INVIGORATING DIGITAL
INFRASTRUCTURE
Vertiv is a multinational provider of critical infrastructure and services for data centres, communication networks, and commercial and industrial environments across Africa.
Wojtek Piorko, Managing Director – Africa, reveals the company’s tried and tested recipe for success throughout the continent
Writer: Ed Budds
Project Manager: Ryan Gray
In a continent with 54 countries, the one thing that Africa can be sure of is constant change.
Parallel to this, the continent’s technology landscape continues to grow and evolve year on year.
As such, the increasing demand in Africa for cloud services, mobile internet usage, and digital transformation across a multitude of industries is driving a surge in data centre construction.
AFRICA OUTLOOK: HOW DID YOU FIRST BECOME INTERESTED IN THE TECHNOLOGY INDUSTRY?
“There’s a growing need for efficient, scalable, and resilient infrastructure to support this boom. It is great to see a good mix of local governmental and private investments, with global players coming to Africa as well,” introduces Wojtek Piorko, Managing Director –Africa at Vertiv.
Elsewhere, the rollout of 5G networks across the continent is expected to accelerate over the next decade, driving demand for network infrastructure and edge computing solutions to handle the data traffic increase.
“Telecommunications companies (telcos) have historically held a very strong position within the market due
Wojtek Piorko, Managing Director – Africa: “I have more than 25 years of technical and management experience, working across various sectors, from telecommunications to IT.
“My first job was as a technical support specialist for Business Power Systems, where I supported the sales team and contributed new ideas to the engineering team.
“Following several technical, sales, and management positions with global technology and engineering solutions providers, working with customers in Poland and neighbouring countries, I started my career with Vertiv in 2001 as Sales Manager for Poland and the Baltics, Ukraine, and Belarus.
“After joining the Vertiv Middle East and Africa (MEA) team 10 years ago, I ran sales, application engineering, and marketing, and now hold the position of Managing Director – Africa. Within this role, I am now tasked with driving our exciting ‘Africa for Africa’ programme that will allow the business to grow and increase market penetration in the region.”
Vertiv leaders at official opening of African office
to huge infrastructure projects and impressive networks, and they still do today,” he adds.
In addition, countries across the continent are increasingly focused on reducing energy consumption and carbon emissions, especially in powerintensive industries like data centres. Moreover, sustainability is becoming a priority for businesses and governments alike, with many African nations having already implemented privacy laws and others working on relevant legislation.
GROWING THE BRAND
Vertiv offers critical infrastructure technologies and rapidly deployable customised solutions to meet specific
“WE LEVERAGE OUR PORTFOLIO OF HARDWARE, SOFTWARE, ANALYTICS, AND SERVICES TO ENABLE OUR CUSTOMERS’ VITAL APPLICATIONS TO RUN CONTINUOUSLY, PERFORM OPTIMALLY, AND SCALE WITH BUSINESS NEEDS”
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WOJTEK PIORKO, MANAGING DIRECTOR – AFRICA, VERTIV
business requirements and needs.
“We leverage our portfolio of hardware, software, analytics, and services to enable our customers’ vital applications to run continuously, perform optimally, and scale with business needs,” Piorko sets out.
The company primarily serves three main verticals – data centres, communication networks, and commercial and industrial environments.
As of today, Vertiv has grown impressively to host 30,000 employees and serve in excess of 130 countries across the globe, with 23 manufacturing and assembly locations, 240+ service centres, more than 3,500 service field engineers, over 190 technical
support and response employees, as well as 19 customer experience centres worldwide.
“Nearly all aspects of our lives involve the use of technology; it is how we work, play, and do anything in between. This connectivity or use of data is built into the very fabric of our society and vital to human progress,” he expands.
Vertiv believes there is a better way to meet this accelerating demand for data – one driven by passion and innovation.
INNOVATION AND QUALITY
Vertiv has become known for its quality range of reliable products and robust service offerings across critical
Vertiv liquid cooling system
infrastructure domains like power, thermal management, and IT systems.
“We have a strong focus on innovation, especially in areas such as energy-efficient data centre cooling, lithium-ion battery integration, and modular infrastructure solutions, as well as serious investment in R&D to drive advancements in critical infrastructure, addressing emerging trends like artificial intelligence (AI), edge computing, and 5G,” Piorko says with pride.
As a business, Vertiv places significant emphasis on developing innovative and energyefficient solutions, which are becoming increasingly important as organisations across the world seek to reduce their carbon footprint and act in a more sustainable manner.
STRONGER TOGETHER
Since implementing its ‘Africa for Africa’ initiative, Vertiv has aimed to ensure that the entire continent is incorporated into its global supply chain.
“During the COVID19 pandemic, I believe the world learned the hard way how important a reliable and resilient supply chain is,” Piorko recalls.
“We currently have a number of suppliers, so we leverage open communication and robust forecasting to make sure we deliver on our commitments regarding lead
“In Africa, our main differentiator is a great blend of a worldwide presence and local expertise, added on top of a wide range of products and services,” he continues.
Boasting a formidable range of
capabilities, it would be difficult to find a project in the market for which Vertiv does not have a solution.
“We value customers’ trust in us to develop solutions that sometimes do not even exist on the market yet – in fact, we developed one platform specifically for African customers!”
Vertiv’s local network of partners and suppliers is critical to its continued expansion within Africa and support for local customers in meeting their efficiency, scalability, and sustainability goals.
“It’s also worth mentioning that there is a global effort from Vertiv to make sure, with our rapidly growing customer base, that we have enough capacity in manufacturing plants to meet demand requirements.”
Also key to achieving this is the vital role played by Vertiv’s management team, which is made up of experienced and knowledgeable staff members.
“When there is an issue to be resolved, everyone is encouraged to weigh in on solutions, which we then discuss to make sure we are proposing the best options for our customers’ unique needs,” Piorko tells us.
Working with so many different nationalities and cultures has helped Vertiv understand that the keys to success moving forward will always be built on three simple pillars –communication, trust, and respect.
Vertiv 360AI
Vertiv TimberMod
EXPERTS IN EVERYTHING DATA CENTRE
EVOLUTION FROM EVALUATION
Dedicated to consistent growth and evolution, Vertiv always looks to improve and expand the business.
“I try to analyse how can we make sure that we’ve created an environment that will help to deliver on and exceed commitments,” details Piorko.
“I am always searching for how I can support my team in terms of career progression and contribute better by developing my own skills,” he confirms.
Priority number one for the company is, of course, delivering on growth expectations, but this
outcome is derived from a number of activities performed by its team – building market visibility, understanding customer pain points in order to present the right solutions, closing the sales process, and successfully delivering projects in a timely fashion and with a quality aftersales service.
“This is all heavily dependent on the experience and skills of our teams across all business functions, hence my focus on how we can develop, educate, and train our team.
“I see myself as a contributor to all those activities, so my personal development is critical as well – each
year, I set a priority list for myself.”
Notably, as a result of this companywide dedication to continuous growth, Vertiv most recently opened a new Nigerian office and customer showroom in Lagos last year.
This followed the formal opening of its African headquarters in Johannesburg, whilst the company also established a similar facility in Nairobi, Kenya in 2022.
“Looking to continue this pathway of expansion, we currently have a direct presence in five African countries, including Kenya, Morocco, and Egypt, and are closely watching new high-demand areas,” Piorko concludes.
Vertiv DynaFlex battery energy storage system (BESS)
