Sherif Tawfik: Driving Sovereign AI, Global Growth, and Sustainable Innovation

Sherif Tawfik is a technology executive with more than three decades of industry experience, including 26 years at Microsoft, where he held senior leadership roles across AI, cloud, digital transformation, sustainability, and commercial strategy. Today, as Chief Business Officer at Core42, a G42 company, he is focused on scaling sovereign AI infrastructure and enabling the next generation of the global AI economy.

Leading Core42’s Global Commercial Strategy

Since March 2026, Tawfik has served as Chief Business Officer at Core42, leading its global commercial strategy and revenue engine with responsibility for growth, P&L performance, partnerships, marketing, and delivery.

His mandate includes expanding AI infrastructure and sovereign cloud solutions internationally, structuring large-scale programs, and building high-performance commercial organizations capable of operating across global markets.

Under his leadership focus, Core42 is advancing AI Factories, GPU-as-a-Service platforms, sovereign public cloud environments, and secure digital ecosystems designed to support governments, enterprises, and AI-native businesses.

Tawfik describes the company’s broader ambition as building “Token and Agent Factories”—infrastructure where compute, data, models, agents, and applications converge to support national competitiveness and economic transformation.

A Distinguished Career at Microsoft

Tawfik spent 26 years at Microsoft, progressing through increasingly strategic leadership roles across the Middle East, Africa, and emerging markets.

Most recently, from 2024 to 2026, he served as Chief Partnership Officer for the G42 & Microsoft Global Alliance, leading strategic collaboration between Microsoft and G42 and driving joint AI and sovereign cloud initiatives.

Previously, as Chief Sustainability Commercial Officer for Central and Southeastern Europe, the Middle East, and Africa, he drove commercial growth for Microsoft’s sustainability solutions across more than 100 countries, generated a significant sales pipeline, and contributed to Microsoft’s participation in COP27 and COP28.

As Senior Director of Business Strategy for the Middle East & Africa, he led national transformation partnership programs focused on cloud, AI, digital transformation, skills development, and societal impact.

Earlier, as Microsoft’s Country General Manager for Bahrain and Oman, Tawfik led the newly formed subsidiary through three consecutive years of double-digit growth. The operation was recognized as Microsoft’s best-performing subsidiary globally and received the Circle of Excellence Platinum Club Subsidiary of the Year award in 2015 and 2017.

Scaling Technology and Talent

During his tenure as Regional Director for Solutions Sales & Center of Expertise in the Middle East and Africa, Tawfik helped build and expand Microsoft’s regional capabilities, contributing to the hiring and onboarding of more than 150 technical and solutions sales professionals.

He also helped lead hundreds of sales and technical professionals, contributing to more than US$1.5 billion in Microsoft solutions revenue. His achievements earned him multiple Microsoft Circle of Excellence Platinum Club honors, including the Chairman’s Award and Outstanding Achievement Award.

Democratizing Sustainable Innovation

Beyond his corporate leadership, Tawfik is the CEO and Co-Founder of Fusion Minds AI, established to combine artificial intelligence with sustainability, education, and innovation.

The venture is developing three interconnected platforms—Fusion Ed, Fusion Gen, and Fusion Worx—focused respectively on AI-powered sustainability education, generative AI solutions for ESG and sustainability, and connecting sustainability talent with organizations.

His vision is centered on making advanced technology more accessible while ensuring that innovation creates meaningful value for both businesses and society.

A Leadership Philosophy Built Around Purpose

Tawfik’s career demonstrates a consistent focus on scaling businesses, developing high-performance teams, building strategic partnerships, and turning emerging technologies into commercial and societal opportunities.

With expertise spanning AI, cloud, sustainability, digital transformation, sovereign infrastructure, and global business development, he continues to play a significant role in shaping the region’s technology-driven future.

Arab CEOs Recognition

Arab CEOs recognizes Sherif Tawfik for his distinguished contribution to the technology and AI ecosystem across the region. From his 26-year leadership journey at Microsoft to his current role at Core42 and his work through Fusion Minds AI, Tawfik exemplifies a new generation of executives connecting technology, commercial growth, sovereign capability, and sustainable innovation.