Dave West (Cisco)
Cisco has appointed Dave West as new president of Asia Pacific, Japan and Greater China (APJC), replacing Miyuki Suzuki who is retiring from the technology giant.
Effective immediately, West will also be joined by former regional leader Irving Tan as chairman, who is returning to Singapore after spending more than three years as executive vice president and chief of Operations in the US.
With over 20 years of leadership experience at Cisco, West most recently held the position of head of Japan, spearheading the Japan Country Digitisation initiative to build strategic alliances with local customers and partners to drive “sustained growth” in the market. Currently based in Tokyo, West will relocate to the vendor’s regional headquarters in Singapore.
“During his 20 years at Cisco, Dave has demonstrated a strong understanding of the region, a great talent for recognising and maximising market trends and transitions, and the ability to motivate teams and drive growth,” said Gerri Elliott, executive vice president and chief sales and marketing officer at Cisco. “He’s the right leader at the right time.”
Prior to running the Japan business, West held global leadership roles including driving worldwide Enterprise Networking and Security sales, in addition to serving as CTO of Asia Pacific and Japan.
“We are witnessing a major shift in the way businesses operate with technology driving the change,” West said. “Home to some of the fastest growing and diverse economies in the world, Asia is leading the charge on this front. We are committed to working with our customers and partners to accelerate their digital transformation so they are ready for the future and can fully leverage the growth opportunities that are opening up.”
Credit: Cisco West replaces Suzuki who first joined Cisco as leader of Japan in 2015 before assuming regional responsibilities in early 2018, replacing US-bound Tan in the process. With more than 35 years market experience, Suzuki has previously held executive roles at KVH - a Japanese telecommunications and IT service provider - LexisNexis and Jetstar Japan, alongside Japan Telecom and Reuters.
“I also want to thank Miyuki for her immeasurable contributions to our customers, partners, and teams, and to me personally,” Elliott said. “She’s a tremendous leader, leaves a great legacy behind, and I’m looking forward to partnering with Dave to build on that great foundation.”
Meanwhile, Tan is moving back to Singapore after spending three years in the US in a role which included managing “several global challenges”, most recently leading many of Cisco’s pandemic response efforts.
Before moving to the US, Tan held multiple leadership roles in APJC, including running the region and growing the business “consistently” during his four-year tenure. Going forward, Tan will partner with West and his leadership team on “special projects” to drive growth across the region.
“I am delighted that Irving is taking on the role of chairman,” Elliott added. “His experience on the Executive Leadership Team, and as a former leader of APJC, will be invaluable to our efforts to drive sustained growth in the region.”
