grows upmarket and new business increasingly comes from field sales . Smith brings nearly 25 years of experience at public software companies Zoom , Oracle and Cisco , WebEx , teams responsible for building relationships to top enterprise customers and driving more than $ 1 billion in revenue .
“ Abe is an impressive leader who has successfully scaled field sales from local to international and mid-market to enterprise . This makes him exceptionally equipped to support Freshworks ’ diverse customer base while helping us engage larger organisations ,” said Dennis Woodside , President at Freshworks .
“ His expertise will be invaluable to Freshworks as we accelerate our field sales to meet soaring demand and complement our in-bound motion , all with the goal of reaching $ 1 billion in annual revenue in 2026 .”
Most recently serving as the Head of International at Zoom , Smith scaled the field sales organisation outside the United
States as the company grew from roughly $ 300 million to over $ 4 billion during his tenure . Before Zoom , he served as President of EMIA , Europe , Middle East , India , Africa at Cision , where he was responsible for over 2,000 employees .
Before that , he was Group Vice President of Oracle ’ s Global Sales Unit where he achieved annual growth rates as much as 90 percent and led the fastest growing division within Marketing Cloud .
“ Freshworks ’ success and global reach serves as a beacon of inspiration for millions of entrepreneurs around the world and I ’ m excited to be part of this incredible team and turn great beginnings into hyper scale ,” Smith said .
Smith joins the executive leadership team and reports to Freshworks ’ President Dennis Woodside and CEO Girish Mathrubootham .
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Mastercard appoints Folasade Femi-Lawal as Country Manager , West Africa
Mastercard , a company in digital payments and technology , announced the appointment of Folasade Femi-Lawal as the new Country Manager and Area Business Head for West Africa . With over 25 years of multifaceted experience spanning financial services , management consulting , telecommunications , and business advisory services , Folasade brings a wealth of knowledge and expertise to the role .
As Country Manager , Folasade is responsible for further driving the company ’ s strategic vision , innovation and growth agenda , as well as strengthening partnerships with key stakeholders , and advancing the company ’ s mission of building a more connected and inclusive digital economy in West Africa .
Folasade brings a wealth of experience as a trusted senior executive , having displayed her ability to consistently achieve business growth objectives in start-up , turnaround , and rapidly changing environments .
She has successfully led initiatives in Mobile Financial Services and Digital Banking Strategy at First Bank , Nigeria , over the past decade , and significantly grew the card subscriber base and market share as the Head of Cards and Messaging Business . Prior to her tenure at First Bank , Folasade served as the Head of the Loan Monitoring Unit at the United Bank of Africa , overseeing critical aspects of credit risk management . With a robust background in digital payments , she has played instrumental roles in driving innovation and enhancing customer experiences across the banking sector .
Before her banking roles , she also excelled as a consultant at PwC and played a pivotal role at Airtel , managing the Regional Balanced Scorecard for eight regions .
Folasade Femi-Lawal
Folasade is renowned for her commitment to fostering inclusive growth and empowerment , particularly for women and children , as evident through her extensive philanthropic endeavours and mentorship roles with organisations like Women in Management , Business and Public Service , WimBiz , the United States , White House Initiative – Academy for Women Entrepreneurs , AWE and FirstBank Women Network .
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