Africa and the Middle East may be on the cusp of a transformative infrastructure shift. Today, CMC Networks announced the appointment of Mahesh Jaishankar as its new Managing Director, to lead its strategy for AI-powered connectivity across Africa & MENA region. This move signals both ambition and urgency in building the region’s digital backbone.
Context & Background
CMC Networks is a primary networking provider operating across Africa and the Middle East, serving more than 62 markets. It delivers services such as dedicated internet access, MPLS (Multiprotocol Label Switching), SD-WAN, Ethernet, satellite connectivity, and Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS).
In June 2024, CMC was acquired by center3, a Saudi Arabia-based data centre and connectivity provider. Since then, there has been a clear push to modernise operations with advanced technologies, particularly artificial intelligence for IT operations (AIOps).
The previous CEO, Marisa Trisolino, left in April 2025; she continued as a board advisor after her tenure. Jaishankar will succeed her.
Key Facts about Mahesh Jaishankar
- Name & Title: Mahesh Jaishankar is the new Managing Director of CMC Networks.
- Experience: Over 25 years in digital infrastructure and telecommunications; notably:
- Advisory role at Arthur D. Little.
- Head of Strategic Negotiations, GNA at Google.
- Key part in launching Datamena while at du—this project created a digital hub for hyperscalers, content platforms (OTTs), carriers, and enterprises in the MEA region.
- Geographic Reach: CMC serves 62 markets across Africa & the Middle East.
- Timeframe & Change: Acquired by center3 in June 2024; leadership transition after Trisolino’s April 2025 departure.
- Technology Focus:
- Accelerating adoption of AIOps for IT operations.
- Goal: deliver intelligent, scalable connectivity solutions.
Quotes from the CEOs
From Fahad Alhajeri, CEO of center3 and Chairman of CMC Networks:
Mahesh brings over 25 years of experience in building and scaling advanced digital infrastructure businesses. His deep expertise with hyperscalers, carriers, and enterprises, coupled with a proven track record of establishing regional platforms with global relevance, makes him ideally suited to lead CMC Networks into its next phase of growth.
Fahad Alhajeri
From Mahesh Jaishankar himself:
I’m honoured to take on the role of Managing Director at CMC Networks at such a pivotal moment for AI, innovation, and the growth of Africa’s digital economies. CMC has an incredible heritage, and proven track record of delivering industry-leading customer experience across the most complex markets in the world. Together with our customers and partners, we will accelerate growth, unlock new opportunities, and deliver the intelligent, scalable connectivity solutions that Africa and the Middle East need to thrive in the digital era.
Mahesh Jaishankar (Managing Director, CMC Networks)
Implications
This is more than a leadership change. It tells us:
- AI isn’t optional: For connectivity providers serving Africa & MENA, AI-driven operations (AIOps) are becoming essential. Managing complexity—fragmented infrastructure, varied regulatory regimes, remote geographies—calls for intelligence in monitoring, repair, and scaling.
- Scaling infrastructure for digital economies: Many governments and businesses are pushing for digital transformation. Internet penetration, cloud adoption, content delivery, OTT services—all demand faster, more reliable, and more intelligent networks. CMC is positioning itself as a backbone provider for that growth.
- Competition & investment: Other regional players will likely take note of this move. Competition may intensify around who can offer the lowest latency, the best AI-enabled service-level agreements (SLAs), and cost efficiency. Additionally, investment capital (both public and private) will view infrastructure players utilising AI as a more effective risk mitigation strategy.
- Challenges ahead:
- Operational complexity: AI tools are only as effective as the data, skill sets, and institutional capacity to utilise them. Some markets may lack trained engineers, steady power, and fibre backhaul.
- Regulatory & policy issues, including cross-border connectivity, data sovereignty, and cybersecurity risks, could slow implementation.
- The cost of scaling: Infrastructure (fibre, satellites, undersea cables) remains expensive. A return on investment may not be realised for long periods in certain markets.
What’s Next for CMC Networks
- CMC will likely roll out more AIOps-driven enhancements: faster fault detection and repair, predictive maintenance, and automated traffic optimisation. It may also deepen capabilities for monitoring the quality of service.
- The company might invest in edge infrastructure, such as data centres closer to customers, content caches, or peering arrangements, to reduce latency.
- Expansion of service offerings: Given Jaishankar’s background with hyperscalers and datamena, he might see more offerings tailored to hyperscale cloud providers, OTTs, and large enterprises.
- Scaling partnerships: with governments, telcos, international carriers. Collaboration for regulatory clarity, shared infrastructure (like fibre or undersea cables), maybe even satellite or wireless last-mile in remote areas.
- Talent development: AI and infrastructure require engineers, data scientists, and network specialists. CMC may need to invest heavily in local talent, training, and perhaps partnerships with universities or tech hubs.
This appointment demonstrates that CMC Networks aims to be more than a connector of bits and bytes—it seeks to be an intelligent infrastructure partner in the digital future of Africa and the MENA regions. The proof will be in how quickly it can deliver increased uptime, lower latency, and intelligent resilience in messy, real-world conditions.
