Richard Gray (Akamai Technologies)
As part of the technology industry for more than 30 years, Akamai Technologies Australia and New Zealand (A/NZ) channel leader Richard Gray shares his experience and the importance of being consistent and building trust in forming great long-term relationships in the channel that have proved to be the stepping stones to growing and getting new business through the door.
What was your first job?
My first job was delivering newspapers at the age of 13. I had to do this in the depths of winter and during the beauty of summer in the heart of the English countryside. It taught me to appreciate the little things in life and that any day can be something special, from seeing fox cubs in the wild to receiving a Christmas tip from a customer.
How did you get started in the IT industry and progress to where you are today?
I’ve been working in the technology industry for over 30 years. My first job in the IT industry was working in sales in the photocopier sector. From there, I moved to Siemens in the data networking division selling hubs, switches and routers to large financial institutions in London.
Subsequently, I worked for Cisco Systems as an enterprise channel account manager. Initially I worked for the Australia and New Zealand market and later my remit extended to the Asia Pacific region.
My experience in the IT industry also includes working for technology services and consulting company Riverbed Technology as well as Juniper Networks and Stibo Systems in roles which have included sales, channel and alliances.
From there, I moved to Akamai Technologies where I’ve been for the last eight years in sales and channel roles. I’ve seen how the pandemic has accelerated the need for cloud and security products and services and the demand for these solutions has never been stronger.
The technology industry is dynamic and fast moving. To be at the forefront of this industry, it’s important not only to keep up with the changes but to also be as agile and flexible as possible.
What are some of your plans for the company in the coming months?
As part of Akamai’s commitment to the channel, we have expanded the size of our A/NZ team over the last year to provide better support to our partners. In addition, we have also increased our spending on joint partner marketing in A/NZ three times over the last year and will continue doing so in 2023.
We are also looking to grow our channel network in the next year.
We are looking to expand our relationships across the cyber partner community to better support our customers and expand our footprint in a few ways, including the development and launch of joint managed services with several partners such as Optus, Fujitsu and Telstra.
Our focus for the coming months is to work with key partners in industry verticals such as health, resources and government as we see a demand in these verticals for our security solutions.
Zero Trust and micro segmentation continue to be core areas for Akamai and with our acquisition of Guardicore, we strive to protect enterprises from damage caused by breaches like ransomware, while safeguarding the critical assets at the core of the network.
What has been your biggest business mistake, and the lessons you've learnt from that experience?
Having worked for some of the top technology companies, I’ve seen how important it is to be consistent and build trust with the partners we work with. It is from this that great long-term relationships are formed, which are stepping stones to growing the business and potentially getting new business through the door.
The ability to listen and empathise are skills that are valuable to have to build trust not only with partners, but also suppliers and customers.
What are some of your ambitions – personally and professionally?
Family is very important to me and my personal goal is to try and keep my beautiful wife as happy as I can even after 29 years of marriage and four wonderful kids. I’m committed to the benefits of long-term relationships with family and good friends, both in and out of my working life. I also enjoy mountain biking on the side, particularly getting down to Derby in Tasmania at least once a year.
Professionally, I’m keen to grow Akamai’s channel business in Australia and New Zealand as the A/NZ region is an important market for us. The channel is key for Akamai’s growth and it is central to our strategy to expand our customer base. I will be looking to work more closely with partners and further develop Akamai’s channel initiatives in A/NZ.
What has been the best piece of advice you've ever received?
I was told once that people really appreciate authenticity and can tell if people are really telling the truth. I’ve found this to ring true both in business and in my personal life.
