Local IT industry veteran Kevin Wo is the latest leadership appointment, after series of recent senior-level hires from Dell, HP, Google, Salesforce and Samsung
Singapore, 14 November 2016 – Microsoft today announced Kevin Wo as the new managing director for Singapore.
In his new role, Wo (pictured right) will be responsible for developing and driving growth strategies for all of Microsoft’s product, service and support offerings in Singapore and building on the company’s 26-year presence here. One of his key focus areas will be to enable Microsoft’s customers in Singapore to accelerate momentum as they embark on their own journey of digital transformation.
Wo takes over the leadership reins from Jessica Tan, who will be leaving Microsoft to pursue new business opportunities. Tan will remain in her role until 31 December 2016 to ensure a seamless transition of leadership to Wo.
Wo joins Microsoft Singapore with a 23-year track-record in the IT industry, having held leadership roles in sales management, technology consulting and large-scale system integration.
Prior to taking on his new role at Microsoft, Wo spent close to seven years with Avanade, a leading provider of innovative digital and cloud services, business solutions and design-led experiences. In this role, he led a team of over 200 employees and successfully drove the growth of its regional business. Avanade was named Microsoft Country Partner of the Year Award for Singapore in 2015. Wo joined Avanade in January 2010 as its vice president & country manager for Singapore. He has previously held leadership roles at several leading IT and business consulting firms.
Commenting on Wo’s appointment, Ralph Haupter, president, Microsoft Asia and corporate vice president, Microsoft Corp, said: “Singapore is one of the most technologically-advanced markets in Asia Pacific, where digital transformation is accelerating rapidly in all sectors. Kevin is a proven IT leader and will deepen Microsoft’s relationships with customers and partners in co-creating new digital possibilities as Singapore charts its next lap of growth.”
Wo joins Microsoft at a time where many organizations globally, and in Singapore, are mapping out their digital transformation strategies. He said: “We live in a dynamic, connected age where digital and cloud technologies have created incredible opportunities to redefine business models, growth avenues and customer experiences.”
Tan (pictured right) will leave behind a deep legacy in her 13-year stint with Microsoft in Asia Pacific, having served twice as its managing director for Singapore, in addition to regional leadership roles. Tan was awarded IT Leader of the Year by the Singapore Computer Society in 2016.
“In the technology industry, we understand better than anyone else that change is the only constant. After 13 rewarding years in Microsoft, I think that the time is right for me to have fresh talent succeed what I hope is a great legacy. Microsoft is in a strong position strategically, and we have the right leadership and people in place in the Singapore team. I am confident that the company will continue to empower more organizations in their digital transformation journey as well as make a difference to society,” said Tan, managing director, Microsoft Singapore.
Haupter added: “We are humbled by Jessica’s contributions to Microsoft in Asia Pacific and Singapore. Over the years, she has been an exemplary business and community leader. She has also tirelessly championed women’s leadership roles in the IT industry. We look forward to Jessica continuing her contributions to Singapore.”
The appointment of Wo, comes on the heels of several recent high-profile hires from other local IT companies, who have chosen to join Microsoft as the company continues to transform to be the productivity and platform provider for the mobile-first, cloud-first world.
These senior-level appointments include:
- HP’s Managing Director for Malaysia, Thiyagu Letchumanan left to head up Microsoft’s Enterprise sales team in Malaysia.
- K Raman, Oracle Corporation’s Regional Managing Director for ASEAN and South Asia Growth Economies also joined Microsoft Malaysia as its new managing director.
- Dell’s Vice President of Asia Pacific & Japan, Barrie Sheers joined Microsoft New Zealand as managing director.
- Area Vice President of Salesforce, Simon Davies, left the company to join Microsoft as vice president of its Business Solutions division.
- Alfred Koh, former CEO of Samsung SDS, joined Microsoft as general manager of Microsoft Korea.
- Ricky Kapur left his role as Managing Director of Google’s Cloud Platform to become Microsoft’s general manager of Enterprise & Partner Group.
- Rob Behennah left his role as the Senior Vice President of the Customer Success Group for Salesforce Japan to become Microsoft’s new general manager for Microsoft Services in Asia Pacific.