Fusion-io announced that storage technology sales expert Kevin Platz has joined the company as managing director, EMEA (Europe, Middle East and Africa). In this role, he will be responsible for building and growing the Fusion-io business in these regions.

 Platz brings nearly 25 years of storage technology sales experience to Fusion-io, including 15 years of EMEA experience. A veteran of storage technology start-ups, he specializes in growing European sales divisions for U.S.-based storage technology companies. His previous experience includes starting and building the EMEA business for companies such as Data Domain, OTG Software and Smart Storage. He has built and managed sales teams in 13 different countries and was responsible for growing sales at one start-up from zero to €35M ($50M) in just five years.

"Diamond Point International (Europe) Ltd has helped to pioneer the use of Fusion-io in Europe and is fully behind Fusion's bold step to expand the European team with such a noteworthy new leader,” said John Vaines, managing director of Diamond Point International, a European reseller of Fusion-io technologies. "Fusion-io is one of the most exciting technologies we have ever seen and customer experience so far has been nothing short of staggering."

“Kevin is one of the foremost storage sales leaders in Europe today,” said Jim Dawson, senior vice president of worldwide sales at Fusion-io. “We are thrilled to have Kevin’s vast international experience as we introduce our ground-breaking storage technology to the world and grow our global presence.”

“With the constant need for increased storage performance, combined with a desire to decrease power draws and operational costs, the technology that Fusion-io has created is revolutionizing the world of computing,” said Platz. “I’m excited to be working with such an innovative product and such a visionary group of people.”