Cisco has named Ben Dawson as its next president for the Asia Pacific, Japan, and Greater China (APJC) region, succeeding Dave West in a move that underscores the company’s ambitions around AI-driven transformation across one of its most dynamic markets.
Dawson, who currently leads Cisco Australia and New Zealand, will officially take the role on 28 July and relocate from Melbourne to Singapore. He will report directly to Oliver Tuszik, Cisco’s EVP of global sales and chief sales officer. Meanwhile, Cisco has launched a search for a new A/NZ lead to replace Dawson.
After over a decade of guiding Cisco’s growth and strategy in the APJC region, West transitions into the role of SVP global specialists. In this new capacity, West will draw on his deep customer insight and Cisco’s broad technology portfolio to help shape global strategy and specialist teams worldwide.
Having spent more than 20 years at Cisco, Dawson brings broad experience across enterprise, public sector, channels, commercial and service provider segments, gained from roles in both the United States and Australia. During his time leading Cisco A/NZ, Dawson worked closely with customers and partners to drive digital transformation, cloud adoption, and cybersecurity initiatives.
In his new role, Dawson’s remit will include accelerating the region’s shift to AI, security, and next-generation networking.
“It’s an exciting time to take on the leadership of one of Cisco’s most diverse and innovative regions,” Dawson said. “The convergence of AI, cybersecurity, and networking presents an extraordinary opportunity to reshape industries and society. I look forward to leading our teams in APJC to help our customers navigate this once-in-a-generation shift.”
Tuszik praised Dawson’s ability to blend global and regional perspectives:
“Ben’s track record of driving success, paired with his deep understanding of culture and technology, makes him the right leader for this pivotal moment,” Tuszik said. “As A/NZ has often been an early adopter of emerging technologies, Ben’s leadership will be key as we unify networking, security, observability, and collaboration into a platform advantage for customers.”
Tuszik also thanked West for his decade of leadership in APJC, adding that his experience would now strengthen Cisco’s global specialist strategy.
Adding to recent leadership momentum, Luke Power has returned to Cisco this month as APJC managing director of partner success. Power, who brings nearly three decades of IT industry experience and prior Cisco tenures (2005–2007 and 2017–2022), previously held senior roles at Extreme Networks, Trellix, McAfee, Avaya and Nortel.
This leadership refresh comes as Cisco sharpens its regional focus on AI and cybersecurity, in step with global demand for unified, AI-powered platforms.