Alvin (Teddy) Makoanyane
Sales Engineer
Vorna Valley
Summary
Experienced Sales Engineer with a strong foundation in system engineering. Skilled in designing and implementing intricate systems solutions to achieve peak performance and reliability. Proven track record of analytical thinking and problem-solving when working collaboratively in cross-functional teams.
Overview
26
26
years of professional experience
3990
3990
years of post-secondary education
Work History
SYSTEM ENGINEER FOR EAST AND WEST AFRICA
F5 Networks
11.2016 - Current
- I joined F5 in November 2016 to support East Africa. I supported all customers in the region except the Service Providers, a significant portion of my time was spent educating and supporting the Channel Partners. Due to some restructure of the local team, I moved from East to West Africa, I also provide additional support to French speaking Africa.
- Key duties and responsibilities
- Work in partnership with Account Manager
- Manage relationships with customers and partners
- Conduct workshops
- Deliver presentations, Bill of Materials and proposals
- Respond to RFP’s
- Sales and forecast planning with Account Manager
- Trusted Advisor for Cyber Security and Cloud
PUBLIC SECTOR / ENTERPRISE ENGINEERING MANAGER
Cisco Systems
01.2007 - 12.2016
- In 2007 I was approached to come back to South Africa and manage the Public Sector SE team. It was initially a small team but has grown steadily over time. During my first year, we were really in process of building a team, which meant more focus on mentoring and coaching. One of my major responsibilities is making sure that we have the right SE on the right opportunity at the right time. (This remains a key responsibility still). After building team, next was to build capacity within the team, managed to build a self-sustaining team whereby each engineer had a speciality and would provide support to all accounts in PS based on their expertise.
- Supported a host of PS customers, ranging from Central Government, Municipalities, Local Government, Education and Healthcare countrywide. Delivered the first transatlantic holographic telepresence at Govtech. Managed key events such as Cisco Expo, Cisco Connect and Govtech.
- From July 2011 i have inherited the Enterprise SE team responsibilities, supporting additional customers ranging from Banking, Mining and Manufacturing and Retailers. Last Financial Year, was supporting a quota of just below $ 100M, and this year it looks to be about $110M.
- I am managing a team of 12 engineers across both Public Sector and Enterprise, a fun and very diverse team to manage.
- Key duties and responsibilities
- Partner with Sales Manager
- Manage a diverse set of employees
- Providing technical direction and business guidance to the regional sales team
- Develop and maintain a high performing technical team of SEs
- Supporting and strengthening employee morale
- Develop of the technical business plan
- Resource planning
- Coach and mentor
- Drive Customer Satisfaction Program
- Provides clear technical objectives and direction to the team
- Handle and manage technical customer escalations
- Manage TAC case
- Engage and liaise with Business Units
- Recruit Engineers
- Manage Partner and Customer Relationships
- Performance Appraisals
- Account Plan Reviews
- Development and Training Plans
- Motivate and Secure Budgets
SYSTEMS ENGINEER FOR SADC & GHANA
Cisco Systems
01.2004 - 12.2007
- This is one of my most enjoyable roles for a number of reasons. For the first year in the role I supported more than 10 countries as the sole engineer in the region, I supported all lines of business, SP, Public Sector and Enterprise, as well as all Cisco technologies, It was a steep learning curve, but a role I look back on with fondness.
- Key duties and responsibilities
- Work in partnership with Account Manager
- Manage relationships with customers and partners
- Conduct workshops
- Deliver presentations, Bill of Materials and proposals
- Design Networks
- Respond to RFP’s
- Sales and forecast planning with Account Manager
- Manage Customer Satisfaction targets
ASSOCIATE ENGINEER
Cisco Systems
01.2001 - 12.2004
- This role is what really prepared me to become and Engineer. I worked more closely with the Engineers, supporting them with more complex engagements, getting exposure to architecture discussion and the Network design process. I also managed the demo lab, with SE support, configuring testing and setting up demonstrations. I also had the pleasure of traveling the country training our resellers on all Cisco technologies, starting with generic topics such as Nerworking 101, NMS, VoIP, Security, Routing, Switching and then later providing specific products updates. In these training sessions, audiences would range from 10 – 80.
- Key Duties and Responsibilities
- Skilling up technically on Cisco technologies and product portfolio
- Attained CCNP and CCDP certifications
- Running and maintaining the demo lab
- Delivering demos to customers and partners
- Deliver training to resellers (eg, Networking 101, VoIP, NMS etc)
- On the job training in shadowing Engineers
HELP DESK
Cisco Systems
01.1999 - 12.2001
- This was the perfect role for someone who was not familiar with Cisco to skill up. As it gave me the opportunity to learn about Cisco products and technologies and develop a number of other skills. I supported partners, Account Manager and Engineers on an adhoc basis, mostly around research of information, providing a first line of support before engaging the SE team. After about 8 months, I became team lead and provided guidance and on boarding of new members to the helpdesk.
- Key duties and Responsibilities
- Supporting partners and resellers in navigating the Cisco Website
- Provide 1st level support for partners and resellers
- Assisted Engineers in setting up for demonstrations
- Supported our partners and resellers in using the configuration tool
- AD-HOC Queries from partners and resellers
- Was team lead for 18 months – coached and mentored new team members
- Attained CCNA and CCDA certifications
Education
National Diploma - Information Technology
Vaal University of Technology
01-1998
Senior Certificate -
Suncrest High School
Skills
Cloud Technologies (Public and Private)
Cyber Security
Customer-focused sales approach
Consultative sales approach
Data-driven technical analysis
Systematic analysis
Problem-solving skills
Proficient in virtualization solutions
Personal Information
- ID Number: 7512155287086
- Age: 49
- Date of Birth: 12/15/75
- Gender: Male
- Driving License: YES
Timeline
SYSTEM ENGINEER FOR EAST AND WEST AFRICA
F5 Networks
11.2016 - Current
PUBLIC SECTOR / ENTERPRISE ENGINEERING MANAGER
Cisco Systems
01.2007 - 12.2016
SYSTEMS ENGINEER FOR SADC & GHANA
Cisco Systems
01.2004 - 12.2007
ASSOCIATE ENGINEER
Cisco Systems
01.2001 - 12.2004
HELP DESK
Cisco Systems
01.1999 - 12.2001
National Diploma - Information Technology
Vaal University of Technology
Senior Certificate -
Suncrest High School