David Meads

David Meads is the Senior Vice President of Cisco Middle East, Africa, Türkiye, Romania and CIS Countries, a position he held until his retirement in May 2026. In his role, David is responsible for leading Cisco's strategy and commercial operations across 80 markets, while overseeing a diverse community of employees in the region. He has more than three decades of experience across multiple business functions and geographies and is passionate about empowering governments, businesses and partners to harness the full potential of digital technologies – driving economic growth and competitiveness across developed and emerging markets.

He began his career with Cisco in 1996. Prior to joining Cisco, he joined German tech giant Siemens as a top sales rep, where he found himself competing with his future employer for a client. A motorbike accident at the age of 16 redirected his focus from further education to a desire for hands-on experience in the world of work. His educational background includes Desborough School. Before relocating back to the UK in early 2020 to lead Cisco's operations across UK & Ireland, he had been previously recognized by Forbes as one of the leading Executives in the Arab World for two successive years whilst based in the Middle East.

Career history

• Chief Executive of Cisco UK & Ireland (2019-2024)
• Vice President of Cisco's EMEA Partner Organization
• Leadership roles across Middle East and Africa operations, including 10 years leading Cisco's business in the region
• Managing Director for Cisco South Africa (three years)
• Experience with a UK-based Systems Integrator (ten years)
• Sales representative at Siemens

What David Meads could bring to his final role at Cisco: Meads brought to the MEA-TRC position three decades of cross-functional leadership experience spanning six continents, deep expertise in government partnerships and digital transformation initiatives, and a proven track record of building high-performing teams in complex, emerging markets. His strategic understanding of regional digital agendas and customer needs—refined through roles in South Africa, Africa, the Middle East, and UK operations—positioned him to drive sustained business growth and digital advancement across 80 emerging and developed markets while managing large employee communities across culturally diverse regions.