Mark Vargo EMEA SVP and GM, Akamai

Akamai Technologies, Inc. announced the appointment of Mark J. Vargo as Senior Vice President and General Manager, EMEA.

 Based in Zurich, Mr. Vargo will lead Akamai’s operations in EMEA including all sales, services and marketing across the regions. He will report to Robert Hughes, Akamai’s Executive Vice President of Global Sales, Services and Marketing.

With over 25 years of executive leadership experience in data storage, networking, telecommunications and IT services, Mr. Vargo joins Akamai from IBM, having served as Chief Strategy Officer for IBM’s Northern European Systems and Technology Group since 2006.

"Mark is a seasoned, global leader and will be instrumental in leading and scaling our cross-functional EMEA organization," said Hughes. "In 2011, we expanded our operations further in EMEA to now include ten offices, opening seven new countries, a services center in Krakow, the build-out of a state-of-the-art customer center in Zurich, and have added several new pan-EMEA management roles. As we pursue our next phase of growth in this important region, I am extremely confident in the hands-on experience and leadership Mark brings to our company as a proven player in EMEA."

"There is tremendous value to be gained from Akamai’s global platform as enterprises adopt strategies across the areas of cloud, mobile, security, and media," said Vargo. "EMEA has always been a region of success for Akamai, and I’m thrilled to be joining an established and talented team to help it scale to new levels. Looking ahead, I see significant opportunity in our existing markets across EMEA, as well as in the many markets and countries Akamai has yet to serve. I look forward to working closely with our customers in these regions as they leverage the Internet for success."

During Mr. Vargo’s tenure at IBM, he designed and launched go-to-market strategies for the company’s storage systems and cloud computing businesses across EMEA. Prior to IBM, he held multiple senior management roles at IT companies such as IDC, GiantLoop Networks, Memorex Telex and was one of the founding members that built EMC Corporation in EMEA. He founded GlassHouse Inc. international operations after serving as Managing Director of EMEA for CNT Corporation acquired by McData.