NIGERIA – Microsoft has appointed Gafar Lawal as the Managing Director of its Africa Development Centre in Nigeria.
The African Development Centre was inaugurated by Microsoft in May this year, recruiting world-class Nigerian talent to create innovative solutions for global impact.
The premier centre of engineering, according to Mike Fortin, corporate vice president at Microsoft, is unlike any other existing investment on the continent.
Mike Fortin said that the ADC enabled Microsoft “to better listen to our customers, develop locally and scale for global impact – in the grand scheme of things.”
He further added that the premier centre of engineering gave Microsoft “a strategic opportunity to comprehend a continent that is rapidly adopting cloud technology and massive innovation at the intelligent edge.”
“We’ve been actively sourcing talent to join our team of engineers and are delighted to have Gafar bring his leadership skills to the team,” said Fortin.
Lawal has an impressive working history with more than 20 years of experience in various business functions.
He returns to Microsoft from Morgan Stanley where he served as Managing Director and Global Chief Technology Architect for the Wealth Management Division.
Prior to his time at Morgan Stanley, Lawal spent over six years working at Microsoft’s US headquarters in Redmond, WA as Partner Architect in the Windows server group and Windows phone services division.
He also spent ten years as First Vice President and Chief Technology Architect at Merrill Lynch.
In his inaugural speech Lawal said that he was looking forward to embarking on this incredible new journey with the Microsoft team.
He further said that he was looking forward to effectively playing his part in bringing digital transformation to the continent at large.
“I hope that as we continue to not only identify and nurture talent but also bring about unprecedented change, that we will continue to aid every individual involved to achieve more,” Lawal concluded.
The African Development Centre was inaugurated by Microsoft in May this year, recruiting world-class Nigerian talent to create innovative solutions for global impact.
ADC engineers are already working with local partners and customers on key issues for Nigeria, Africa, and the rest of the world.
The ADC is a platform through which local graduates and experienced technologists from industry can join Microsoft to begin or continue exciting careers in areas that include AI, mixed reality, and application development – making meaningful contributions on a local and global scale.
