Energy management and automation company Schneider Electric has named Caspar Herzberg as its President for a newly formed Middle East & Africa (MEA) region from the 1 January 2017.

The company already has presence in Sub-saharan Africa with projects that include a drive to respond to energy needs of villages by supporting sustainable economic and social activity.

Schneider Electric rolled out electricity to 128 rural public primary schools in Kenya through a solar off-grid electrification solution.

A statement from the company says Herzberg will oversee all of the company's business operations within the region when he begins work in 2017.

"In a bid to refuel growth, boost organisational efficiency and better leverage opportunities in the existing Africa & Caribbean and Middle East & Central Asia regions, Schneider Electric has merged these two markets into a single Middle East and Africa region."

Herzberg joined Schneider Electric in April 2016 to lead the African and Caribbean operation. His experience in the industry spans more than 20 years. Before joining Schneider Electric he was Vice President, Cisco Consulting Services for Asia Pacific, China and Japan. He has also served in a number of sales and delivery roles for Cisco and Accenture around the world.

Other activities by Schneider Electric in Africa include a collaboration with La Poste du Bénin and Asper, a consulting firm in renewable energy and energy efficiency in West Africa. Schneider Electric distributed Mobiya TS120S portable solar lanterns in 108 post offices throughout Benin.

The lamp runs autonomously from an associated solar panel and has a USB port that charges phones and other devices.

The company operates in over 100 countries with around 160,000 employees worldwide (as of December 2015). It generated revenues of €26.6 billion last year.