As part of its ongoing effort to strengthen its international leadership in cloud computing and continue its expansion in key international markets, CRM solutions provider NetSuite (News - Alert) has hired Hajime Tamura as president of NetSuite K.K. in Japan and Steve Sydes as managing director of NetSuite Europe-Middle East-Asia.

Tamura comes to NetSuite K.K. from SAP (News - Alert) Japan, where he served as vice president of the Customer Innovation Center and vice president of marketing. Prior to SAP, he managed the Japanese subsidiary of Glovia International for nearly nine years. Earlier in his career he held sales and management roles at J.D. Edwards, Baan, and Otsuka Corporation. In addition he is the co-inventor of a patented approach to granular resource planning software design for manufacturing.

Tamura is expected to build on NetSuite’s early investment and successes in the Japanese market. The recent launch of NetSuite Release J has established NetSuite as “the first and only SaaS (software as a service) enterprise solution with comprehensive support for Japanese businesses.” NetSuite’s platform includes support for Tegata (promissory note) payments, J-GAAP-compliant reporting, extensive consumption tax support, and full localization – thus it is geared for native companies as well as multinational branch offices.
 

Sydes comes to NetSuite after more than ten years with Acal plc in the U.K., where he served as managing director and a member of the board of directors. As the head of the company's electronics division, he oversaw direct corporate operations in 13 countries as well as Baltic, Eastern European and Israeli distribution operations. During his tenure at the company, Acal was increasingly profitable and made several internal process improvements geared for efficiency and enhanced customer service. Prior to Acal, Sydes worked as an engineer, sales director and managing director for firms such as Advanced Crystal Technology, Gothic Crellon, and GEC Computers.

In a release the company said Tamura and Sydes are arriving “at a crucial time of growth and development in their respective markets.”

 

"We are excited to have two outstanding executives join the NetSuite team to expand our investments in Japan and Europe and capitalize on our early success," said Zach Nelson (News - Alert), CEO of NetSuite, in the release. "Both gentlemen bring to their assignments solid track records of success and a wealth of operational experience that will help NetSuite address the huge international market opportunity for cloud computing solutions based on our leading integrated suite technology."

NetSuite also made news this week when it announced that it had signed an agreement to have Fujitsu (News - Alert) Limited and Fujitsu Business Systems Ltd. distribute, re-sell and support its cloud-based solutions (including NetSuite Release J) in Japan.

 

According to a release, the deal gives Fujitsu “an immediate presence in the rapidly expanding cloud computing industry as well as a formidable cloud-based ERP offering for small to mid-sized enterprises.”

 

As part of its aggressive marketing strategy, Fujitsu will promote NetSuite’s award-winning CRM solutions to mid-market manufacturing companies, while Fujitsu Business Systems Ltd. (FJB) and its external partners will focus on targeting SMEs in industry-specific verticals such as services, wholesale and distribution. The three companies have reportedly set an ambitious goal of acquiring 500 new NetSuite customers within three years.

Nelson said "Fujitsu and FJB's extensive experience and strong reputation will be instrumental in expanding the growth of SaaS in Japan, and NetSuite's stable and extensible enterprise platform will enable FJB's expert integrators and developers to create new, innovative solutions for their customers."