Zoom hires NICE’s Mike Johnson as A/NZ channel head

Zoom has hired former NICE sales director Mike Johnson as its head of channel for Australia and New Zealand (A/NZ).

Reporting to the Asia Pacific (APAC) head of channel Jacob Pereira, Johnson is said by the vendor to be “primed to advance Zoom’s partner and channel growth strategy across A/NZ”.

Johnson’s appointment is part of a push from Zoom to boost its partner ecosystem. He takes the responsibilities of the role from Ashley Allen, who had been A/NZ channel sales lead for more than two years and is now managing strategic partners for the region.

A blog post from Zoom head of global channel go to market Nick Tidd dated 11 October claims the vendor is looking to invest in more partner-related resources in 2025.

Other changes to its strategy include new tools and resources it claims will streamline collaboration, accelerate quoting and simplify onboarding.

Johnson comes into the role with over 20 years of sales experience, with most of this time spent in sales-related positions at tech companies.

In addition to his time at NICE, where he worked for over five years, he spent more than 11 years at Rackspace.

Pereira said Johnson’s experience and insights would be key as Zoom expands its channel presence in A/NZ.

“Mike’s leadership will be invaluable in helping our partners leverage Zoom’s AI-first work platform to drive growth and deliver meaningful customer outcomes,” he said.

Zoom head of A/NZ Bede Hackney echoed Pereia’s sentiments, adding that Johnson’s addition to the company’s regional leadership team “signifies our commitment to strengthening our channel partnerships”.

“His proven record and deep experience in the CX sector will be valuable as we expand our Zoom Contact Center business in the dynamic region,” he said.

Zoom’s appointment of Johnson and its overarching partner push comes over a year after Pereira spoke to ARN, who said at the time that “[p]artners are vital to Zoom and we recognise the importance of equipping them with the necessary resources to facilitate their growth and success”.