Zoom APAC channel lead Donald Kerr pivots to ANZ-focused role

Zoom Video Communications has a new channel sales lead for Australia and New Zealand, with former APAC channel chief Donald Kerr pivoting to a more localised role.

Kerr announced the move on LinkedIn, revealing that his decision to take an ANZ-specific remit was due to personal circumstances.

Zoom declined to comment on Kerr’s new role.

“After more than 3 years since starting as the first Zoom's Channel resource in APAC, growing out our channel presence across Asia and into India, I'm excited to be pivoting back into ANZ as ANZ Channel Sales Lead at Zoom!” Kerr’s post read.

“Thank you to [Zoom head of global channel] Laura Padilla for the amazing opportunity to build out this business, and for supporting me in the pivot back into ANZ which will provide me more time to support my parents in their old age.

Taking over Kerr's remit is Jacob Pereira, who was hired by Zoom in November 2021 as head of APAC partners. He is based in Singapore, where he will manage Zoom’s partner ecosystem for the region and oversee partners like distribution, resellers, referral partners, service providers and system integrators.

Kerr also farewelled his APAC colleagues and said he was looking forward to working with Pereira moving forward.

“Finally to all the Zoom Partners across the APAC region, thank you for all you have done for your customers and for Zoom's business in the region,” Kerr said.

Before joining Zoom, Kerr was senior account manager at Plantronics, a role he held from 2010 to 2018. Prior to that, he worked at Microsoft from 2002 to 2010 in a variety of technical and management roles. Kerr also worked at Dimension Data from 2000 to 2002.

Pereira was appointed after Zoom hired former Microsoft APAC vice president of sales and marketing operations Ricky Kapur to lead its Asia-Pacific business in June 2021.

In July 2020, the company revealed it had opted for a brokerage model over a traditional resale channel in ANZ and tapped Tradewinds Technology Brokerage as its master agent in the region.

Then in May last year, the unified communications vendor changed track and appointed Dicker Data as its newest distributor for Australia and New Zealand. The distributor secured both distribution and master agent rights for Zoom.