Smartsheet Expands Global Presence in Asia Pacific with new Senior Leadership Hire in Japan

Appointment of Kuninobu Kaki as first Country Manager signals company’s commitment to Japanese market

TOKYO, Japan, October 12, 2023 - Smartsheet (NYSE: SMAR), the enterprise work management platform, today announced the expansion of its global and Asia Pacific footprint with the appointment of seasoned technology executive, Kuninobu Kaki, as its first Country Manager for Japan. Kaki will lead the company’s growing team in Japan and work closely with both channel partners and customers as they look for better ways to manage complex and mission-critical workloads. 

The foundation for managing projects, programs, and processes for millions of global users in over 190 countries, Smartsheet empowers everyone to work better, at scale. 

Companies of all sizes, including over 80% of the Fortune 500, trust Smartsheet and its robust enterprise-grade capabilities that empower everyone to manage projects, automate workflows, and rapidly build solutions at scale, creating an environment for innovation, collaboration and productivity.

Smartsheet is available in Japanese language and supports local currency. Current Japanese customers include SB Payment Service, who orchestrate work in Smartsheet to enable new payment services, and EmberPoint, who gain better business intelligence and optimize operations with Smartsheet.

Kaki has over 25 years of experience in sales and channel business in the IT industry. Prior to joining Smartsheet, Kaki was the Japan Country Manager at Illumio. Before that, he led sales and channel teams for the Japanese market at Acronis, Box, F5, McAfee, and Ericsson.

“The Japanese market represents a significant growth opportunity for Smartsheet, and I couldn’t be more pleased that Kuninobu Kaki, with his in-depth technology sector experience, will be leading our team and expansion in the region,” said Nigel Mendonca, Vice President and General Manager, APJ, Smartsheet. “Enterprises across the world leverage Smartsheet to solve their most sophisticated workflow challenges, and we look forward to helping more Japanese customers to do the same as they embark on their digitization journey.”

“According to a Smartsheet survey of 1,000 project management platform users in Japan conducted in April of this year, 45.8% of respondents said that their projects have become "more complex/increased in complexity" compared to before the spread of COVID-19. As the complexity of work tends to increase due to changes in social conditions and market conditions, companies are expected to work with higher quality and efficiency than ever before. Smartsheet exists to support the success of companies' projects and businesses, and I am proud to support your work through Smartsheet in these times. ” said Kuninobu Kaki, Japan Country Manager, Smartsheet.”