Akamai Technologies promotes James Richmond to Regional Director for Australia and New Zealand (ANZ) at Akamai Technologies. James will report directly to Akamai’s SVP, Sales and Managing Director, Asia Pacific & Japan, Parimal Pandya.
In his new role, James will lead Akamai’s growth and expansion in the ANZ region, guiding and enabling the Akamai ANZ team to best represent Akamai’s cloud computing, security and delivery solutions to partners and customers.
Based in Melbourne, James originally joined Akamai in 2014 where his focus was on helping organisations in highly regulated sectors improve their security and compliance postures. His most recent role was Regional Manager ANZ Critical Infrastructure for Akamai, and before that managed the Financial Services & Public Sector portfolio for Akamai in the region.
A veteran in Australia’s tech sector, James has also previously worked for Computershare and First Data (now Fiserv). James holds a Bachelor of Economics and Commerce Management from Monash University in Melbourne as well as a Diploma in Financial Management from FINSIA.
Akamai recently unveiled Akamai Connected Cloud, a massively distributed edge and cloud platform for cloud computing, security and content delivery that keeps applications and experiences closer and threats farther away.
Akamai will be setting up an enterprise-scale core cloud computing site in Auckland, similar to its core Sydney site, which will further support and solidify local cloud infrastructure. The company will also open a Scrubbing Centre in Aucklandaimed at providing on-ground support to Akamai’s New Zealand customers to help defend against distributed denial of service (DDoS) attacks.
Parimal Pandya, SVP Sales and Managing Director, Asia Pacific & Japan at Akamai Technologies, said: “James was the ideal choice to head up Akamai’s ANZ operations. He has an outstanding track record of forging great customer and partner relationships. With more than two decades’ experience, James has been instrumental in helping some of Australia’s largest organisations leverage technological innovation to achieve business outcomes while managing risk. It’s a critical time for organisations to build secure, innovative digital experiences for their customers.
“Our recently announced global Connected Cloud program and the ISO, SOC 2 and HIPAA standards compliance as well as the development of a New Zealand Scrubbing Centre, reflects Akamai’s focus on the security of our cloud computing services and customer data.”
James Richmond, Regional Director ANZ at Akamai Technologies, said: “I’m looking forward to continuing to drive Akamai’s relationships and strong growth in the ANZ region. I’m excited to take on this role and continue working with the team in ANZ at a time when organisations in this region are both rapidly adopting cloud and deepening their defences against escalating threats to their brand. At Akamai we always push ourselves to continuously improve the way we service our customers, and to ensure they drive increasing value from the trust placed in our capabilities and expertise.
“Akamai’s heritage and reputation as a market leader in innovative technologies in cloud, security and content delivery are key to helping organisations run their digital transformation projects. I look forward to working closely with our customers and partners to successfully execute against their technology and business strategies.”
