Cisco has appointed Ben Dawson as the new President for its Asia Pacific, Japan and Greater China (APJC) business, succeeding Dave West. He will report to Oliver Tuszik, Executive Vice President of Global Sales and Chief Sales Officer, effective Monday, July 28, 2025.
Dave, after more than a decade of advancing strategic influence and leadership in the APJC region will now step into the role of Senior Vice President, Global Specialists. In this position, he will lead a global team who are at the forefront of Cisco’s business evolution. Dave will leverage his deep understanding of customer needs, Cisco’s technology portfolio, and the invaluable insights gained while spearheading Cisco’s growth and transformation across the globe.
Ben has grown his career over two decades at Cisco, contributing across a diverse range of roles within the enterprise, public sector, commercial, channels, and service provider segments in both the United States and Australia. Most recently, he led Cisco Australia & New Zealand, where he worked closely with customers and partners to drive digital transformation and accelerate technology adoption. He also built a successful workplace culture which has been recognised as the #1 best place to work for five consecutive years. Prior to that, Ben lived in Silicon Valley and led sales for Cisco’s Webscale business with responsibility for managing the global relationship with some of the world’s largest web and cloud companies.
In his new role, Ben will lead the APJC team in helping customers and partners seize the opportunities of the AI era. As the world continues to evolve rapidly, businesses, organizations, and countries across APJC face both unprecedented opportunities and challenges. Cisco is uniquely positioned to deliver value, innovation, and growth through our secure networking portfolio and trusted global partnerships, empowering our customers to thrive in this new era.
Commenting on his appointment, Ben Dawson said: “It’s an exciting time to take on the leadership of the most diverse and innovative regions – Asia Pacific Japan and Greater China. The confluence of AI, cybersecurity and next generation networking presents an extraordinary opportunity, and we are in a pivotal moment. Throughout my career at Cisco, I’ve seen us help organizations navigate major technology transitions, from building the internet, to enabling cloud computing, and now shaping the future with AI. This is a once-in-a-generation opportunity and has the potential to reshape industries, economies and societies. I am looking forward to leading our business in this dynamic region and building on our success.”
“Ben’s exceptional track record in driving business success and fostering a strong culture truly sets him apart. With his global and regional experience, Ben brings a unique perspective to our team. As ANZ often leads the way in emerging technology adoption, his leadership will be invaluable in accelerating growth across the region as Cisco has unified networking, security, observability, and collaboration to create a true platform advantage for our customers.” said Oliver Tuszik, Executive Vice President of Global Sales and Chief Sales Officer. “I also want to thank Dave for his immense contribution to APJC working with our customers, partners, and teams. He is a tremendous leader and will transfer much of his experience into the global specialist team. I am excited to partner with Ben and build on that solid foundation in APJC.”
Currently based in Melbourne, Ben will relocate to Cisco’s APJC headquarters in Singapore.
