Fiona Zhang to lead Akamai’s channel strategy in APAC

Fiona Zhang has been appoitned Regional Vice President, Channel Sales and Programs for Asia Pacific and Japan at Akamai.

Akamai has appointed Fiona Zhang as Regional Vice President, Channel Sales and Programs for Asia Pacific and Japan as the tech vendor looks to reinforce its commitment to its channel strategy in the region. With Akamai’s partner ecosystem playing a key role in the development of the vendor’s growth in the region, the vendor also hopes Zhang’s appointment will boost the critical role its partners play in scaling its cloud and security business across the region.

Based in Hong Kong, her new role is focused on leading Akamai’s channel strategy and partner ecosystem across Asia Pacific and Japan. Specifically, Zhang will focus on enabling partners to deliver greater value to customers and supporting enterprises as they navigate increasingly complex digital and security environments. This includes driving customer adoption, market expansion, and revenue growth across the region.

Akamai’s partner ecosystem is currently supported by Akamai Partner Connect, its unified global partner program designed to simplify engagement, strengthen collaboration, and accelerate partner-led growth. The vendor is also looking to expanding its partner network to meet rising demand for cloud and security solutions, particularly as enterprises accelerate digital transformation and AI adoption across the region.

Akamai currently has strategic partnerships across the region, including collaborations with major service providers, value added distributors, system integrators, cloud service providers, and technology partners. Together, these partnerships enrich Akamai’s solution value, extend Akamai’s reach, deliver localized expertise, and drive customer outcomes at scale.

For Zhang, Asia Pacific is one of the most diverse and fast-moving technology markets in the world, and that makes a channel-first strategy essential.

“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,” Zhang said.

Also commenting on Zhang’s appointment is Sean Li, Vice President and Managing Director of Greater China, Akamai. Li shared that Akamai’s 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,” Li said.

A seasoned channel sales and programs leader with over 15 years of experience in the technology sector, with deep expertise across cybersecurity, cloud, and networking, Zhang joined Akamai in 2019 and most recently headed channel strategy and operations in Greater China, driving partner-led growth across delivery, security, and compute solutions.

With a strong track record of building and scaling high-performing partner ecosystems, enabling strategic partners, and delivering consistent double-digit year-on-year growth, Zhang was previously Head of Channels at Palo Alto Networks in China, where she managed the channel organization during a period of rapid market expansion and drove significant revenue growth, including in the mid-market segment. Zhang also had multiple roles in Cisco.