• Lillian Barnard has been appointed as president for Microsoft Africa.
• Barnard was named managing director of Microsoft South Africa back in 2019.
• Her successor is Kalane Rampai, who takes over as MD for Microsoft SA.

Microsoft has made a recent announcement regarding its leadership for the African continent, with Lillian Barnard appointed as president for Microsoft Africa. Barnard’s appointment comes after she was named managing director for Microsoft South Africa back in 2019.

The company confirms that Kalane Rampai has been named as her successor as MD for Microsoft SA, having previously held the roles that have culminated in 20 years’ worth of management consulting experience.

“The new appointments are an important milestone in Microsoft’s ongoing effort to drive impact in Africa at scale,” noted Microsoft in a press release sent to Hypertext.

“During the past three decades, Microsoft has invested heavily in skilling and capacity-building to catapult African digital economies into the future. More than 4 million young people across Africa have been upskilled over the last five years through various skilling and employability programmes, with a further commitment from Microsoft to train and certify at least 1 million women across Africa by June 2025,” it added.

As for the appointments, Microsoft says it could not be happier to have the pair take up their new roles within the organisation.

“Microsoft is fully committed to Africa’s digital future, creating opportunities, empowering individuals and businesses, and driving job growth that will benefit the entire region. For decades, we have worked tirelessly with governments and organisations across the continent to unlock opportunities for growth and innovation, and the appointments of Lillian and Kalane represent a significant milestone in this journey,” commented Samer Abu-Ltaif, Microsoft Corporate VP & president of Central & Eastern Europe, Middle East & Africa.

“With Lillian and Kalane at the helm of our regional and local operations, respectively, we are confident that Microsoft will continue to play a pivotal role in Africa’s economic growth and success,” he concluded.

Having interacted with Barnard during Microsoft events over the past few years, we wish her all the best in her new role.