NetApp has announced the appointment of Bassel Kassem as Enterprise Regional Director (Country Manager) for the United Arab Emirates, reinforcing the company’s long-term commitment to the region and its ambition to fuel the UAE’s Vision 2030 and AI-powered transformation agenda.
This appointment signals a bold step forward in NetApp’s UAE growth strategy, positioning the company to expand its footprint and accelerate its impact across the nation’s strategic sectors — including government, finance, healthcare, defense, and energy.
In his new role, Bassel will lead NetApp’s UAE operations, driving strategic execution, deepening relationships with customers and partners, and delivering next-generation data infrastructure designed for an AI-first world.
“With deep domain expertise and a strong execution mindset, Bassel brings the leadership we need to scale in one of the world’s most dynamic digital economies,” said Suhail Hasanain, Senior Director & General Manager, Middle East & Africa at NetApp. “His appointment reflects our belief in the UAE market and our intention to lead from the front as organisations embrace AI, cloud, and data-driven transformation at speed and scale.”
Bassel joins NetApp with a distinguished career spanning senior leadership roles at Rubrik, Nutanix, Cisco, and Juniper Networks, where he led critical digital infrastructure programmes across the region. His expertise spans cloud, cybersecurity, data centre modernisation, and AI enablement — all key to delivering national innovation outcomes.
“I’m proud to take on this role at such a pivotal time in the UAE’s digital evolution,” said Bassel Kassem, Enterprise Regional Director (Country Manager), UAE. “The country’s vision and ambition are unmatched. I’m excited to work closely with our ecosystem of customers, partners, and government leaders to accelerate transformation and help shape a data-powered, AI-driven future.”
Bassel’s appointment follows a series of strategic moves by NetApp across the Middle East, underscoring the company’s focus on local market investment, talent development, and technology leadership. It reflects NetApp’s broader mission to enable sustainable digital growth and deliver real business outcomes through secure, intelligent infrastructure. Aligned with national initiatives like the UAE Digital Government Strategy and Vision 2030, NetApp continues to invest in empowering organisations to unlock the full potential of their data — securely, efficiently, and at scale.
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