NetApp names new CTO to lead EMEA, LATAM technical strategy

NetApp has announced the appointment of Jurgen Hofkens as chief technology officer (CTO) and vice president of sales engineering, as the firm looks to strengthen customer engagement and accelerate AI adoption.

Hofkens is tasked with leading the company’s technical strategy and customer engagement across the regions as enterprises are increasingly looking to operationalize AI and bolster data sovereignty and security.

Reporting to Willem Hendrickx, NetApp’s SVP and general manager for EMEA and LATAM, he will also play a key role in shaping how organizations design and deploy data infrastructure across on-premises, edge, and cloud environments.

In his new role, Hofkens said he plans to spend time engaging directly with customers and partners to better understand their challenges and co-develop solutions tailored to their needs.

"Every CIO and CISO I speak with is asking the same three questions: how do I turn my data into an AI advantage, how do I keep it sovereign, private, and secure, and how do I keep the flexibility to run it wherever the business needs it — on-premises, at the edge, or in any cloud?" he explained.

“I intend to spend the coming months on the ground with our customers and partners across EMEA and LATAM — listening, challenging, and co-designing what intelligent data infrastructure looks like for their business."

Hofkens joins NetApp from Amazon Web Services (AWS), where he led go-to-market strategy for AI infrastructure across EMEA, overseeing technical execution and customer outcomes as enterprises scaled AI initiatives from experimentation to production.

During his time at AWS, Hofkens led the EMEA technical teams covering core services and advanced computing portfolio.

NetApp said the appointment comes at a time when enterprises are navigating a major shift in how data is managed and leveraged as AI adoption continues to accelerate.

"Our customers and partners are navigating a once-in-a-generation shift: making their data ready for AI, hardening it against new cyber threats, and running it seamlessly across clouds and on-premises," commented Hendrickx, SVP and general manager for EMEA and LATAM at NetApp.

"Jurgen's appointment reflects our commitment to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with them, backed by the deepest technical expertise in the industry.”

The company added that it is continuing to invest in its technical capabilities across the region, including expanding its sales engineering, AI, and cybersecurity teams to support growing customer demand.

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