Freshworks appoints Sandie Overtveld as new SVP of APJ and MEA

Business software specialist Freshworks has announced the appointment of Sandie Overtveld as its new senior vice president for its Asia-Pacific, Japan (APJ), and Middle East and Africa (MEA) markets.

Based in Singapore, Overtveld will oversee the company’s growth efforts across the regions, as well as work with brands to help them retain customers and employees central to their business, Freshworks said.

A recognised digital transformation expert, he brings more than 30 years of experience to the role, as well as a strong track record of growth and strategy development. Previously, he has worked for the likes of Microsoft, Hewlett Packard, ZenDesk, and WalkMe.

“We’re thrilled to have Sandie onboard to drive Freshworks business growth in the APJ and MEA regions,” said Pradeep Rathinam, acting chief revenue officer at Freshworks.

“Sandie’s rich regional know-how of the digital transformation experience can help Freshworks deliver even more value to businesses in these regions - showing them that legacy software is a thing of the past and easy-to-use and implement business software is the future for delighting both customers and employees alike.”

Overtveld began his leadership career in South Africa as regional manager of WordPerfect Corporation, before going on to become marketing director at systems provider Workgroup Systems. His career then expanded internationally, taking on leadership roles at Corel Corporation and Pivotal Corp in London.

From there, he spent more than seven years as general manager of Microsoft’s Dynamics Business Applications segment for the Asia-Pacific (APAC) region, before becoming general manager of Hewlett Packard’s Microsoft Dynamics Service line in APJ, and later taking regional leadership roles at software as a service (SaaS) provider Zendesk.

Most recently, Overtveld served as the APJ leader for WalkMe in Singapore, a company that successfully pioneered digital adoption platforms (DAP) around the world.

Commenting on his latest appointment, Overtveld said he deeply admires Freshworks’ “longstanding vision and commitment to its customers”.

“Having worked with both entrepreneurial startups and complex global matrixed environments, I’m excited to take on this new challenge to expand business in the APJ and MEA regions,” he said. “Excited to ultimately expand Freshworks’ global presence and deliver value to businesses of all sizes.”