Cisco appoints José Van Dijk as new EMEA channel chief

Cisco has announced the appointment of José Van Dijk as its new channel chief for the EMEA region. 

Based in Amsterdam, the seasoned leader will head up the company’s EMEA partner sales and routes to market organization, reporting to EMEA president Oliver Tuszik.

With more than 25 years’ experience at Cisco, Van Dijk steps into the role having been a prominent figure in leading the firm’s Global Operations and Partner Performance section over the last four and a half years. 

She has also previously held a number of other leadership roles across the business and is credited with helping drive transformation across development, marketing, services, customer experience, as well as global partner sales and routes to market.

In an announcement, Tuszik said the company has appointed the “ideal person” to lead its EMEA channel operations.

“She is a change maker, who will bring further simplification and process improvements to the partner organization,” he said. 

“José has fantastic relationships with partners across the region and will help improve their business profitably. Especially in cyber security, collaboration, and managed services, we see tremendous opportunities for our partners”

Van Dijk’s appointment as EMEA channel chief follows hot on the heels of Tuszik’s own appointment as president for EMEA in August 2023. Tuszik was promoted from his previous position of senior vice president of global partner sales.  

At the time, the fellow Cisco veteran described the EMEA region as having “the biggest untapped opportunity on the world stage” thanks to its capability for innovation, as well as its talent diversity.

Now, as the company looks to take advantage of this growth potential, Van Dijk said she will place a particular focus on developing the relationships between Cisco and its partners to facilitate mutual success.

“My absolute priority will be spending time with our EMEA partners, to learn about their priorities and how we can drive growth together in the region,” she commented. 

“I’m looking forward to renewing existing partner relationships, building new ones and learning more about the great work we are doing with our customers.”