David Meads, Cisco’s Vice President overseeing the Middle East, Africa, Türkiye, Romania and CIS, is spearheading the company’s ambitions to position the region at the forefront of AI innovation. Since returning to this role in 2024, Meads has overseen a series of high-impact initiatives, forging partnerships and driving infrastructure investments that are rapidly reshaping digital capabilities.

In May 2024, Cisco launched a regional cloud data centre in the UAE—demonstrating tangible progress under Meads’ leadership. A few months later, in January 2025, Cisco and Telecom Egypt collaborated to activate a Mediterranean subsea link as part of the expansive 2Africa cable system, significantly enhancing connectivity across the region. At LEAP 2025 in Saudi Arabia, Meads introduced joint AI and manufacturing initiatives aimed at helping local industries adopt smarter, more efficient operations.

Under Meads’ guidance, Cisco has also expanded its Country Digital Acceleration programs across the UAE and Saudi Arabia. These programs prioritize foundational investments in connectivity, workforce skills and cybersecurity to enable governments and enterprises to meaningfully leverage AI technologies. Highlighting this collaborative momentum, Meads emphasized Cisco’s reliance on partnerships, stating that public-private cooperation is the region’s “superpower,” enabling swift deployment and local ownership.

Trusted by national leaders and local industry alike, Meads has risen to regional prominence. In Forbes Middle East’s “Global Meets Local” list, which honours executives making significant regional impact, he is recognised for his blend of global vision and local action. Meads, who joined Cisco in 1996 and assumed his current role in 2024, oversees strategy and commercial efforts across more than 80 markets.

In a recent interview with Forbes Middle East, Meads described the region as an emerging AI powerhouse—not merely planning for a tech-driven future but actively “building it.” He noted that while urgency is high, many organisations are still preparing the essentials: talent, secure infrastructure and cloud resilience.

Meads’s leadership underscores Cisco’s long-term investment in local ecosystems. Initiatives like regional data centre expansion, cable collaboration and national AI acceleration projects are creating foundations for future innovation. As Meads told Forbes, the world is watching—and the Middle East, powered by strategic action, partnerships and intent—stands ready to lead.

Through this pragmatic, multi-pronged approach, David Meads is guiding Cisco to transform regional technology landscapes. His emphasis on localized execution backed by global expertise is setting a powerful precedent for how AI and digital transformation can flourish—through partnership, infrastructure and trusted leadership.