Kyndryl, the world's largest IT infrastructure services provider, has appointed Maged Wassim as Vice President and Managing Director for the Middle East and Africa (MEA) region, effective September 14, 2026. The appointment represents a strategic positioning by the enterprise technology company to capitalize on accelerating AI adoption across the region, where organizations are rapidly moving from digital transformation experimentation toward enterprise-wide deployment of artificial intelligence capabilities.
Wassim joins Kyndryl from Cognizant, where he served as Vice President for the Middle East market. His arrival comes as the company seeks to deepen strategic relationships with regional customers and partners during a pivotal shift in technology spending. According to Kyndryl's latest earnings reports and research, enterprises across MEA are increasingly combining cloud modernization, data platforms, and agentic AI technologies to improve competitiveness and operational resilience. The timing reflects a broader global trend: worldwide spending on AI is forecast to total $2.52 trillion in 2026, a 44 percent increase year-over-year according to Gartner. No search firm involvement was disclosed in connection with the appointment.
Wassim brings deep technical and business leadership experience accumulated over more than three decades in enterprise technology roles. He spent two decades at IBM in various leadership positions, including Vice President of IBM Cloud and Cognitive Software, where he helped organizations accelerate cloud adoption and drive technology-led innovation across data and AI initiatives. Before joining Cognizant in November 2021, he served as Vice President of Technology at Majid Al Futtaim Carrefour, a leading regional retailer, where he oversaw enterprise digital transformation at scale. His background spans consultancy services, infrastructure and technology services, and software sales across the Middle East, Africa, and growth markets. Wassim holds a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from Capital University in Cairo, Egypt, and a Master of Science in Advanced Manufacturing Systems from Brunel University London.
Kyndryl, founded as an independent company when IBM spun off its managed infrastructure services business in November 2021, operates as the largest global provider of IT infrastructure consulting, implementation, and managed services. The NYSE-listed company reported fiscal 2026 revenue of $15.1 billion, with enterprises increasing spending on agentic AI, cloud modernization, cybersecurity, and automation services. Kyndryl Consult, the company's advisory and implementation arm, delivered strong growth momentum with revenue increasing 18 percent year-over-year to $3.5 billion, reflecting rising demand for AI adoption and cloud transformation support. The company serves over 4,000 customers in more than 60 countries through a workforce of approximately 90,000 professionals.
Wassim's appointment signals Kyndryl's intent to position infrastructure modernization as a strategic prerequisite for enterprise AI adoption in the MEA region. The move appears timed to capture growing demand from large enterprises navigating the shift from pilot-stage AI projects toward production-scale deployment. One industry observer notes that the appointment places experienced enterprise technology leadership at the center of Kyndryl's regional growth strategy at a critical juncture when customers face mounting organizational and technical challenges around scaling AI securely. Wassim's background combining both technology operations and business outcomes, particularly his experience at a major retailer managing dual accountabilities, positions him to address customer concerns around measurable returns from infrastructure investments and AI readiness programs. The appointment suggests Kyndryl views the MEA region as strategically important to its global transformation efforts, which increasingly emphasize higher-margin consulting and modernization services over legacy outsourcing contracts.
