Cisco taps ex-Microsoft talent for APJ vice-president role

Cisco has announced the appointment of Mark Phibbs as its new vice president of marketing and communications for Asia Pacific and Japan (APJ).

Phibbs has more than 25 years' international experience in the IT industry under his belt and will be responsible for the Cisco marketing team across 18 countries in the region.

The company says Phibbs will help the company expand from its core as a networking technology provider to a multi-faceted supplier of security, collaboration, data center, cloud and Internet of Things (IoT) solutions.

On his appointment, Phibbs says, "As a leading global technology company, Cisco is well-placed to reinvent the way data is collected, protected and analysed.

"It only makes sense that our marketing efforts follow suit, and focus on delighting customers through responsive, real-time, personalised messages and experiences that add value whenever they choose to engage with us," he says.

"I'm excited to have been invited to be part of this journey, and I look forward to leading a modern marketing team and helping to further grow the Cisco brand.

Phibbs has held various marketing and leadership roles across Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) and APJ at global corporations including IBM, Microsoft and most recently Adobe, where he served as Vice President of Marketing, EMEA.

Cisco says Phibbs is a passionate advocate of digital and data-driven marketing, playing an integral role in helping Adobe move to Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) and cloud-based solutions.

Karen Walker, Cisco senior vice-president and chief marketing officer says, "We're delighted to be welcoming Mark to the Cisco team.

"His extensive background in digital disruption and improving the customer experience will be a great asset as we develop new initiatives to engage and inspire audiences, old and new.