On Monday March 11, Schneider Electric announced the appointment of Senegalese Diaretou Madina Gaye Dieng as President of the Francophone Africa & Islands Cluster. She will be based in Casablanca, where the Cluster is headquartered.
In her new role, explains Schneider Electric, Diaretou Dieng will lead the group’s activities in more than sixty countries, including the Maghreb, West and Central Africa and the Islands. “She will lead Schneider Electric’s strategy in this geography for the end markets of infrastructure, industry, data centers and buildings. As such, she is responsible for deploying the group’s solutions that shape sustainability, electricity 4.0 and next-generation automation,” says a Schneider Electric press release.
French multinational Schneider Electric is a specialist and world leader in the digital transformation of energy management and automation for energy efficiency and sustainability. The company drives digital transformation by integrating world-leading process and energy technologies, products, controls, software and connection services from endpoint to cloud, across the entire lifecycle, enabling integrated enterprise management, for homes, buildings, data centers, infrastructure and industries.
Expertise and leadership
In her mission to help end-users meet the challenges they face, Diaretou Dieng will bring her expertise and leadership to the cluster’s management. “She will also be responsible for strengthening the ecosystem of partners, which includes distributors of electrical, industrial and IT equipment; licensed low- and medium-voltage panel builders; systems integrators; installers and contractors; and design and engineering firms, among others,” we report.
Diaretou Dieng said, “I’m honored to be joining Schneider Electric in this region, and at a crucial time when nations and businesses around the world are looking for reliable partners for their digitalization, sustainability and decarbonization journey. I look forward to working more closely with all our customers, partners and key stakeholders from the public and private sectors, academia and society to create an IMPACT that leads to a more prosperous and sustainable future” .
Telecom industry professional
Described as a rigorous professional and inspirational leader, Diaretou Dieng has a wealth of experience in the information and communication technology markets. In a career spanning more than 20 years, she has held strategic and executive positions in the telecommunications sector. Before being appointed to her new position, Diaretou Dieng was, since September 2021, Chief of Staff to the CEO of Sonatel Group, covering 6 countries under the Orange brand (Senegal, Mali, Guinea, Guinea Bissau, Sierra Leone and since 2021 Benin). In this position, she provided executive support to the CEO on the Group’s strategic challenges. Since May 2023, she has also been a member of the Board of Directors of Orange Guinea Bissau.
Long before, from July 2016 to December 2020, Diaretou Dieng held the position of CEO of Sonatel business solutions (SBS). In this position, she managed a team of 90 people and was responsible for ensuring the growth and success of SBS by developing and implementing high-impact strategies. In addition, she strategized and managed global business operations and oversaw ICT portfolios.
Diaretou Dieng has spent most of her career with the Sonatel Group, where she started in 2004 as Marketing and Communications Manager for the B2B Business Unit.
Diaretou Dieng has a degree in General Management from Harvard Business School, a postgraduate degree in Management of Information Systems from HEC Paris, and an MSc in Informatique de Gestion from Centrale Lille. She also has a Classe Préparatoire Maths Sup – Math Spé from Lycée Saint-Louis (Paris), and an International Baccalaureate Diploma cum Laude obtained in Canada. In addition, she has certification in ITIL Foundation and Cisco CCDA.
