Zendesk Appoints David Hall-Johnston as CTO for APAC

In his new role, Hall-Johnston will focus on helping businesses adopt AI and connect AI tools with their existing systems and enterprise data. He will also work to ensure that Zendesk’s global product and technology roadmap meets the needs of businesses across the APJ region.

Hall-Johnston joins Zendesk from Dell Technologies where he served as Chief Technology Officer for Australia and New Zealand. At Dell, he was responsible for the company’s technology and innovation roadmap in the region.

He brings more than two decades of experience in enterprise technology and leadership. Before joining Zendesk, he held senior technology and executive roles at Hexaware Technologies, Cathay Pacific, the Australian Energy Market Operator, ANZ, and IBM. His experience covers industries including banking, aviation, energy, and technology services.

The appointment comes as businesses across Asia Pacific and Japan are increasing their focus on AI. Zendesk said that its AI bookings more than doubled in fiscal year 2026 showing growing demand for AI solutions among enterprises.

Businesses are now moving beyond small AI experiments and looking to use the technology in their core service operations. This has increased the need for strong technology infrastructure, data integration, security, and governance.

Hall-Johnston will work with regional customers as they move towards wider AI adoption. His role will also involve bringing the technology needs of APJ customers into Zendesk’s broader global product and technology strategy.

Adrian McDermott, Chief Technology Officer at Zendesk, said the APJ region remains important to the company’s global growth as organisations move from experimenting with AI to using it in business-critical service operations.

With his background in enterprise technology and transformation, Hall-Johnston is expected to support Zendesk’s customers as they expand AI use across customer and employee service functions.

Leadership Statements

According to Adrian McDermott, CTO at Zendesk, "Asia Pacific and Japan remain central to our global growth as organisations across the region move from experimenting with AI to deploying it across business-critical service operations. This transition requires both a clear business case and a strong technical foundation. David brings deep experience in connecting technology strategy with enterprise transformation and will play an important role in helping customers across APAC move confidently towards an autonomous service workforce."

Hall-Johnston added, "The next phase of enterprise AI is about moving beyond pilots and embedding AI into core business operations. That means securely connecting AI agents to enterprise data and systems so they can take action and resolve increasingly complex work end to end. Zendesk has built a powerful platform for this transition, and I’m excited to work with leaders across APAC to help them scale an autonomous service workforce securely and responsibly."

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