Akamai has appointed Fiona Zhang as Regional Vice President, Channel Sales and Programs for Asia Pacific and Japan, a move the company said reflects its reliance on partners for customer acquisition in the region.
In the role, Zhang will lead Akamai’s channel strategy and partner ecosystem across APJ, with a focus on enabling partners to support organisations dealing with what the company described as increasingly complex digital and security environments.
The company said partners account for a significant share of its regional growth, with two-thirds of customers in APJ served through partners and 90% of new customers onboarded via the channel. The appointment comes as vendors across the region push to expand partner coverage to meet demand for cloud and security services amid increased AI adoption and broader digital transformation programs.
Akamai pointed to its Partner Connect initiative as a unified global partner program intended to simplify engagement and support partner-led growth. It also said it is expanding relationships with service providers, distributors, system integrators, cloud service providers and technology partners across APJ.
Zhang joined Akamai in 2019 and most recently led channel strategy and operations in Greater China. Prior to Akamai, she held channel leadership roles at Palo Alto Networks in China and earlier worked at Cisco in sales, business development and channel management.
“Asia Pacific is one of the most diverse and fast-moving technology markets in the world, and that makes a channel-first strategy essential,” said Fiona Zhang, Regional Vice President, Channel Sales and Programs, Asia Pacific and Japan, Akamai.
“At Akamai, partners already play a central role in how we go to market — two-thirds of our customers in the region are served through partners, and 90% of new customers are onboarded through the channel. That momentum continues to grow. Across APJ, our partners are doing far more than reselling; they are building practices, advancing AI adoption, and helping enterprises navigate an increasingly complex digital landscape. My focus is on making Akamai the platform our partners want to build their business around.”
Addressing the appointment, Sean Li, Vice President and Managing Director of Greater China, Akamai, said, “Our channel ecosystem is fundamental to Akamai’s growth strategy. I want to ensure that Akamai continues to deliver better incentives, revenue opportunities and most importantly, industry-leading solutions for our partners. Fiona’s leadership will be instrumental in strengthening our partner network and enabling our partners to capture these opportunities across the region.”
