Kaspersky, a cybersecurity and digital privacy company, has announced the appointment of IT veteran Adrian Hia as its new Managing Director for Asia Pacific (APAC).

In his new role, Hia will be responsible for spearheading Kaspersky's expansion in key territories of the region, with a focus on the company's fast-growing enterprise cybersecurity segment. He will lead efforts to extend market footprint, expand channel reach, and drive new business growth.

With his extensive experience and knowledge of IT markets across Asia, Hia will also lead and manage the sales, marketing, and channel go-to-market strategy and execution in the region.

“Adrian brings over two decades of experience in international companies and the local IT industry in APAC, where he successfully grew businesses, achieving outstanding results. We trust that his in depth knowledge of both Asia-Pacific developed and emerging economies will help Kaspersky boost its business in the region, which is one of strategically important markets for the company. In his new role, Adrian will help Kaspersky identify new business opportunities and accelerate the B2B business momentum with a focus on the enterprise segment,” says Kirill Astrakhan, Executive Vice President for Corporate Business at Kaspersky.

Prior to joining Kaspersky, Hia was the Senior Regional VP for ASEAN & Greater China Region at Zscaler. His experience in the IT industry also includes regional sales and channel stints in VMWare, Oracle, and Sun Microsystems.

Hia said he is an an advocate of digital transformation and of harnessing the power of new technologies to enable business growth. "As cyberattacks constantly evolve and expand the victim pool, harming individuals, companies, and even critical infrastructure, I’m delighted to be part of the Kaspersky team and help it in its mission to bring on a safer future through its comprehensive and multi-awarded security solutions and services,” he added.

Hia holds a Bachelor's Degree in Applied Science (Computer Engineering) from the Nanyang Technological University.

He will be based in Kaspersky’s Asia Pacific headquarters in Singapore.

Chris Connell, Managing Director for Asia Pacific at Kaspersky has resigned after being a part of the Kaspersky team for four years to pursue other opportunities. Connell will continue to help manage the region along with the necessary transitions until the end of the May 2023.