Posted by Mumbai: Chris Connell, Kaspersky’s Deputy VP of Global Sales has been appointed as Managing Director for Asia-Pacific (APAC). The global cybersecurity announced the appointment of Chris Connell in a statement on Friday.
As the new MD, Connell will be responsible for Kaspersky’s business expansion in the APAC region. Besides, Connell will also continue his existing role of Deputy VP. This is actually the second time, Connell will be leading two different positions simultaneously since he joined Kaspersky in 2019.
Connell hails from the United Kingdom and will be based in Kaspersky’s regional office in Singapore. He joined Kaspersky as the GM for UK and Ireland in February 2019.
A year later, he got promotion as Director of European Operations. While he took the new charge, Connell continued to lead as Deputy VP of Sales Network. In the new role, Connell’s task was to boost the performance of the company’s European operations.
Following this European reorganisation, he was responsible for one of Kaspersky’s burgeoning regions – Northern and Eastern Europe.
Connell brings more than 23 years of professional experience in Sales and Commercial leadership. He has worked in various companies and across many sectors, including solution selling, consumer, B2B and channel sales.
Prior to joining Kaspersky, Connell had worked with companies such as Ingram Micro Europe and Australia, Tech Data and IBM.
“I am excited to take up this new leadership role in a region where cybersecurity trends are dynamic. But also diverse in terms of needs and development,” said Chris Connell.
The Asia Pacific region will spend around $28.2 billion on cybersecurity in the next two years, as per estimates. Kaspersky is eyeing a bigger share in this region with the appointment of Connell as MD, APAC.
Data breaches have become increasingly commonplace in the APAC region. Many healthcare organisations, e-commerce companies and other organisations have suffered data breaches and cyberattacks over the past year.
“I am confident that Chris’ wealth of expertise and a thorough understanding of global cybersecurity trends will help to build a safer and more transparent environment for all in APAC,” said Evgeniya Naumova, VP – Global Sales Network, Kaspersky.
With his expertise, Connell in his new role is expected to shore up the cyber-resilience of APAC’s healthcare institutions. In addition, he will look to further develop and continue the growth in both commercial and enterprise cybersecurity.