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Al Safarikas

Senior Director, Service Provider Managed Services

Cisco

Al Safarikas has had over 20 years of senior management experience with technology and telecommunications firms. Al is passionate communicator and a frequent speaker at industry conferences, in standards body events, as well as with the press and analysts. He is multilingual, and has lived, worked and traveled across five continents.

Al leads Managed and Hosted Services and the Cisco Powered program within Cisco Systems service provider marketing organization were he has responsibility for helping Service Providers build efficient, scalable networks, deploy high-margin revenue-generating services, accelerate end-customer demand for services, and optimize both customer-facing and back-office business and network operations.

Most recently was the service provider business leader for Microsoft's Communications Sector where he was charged with shaping and driving strategy for providing software solutions that enable service providers to create differentiated offerings, and drive new revenue streams.

Previously Al held executive leadership positions with Nortel Networks in businesses spanning from Metro Optical and Metro Ethernet, through VoIP and Packet Networks to Access Networks and Managed Services. He distinguished himself as a strategic leader across diverse disciplines including: business development, channel development, product management, and communications.

Prior to joining Nortel, Al was part of the management team at Memotec Communications post spin out from parent Teleglobe in 1994. Through the 1980's and early 90's, Al headed up development for an industry leading PC startup where he successful introduced new capabilities and designs in desktop, network and portable computing for which he holds design patents.

Al Safarikas holds a bachelor's degree in mathematics from McGill University and an MBA from Concordia University's Molson School of Business.