• Kaspersky has announced the appointment of Toufic Derbass as managing director for the Middle East, Turkey and Africa region.
• Derbass will be tasked with doubling Kaspersky’s B2B and large enterprise segments over the next five years.
• The MD brings with him 30 years of experience from high-level positions at the likes of OpenText, SAP and HP.

As cybercrime infects a growing number of businesses and data gets stolen more readily than apples in a busy street market, Kaspersky has announced the appointment of a new managing director for the Middle East, Turkey and Africa (META) region.

That appointment is of Toufic Derbass, pictured, who brings with him three decades of experience and hopes to further cement Kaspersky’s name in the region. According to a press release, Derbass will need to attune to Kaspersky goal of doubling its business-to-business and large enterprise segments in the next five years.

“I’m honoured and excited to lead a brand that is globally known for its innovation and is built on a legacy of over 26 years. Kaspersky’s strong market footprint in the Middle East, Türkiye and Africa region is a testament to its breadth and quality of products and services, that blend technology with human expertise. My vision for Kaspersky in the region is to showcase its unique capabilities, such as the revolutionising concept of Cyber Immunity which plays a crucial role in reimagining cybersecurity,” the managing director said in a press statement.

Before joining Kaspersky, Derbass worked for OpenText, SAP and even HP and HPE Software where he was the regional sales director for the Middle East. Not only is Derbass a stalwart in the technology space, but he also seems to have a deep understanding of the region which is vital given Kaspersky’s ambitions.

Part of those ambitions includes elevating the level of cybersecurity awareness which is a tough ask, especially in a region such as Africa where folks simply aren’t aware of how crafty cybercriminals can be.

“We are delighted to welcome Toufic to the company. For the past few years, Kaspersky’s operations in the region have been on an upward trajectory, with the expansion of our market footprint year on year. With the extensive experience he brings on board and his values that align with ours, we believe Toufic to be a perfect fit to further unlock Kaspersky’s potential through promising opportunities,” vice president of global sales at Kaspersky, Robert Cataldo said in a statement.

It’s not clear whether Kaspersky was able to build on the successes it saw in previous years in 2023.

During the 2022 financial year, Kaspersky saw revenue increase 0.03 percent to $752 million. While a small increase, it’s likely one Kaspersky wouldn’t have turned its nose up at.

It’s now up to Derbass to improve Kaspersky’s growth in the META region and we wish him luck in that endeavour.