Mrs. Carla Sanderson
Nationality: South African
Country of Residence: South Africa
Organisation or affiliation: Teraco Data Environments (Pty) Ltd
Position: Head of Marketing
Brief Motivation
Carla currently serves as Head of Marketing at Teraco – A Digital Realty Company, where she is a member of the executive committee and plays a pivotal role in shaping the brand and strategic vision of Africa’s most interconnected and vendor-neutral data centre platform. In this role, she also leads the marketing and community building initiatives for NAPAfrica—a non-profit subsidiary of Teraco and the largest Internet Exchange Point (IXP) on the African continent.
In addition, Carla served as a member of the Open-IX Association, where she contributed to international efforts in establishing neutral Internet exchange and data centre standards. Her commitment to multistakeholder, transparent, and community-led governance mirrors AFRINIC’s own mission and policy development framework.
If elected, Carla will bring:
• Proven strategic governance and accountability, supporting AFRINIC’s operational and reputational integrity;
• A focus on inclusive infrastructure growth and fair access to Internet number resources;
• Deep experience in ecosystem and community development, with a record of collaborative leadership across Africa’s Internet landscape;
• A commitment to transparent communication with AFRINIC’s membership and broader community;
• Advocacy for diversity of skills and perspectives within the Board to support robust, informed, and balanced decision-making.
Professional Background
Carla Sanderson is a seasoned marketing executive with over 25 years of experience driving strategic marketing, brand development, and communications across the technology and digital infrastructure landscape in Africa. Since 2010, she has served as Head of Marketing at Teraco – A Digital Realty Company and the NAPAfrica Internet eXchange Point, where she leads the full marketing function and serves on the executive team.
Carla has played a central role in Teraco’s growth from a regional player to a pan-African leader in carrier-neutral data centres, shaping its brand and thought leadership in a rapidly evolving telecommunications ecosystem.
Earlier in her career, Carla held senior marketing roles at TransUnion Africa, EOH, and Wonderware Southern Africa, building a deep foundation in IT services, automation, and enterprise solutions. She is known for her ability to balance strategic vision with hands-on execution, as well as her collaborative leadership style.
Carla holds several Marketing qualifications from the IMM Graduate School, as well as executive education from SDA Bocconi in Milan and Pragmatic Marketing in the US. She is a Certified SEO Professional and a passionate advocate for ethical digital marketing and industry education.