Seagate’s New Sales Lead Charts Growth Strategy Across Middle East and North Africa

Okan Horasan brings a wealth of experience to his role as Seagate’s Sales Manager for Middle East and North African countries. Based in Dubai, he oversees operations across multiple territories including UAE, Kuwait, Qatar, Oman, Bahrain, Jordan, Lebanon, and North African countries spanning Morocco, Tunisia, Algeria, and Libya. A proven leader, Horasan’s exceptional performance in managing the Turkey market for 4.5 years earned him recognition in the CEO Circle for both FY22 and FY23. His comprehensive expertise spans e-tail, retail, system integrators, distribution, and reseller channels, positioning him strategically to drive growth across these diverse markets.

As the new country manager of Seagate, what changes have you experienced taking on this new role?
I moved to Dubai about five weeks ago with my family, which was quite a transition. I’m still managing the Turkey business alongside my responsibilities in the UAE, part of GCC, and North Africa regions, so it has been a busy period. But I’m genuinely happy—work makes me happy.

What excites you about this new role, and how do you see yourself evolving in it?
This is a diverse and fast-paced market, which excites me. I’m coming from a large but slower market, with significant financial challenges that made it difficult to undertake new projects and boost market share. Here, there are numerous visible and hidden opportunities. I’m eager to dive deeper into this market and explore its various facets and potential.

You successfully managed the Turkey market for four years. How do you plan to leverage that experience in retail, system integrators, and resellers in this new market? How do you envision working with new partners?
Turkey has been a challenging market, and that’s reflected in the strong presence of Turkish people in major corporations, particularly in financial roles. Managing business in Turkey means dealing with economic instability, including extremely high inflation and interest rates—over 70% per year on credit lines. Operating under such conditions, with limited financial flexibility and constrained growth, taught me a lot about resilience and innovative management. This experience has prepared me to tackle diverse challenges in this new market.

Now that I’m based in Dubai, I’m focusing on getting closer to our distributors. While I previously managed GCC and North African regions from a distance, being here allows me to engage more closely with our three distributors, learn more about the markets, and collaborate effectively. Together, I’m confident we can make the business thrive and shine.