Saviynt appoints Kamel Heus to lead Middle East and Africa sales

NAIROBI, Kenya—Cybersecurity firm Saviynt has appointed Kamel Heus as Vice President of Sales for the Middle East and Africa (MEA), as the company moves to expand its regional operations amid growing demand for cloud, digital transformation and artificial intelligence security.

Heus, who will be based in Dubai, will oversee Saviynt’s business across the Middle East and Africa, including Turkey, with responsibilities covering new business, customer renewals, expansion and the company’s regional partner strategy.

The company said his immediate priorities will include strengthening its presence in key markets, expanding operations in Saudi Arabia, growing its partner ecosystem and increasing local hosting capabilities to address data residency and in-region delivery requirements.

Saviynt said the appointment comes as organisations across sectors including government, banking and financial services, healthcare, utilities, oil and gas and retail increasingly deploy artificial intelligence alongside cloud-based systems.

A major focus for Heus will be addressing emerging identity-security risks associated with AI agents—software systems capable of accessing enterprise applications and data and performing tasks with varying degrees of autonomy.

Saviynt argues that AI agents require identity controls similar to those applied to human users, including the ability to identify, govern and manage their access throughout their lifecycle.

The company’s Zuma platform is designed to provide visibility into AI identities and enforce least-privilege access, a security principle that limits users and systems to only the permissions necessary to perform their functions.

Saviynt Chief Commercial Officer Pete Angstadt said the Middle East and Africa presented a significant growth opportunity as organisations in the region accelerate digital transformation and adopt AI.

He said Heus’ experience in the region and knowledge of its customers and partner networks would support the company’s efforts to expand its presence.

Heus said the region’s cybersecurity market was expanding rapidly, with identity security becoming increasingly important as organisations introduce AI agents into enterprise environments.

“My focus is to build out our local presence, grow a strong partner ecosystem, and enable organizations across MEA to grow their business through secure, confident access both for their people and their AI,” Heus said.

Heus brings about 20 years of enterprise cybersecurity sales experience, having held senior positions at Thales, Centrify, now part of Delinea, and Sophos.

He most recently served as Vice President, EMEA at Thales, where he led the company’s Identity and Access Management business across the region. He holds a PhD in Applied Mathematics and Computing from Université Grenoble Alpes in France and has been based in Dubai for more than a decade.

The appointment is expected to form part of Saviynt’s broader effort to strengthen its regional customer and partner relationships as organisations across Africa and the Middle East navigate the security implications of cloud adoption, digital transformation and emerging AI technologies.