Pieter Bil Named Chief Executive of Gulf Business Machines

Gulf Business Machines, a Dubai-based technology and systems integration company, appointed Pieter Willem Bil as chief executive officer on 8 September 2026. Bil joins from Kyndryl, the IT infrastructure services firm, where he served as senior vice president and managing director for the Middle East and Africa.

GBM said Bil brings more than 30 years of executive leadership experience driving business transformation, growth and digital modernisation for Fortune 500 enterprises and government entities. In his new role, the company said, he will lead its strategic growth across regional markets, with a focus on helping enterprise and public-sector customers adopt artificial intelligence and modernise digital infrastructure.

A regional hub for AI-driven IT spending

Gulf Business Machines has long operated as a major reseller and integrator of IBM and other enterprise technology across the Gulf, working with governments and large companies on data centres, cybersecurity and cloud infrastructure. Bil’s appointment comes as Gulf governments, including the UAE and Saudi Arabia, continue heavy public investment in artificial intelligence infrastructure and digital transformation programmes.

An outside hire from a global rival

Unlike several of the internal promotions seen elsewhere in the technology sector this year, GBM’s choice of an outside executive from Kyndryl signals an intent to bring fresh perspective from a company with a wider global footprint. Marwan Faraj Bin Hamoodah continues as GBM’s chairman.

Why It Matters

GBM’s role spans both private enterprise and government contracts across the Gulf, meaning its leadership choices carry weight for how quickly public agencies, not just companies, can modernise their technology. As Gulf governments race to build out national AI and cloud capacity, the systems integrators that implement those projects play an outsized role in translating public investment into working infrastructure. Leadership at firms like GBM shapes how quickly that transformation reaches the public and private sector clients that depend on it.