Bengaluru: Akamai has announced the appointment of Fiona Zhang as Regional Vice President, Channel Sales and Programs for Asia Pacific and Japan (APJ), reinforcing its commitment to a channel-first growth strategy.
In her new role, Zhang will lead Akamai’s channel strategy and partner ecosystem across APJ, with a focus on enabling partners to deliver greater customer value and supporting enterprises navigating increasingly complex digital and security environments.
Akamai’s partner ecosystem remains central to its growth strategy, driving customer adoption, market expansion, and revenue across the region. This is supported by Akamai Partner Connect, the company’s global partner program aimed at simplifying engagement, strengthening collaboration, and accelerating partner-led growth.
As enterprises across APJ accelerate digital transformation and AI adoption, Akamai is expanding its partner network to meet rising demand for cloud and security solutions. The company continues to deepen collaborations with service providers, value-added distributors, system integrators, cloud providers, and technology partners to enhance solution delivery and scale localized expertise.
Zhang brings over 15 years of experience in channel sales and programs, with expertise spanning cybersecurity, cloud, and networking. Since joining Akamai in 2019, she has led channel strategy and operations in Greater China, driving partner-led growth across delivery, security, and compute solutions.
Prior to Akamai, she served as Head of Channels at Palo Alto Networks in China, where she played a key role during a period of rapid market expansion. She began her career at Cisco, holding multiple roles across sales, business development, and channel management.
Commenting on her appointment, Fiona Zhang said, “Asia Pacific is one of the most diverse and fast-moving technology markets in the world, and that makes a channel-first strategy essential.”
She added, “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.”
Sean Li, Senior Vice President, Regional Sales & Managing Director for Asia Pacific and Japan, Akamai, added, “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.”
