In a bid to drive growth and enhance customer success, Zoom Communications, Inc. has strengthened its long-term commitment to Europe, the Middle East, and Africa (EMEA) with a series of strategic senior appointments made over the past six months.
This includes Steve Rafferty as Head of EMEA GMT, Jim Butler as Head of Northern Europe, Nadja Risse as Head of DACH & CEE, and Christina Daly joined as Head of People Experience EMEA. Together with Michel Habib Aouad, Head of Southern Europe, and Mohannad Talal Alkalash, MEA Leader, as well as other cross-functional and technical leaders, they form the EMEA leadership team.
These senior hires mark a significant step in Zoom’s efforts to solidify its footprint in EMEA, its largest international market outside the US, through deeper local engagement and support at the most senior level. This builds on recent milestones, including new office openings and the inauguration of the Zoom Experience Centre in London. With a focus on localised solutions, robust security, and data sovereignty, the leadership team will work together, along with external Zoom partners, to drive innovation and set the standards for modern collaboration.
Steve Rafferty, as Head of EMEA GMT, oversees Zoom’s EMEA operations. Drawing on extensive experience from his previous role as VP International at RingCentral, where he successfully managed teams across EMEA and APAC and drove a significant increase in market share, Rafferty is well-positioned to capitalise on growth opportunities in the region. His focus will be on uniting internal teams, partners, and customers so Zoom can continue to deliver the best possible service.
Jim Butler leads Zoom’s go-to-market efforts across Northern Europe, which includes the UK, Ireland, the Nordics, and Benelux. In this role, Butler is responsible for managing operations, driving sales strategies, and leading business development initiatives. He joins from Palo Alto Networks, where he worked as Regional Vice President for Western Europe, bringing extensive experience in driving success in local markets.
Nadja Risse drives Zoom’s business operations across the DACH (Germany, Austria, Switzerland) and CEE (Central and Eastern Europe) markets. With over two decades of technology sector experience, including local & global senior sales leadership roles at Vodafone, BT, and Genesys, Risse will focus on driving growth, developing new sales strategies, improving regional collaboration, and strengthening relationships with key clients and partners in these markets.
Christina Daly, Head of People Experience in EMEA, is responsible for enhancing employee engagement, driving talent development, and creating a workplace culture that values diversity and inclusion. Having implemented transformational HR strategies previously at LinkedIn, Daly plays a pivotal role in aligning Zoom’s people practices with its mission and values, creating a people-first environment focused on delivering happiness to its workforce.
“With the rapid growth in hybrid working and advances in AI, Zoom has a huge opportunity to help businesses solve many of the challenges they face in driving productivity and collaboration,” said Steve Rafferty, Head of EMEA at Zoom. “We will continue to invest heavily in the region, delivering the highest levels of customer care and working with our valued partners to bring Zoom’s platform to more organisations.”