Elson Chia (Fujitsu)
Fujitsu Asia has appointed Elson Chia as new country president amid plans to ramp up customer innovation efforts following a round of internal workplace transformation.
Effective 1 April, Singapore-based Chia -- who was inducted into the Channel Asia Hall of Fame in 2019 -- will replace Motohiko Uno in the role, who is returning to Japan following more than three years in the city-state.
“It has been a pleasure leading Fujitsu Asia and working alongside a team of talented, dedicated and driven people,” Uno said. “Elson has been vital to the growth of Fujitsu in Singapore. I am confident that with Elson at the helm, he will be able to take Fujitsu Asia to greater heights and build new possibilities by connecting people, technology and ideas under his leadership.”
In taking charge of the Asian market, Chia will assume overall responsibility for driving strategic business growth and development for the global system integrator, alongside overseeing go-to-market strategies spanning sales, marketing, services and support operations.
“I am excited to embark on this new journey to lead Fujitsu Asia as we embrace new opportunities in a world that faces evolving challenges,” Chia added. “Fujitsu Asia will remain focused in co-creating new value for our customers, while doing our part to contribute to a more sustainable world.”
Drawing on more than 26 years of IT experience, Chia’s expertise ranges from business strategies, sales, delivery and alliances to management across IT service, enterprise architecture and key projects.
Prior to his appointment, Chia held key roles in Fujitsu -- including the vice president and head of delivery capabilities -- which included leading the team to implement ‘Work Life Shift’ initiatives for company operations in Singapore during COVID-19.
The campaign was launched in July 2020 with the aim of developing a “new working paradigm” to address the challenges and opportunities linked to the pandemic, which evolved into a second phase focused on building out a sustainable hybrid work model in 2021. Specifically, this included transforming the company office from a traditional site into “collaboration hubs” to allow employees opportunity to balance personal and work aspirations.
The workplace transformation was completed in January 2022 with the Singapore office redesigned to support “greater collaboration, enable productivity and accommodate diverse work styles”.
This was enhanced further by new office configuration features including contactless biometric authentication, increased technology set-ups for hybrid meetings, and shared spaces for in-person connections among employees, as well as soundproof phone booths.
“We will leverage on our digital solutions to help our customers drive digital transformation, transform customer experiences and create new business models,” Chia said. “This includes the experience from our own workplace transformation, which has equipped us with valuable experience to tap on for customers looking to achieve a true hybrid working model.”
