In this What\u2019s Next with Aki Anastasiou interview, Smangele Nkosi discusses what shaped her into the leader she is today and unpacks how AI technology is evolving in South Africa.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Nkosi is the General Manager and Country Leader for South Africa at Cisco. She is a highly skilled executive with nearly three decades of experience in the ICT and business sectors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This has included working as the Acting Chief Commercial Officer at Openserve, where she was responsible for managing sales, product strategy, and business planning.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Along with this, Nkosi\u2019s prior notable roles include serving as the Managing Executive for Sales at Telkom\u2019s Openserve, Managing Director at ECI Telecom Africa, and Account Director at Nokia Siemens Networks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
These various leadership positions have provided Nkosi with extensive experience in providing strategic and operational leadership and ensuring product delivery across multiple territories.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Nkosi leverages this expertise and the business acumen she developed to deliver strong results for Cisco.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In this What\u2019s Next interview, Nkosi shares why she chose to work in the business and ICT sectors, and the one thing that played the biggest role in shaping her into the leader she is today.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Nkosi outlines why she took her current role at Cisco and what she considers her biggest success since joining the company.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
She also touches on how she sees AI technologies gaining prominence in the local market.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Nkosi concludes the interview by sharing her main goals for Cisco in 2026 and the one piece of advice she would give her younger self if she could go back in time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Watch the interview with Smangele Nkosi below.<\/p>\n\n\n\n