Sarah Walker has been appointed CEO of聽 Cisco UK and Ireland.
She succeeds David Meads as he transitions to lead the company鈥檚 operations in the Middle East and Africa.
Walker has built a career in digital technology and communications, including 25 years at BT in a variety of senior leadership roles.
She joined Cisco two years ago to lead its Enterprise business in the UK and Ireland and was responsible for the company鈥檚 relationships with more than a 100 large, private sector organisations across key sectors 鈥� ranging from transport to pharmaceuticals and financial services.
The new CEO is also the executive sponsor of Women of Cisco in the UK and Ireland; non-executive director at Liverpool Women鈥檚 Hospital Trust; and is the chair of the Board of Trustees at Greater Manchester Academies Trust.
Commenting on her appointment she said: 鈥淚 am delighted to be stepping in to this role at such an important juncture for the nation, the technology industry and for our customers.
鈥淎I is creating even clearer lines between the outcomes that technology can support, the strategic objectives of organisations and the needs of society.
鈥淭he way we utilise and build for AI now, will shape the next decade and I truly believe that no one is better placed than Cisco to ensure that we do so securely and responsibly.鈥�
She added: 鈥淲e have some of the best technology minds in our community of over 4,000 partner organisations, over 200 universities and colleges and over 500,000 Cisco Networking Academy students; what we are able to do together is unmatched.鈥�
Oliver Tuszik, President, Europe, Middle East and Africa, Cisco, added: 鈥淪arah brings not only a proven track record in leveraging technology to solve problems and create value for organisations across the public and private sectors, but also a wealth of energy and innovative thinking.
鈥淚 could not be more confident in her ability to lead the Cisco team in the UK and Ireland to create an even greater impact through our solutions, benefiting our customers, partners and the community.鈥�
Nearly every Internet connection in the UK and Ireland touches Cisco. Its solutions help to securely connect organisations of all shapes and size.
Through its Digital Impact Office, Cisco also provides digital skills training in over 300 Cisco Networking Academies across the UK & Ireland and has successfully supported hundreds of projects to help accelerate the nation鈥檚 digitisation through its Country Digital Acceleration (CDA) programme.