LinkedIn names new APAC managing director

LinkedIn has appointed Olivier Legrand as its managing director for the Asia Pacific region. His role will be effective 1 January 2016 onward. With this new appointment, Legrand will have a dual role, continuing to serve as head of marketing solutions for LinkedIn in the region.He will be replacing Hari Krishnan, who has been managing director for the Asia Pacific region since January 2013. Krishnan was LinkedIn’s first employee in Asia. Prior to the role of managing director, he served as country manager for India from November 2009 to December 2012.Krishnan will be taking on the role of president and chief business officer for Property Guru Group. In this newly-created role, Krishnan will focus on leading and accelerating regional business growth initiatives, with country managers and sales enablement teams in Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand and Indonesia reporting directly to him.Meanwhile, Legrand, who joined LinkedIn in 2012 to drive the marketing solutions business in the Asia Pacific region, is a senior executive with more than a decade of leadership, marketing and business development experience in the region. Before joining LinkedIn, he was general manager of The Wall Street Journal Digital Network for Asia.“The Asia Pacific region continues to be a key economic player in an increasingly connected and digital world where new opportunities emerge every day,” Legrand said.“I am excited about the opportunities for LinkedIn to help our members and clients become even more successful. While LinkedIn has come a long way in the region since establishing our presence here in 2009, there’s still a long runway for growth ahead for us.”The Asia Pacific region, home to some 40% of the world’s professionals, is a key growth region for LinkedIn. More than 1,000 LinkedIn employees in 10 offices (across Australia, China, Hong Kong, India, Japan and Singapore) serve members and clients such as Singapore Post, Toshiba, HCL Technologies, Li & Fung and ANZ.