Exclusive: How Netskope built a high-growth culture across APAC

When Tony Burnside first arrived in Melbourne back in 2016, cloud security was still a tough sell in Australia.

"There was much more reluctance to jump into new technology, SaaS, applications, etc," he explained to TechDay. "So that was a bit of a wake-up call."

Having already spent two years building Netskope's early market presence in the US, Burnside expected momentum would continue in APAC. Instead, it was a slow grind.

"Luckily, I worked for a CEO and a chief revenue officer that had patience," he said. "They knew we were doing the right thing, but the market had to mature here."

Now, nearly nine years later, that patience has paid off.

APAC is one of the fastest-growing regions globally for the company, with 14 offices and 33 data centres across APAC.

Burnside, now SVP and Head of APAC, credits a careful balance of timing, cultural investment, and local talent for the region's success.

'We started with two people in Melbourne'

Burnside's tech journey spans more than three decades, beginning in the UK with a large oil company, moving through engineering and sales roles, and then relocating to Boston. He and his family later settled in Melbourne.

"It's really a dream come true," he said. "To be in this technology in this country, I feel very blessed."

When asked to reflect on the early days in ANZ, Burnside described it as "really, really hard".

"The ramp time was slow," he said. "But once cloud took off, Australia really embraced it very, very quickly."

Scaling up with patience and precision

For companies expanding into the region, Burnside has a clear message: do your research and don't rush.

"In the early days, we probably spread ourselves a bit too thin," he said. "You've got to be careful not to try and half do something. You want to do it right."

The company initially tried to cover all of Asia from Singapore, but quickly realised that local presence and understanding were non-negotiable.

"Government was a tough nut to crack because of regulations," Burnside said. "In some cases, they don't care what you've done in another country—it's only specific to them."

The right local hires made all the difference, according to Burnside.

One standout is Ajay Gupta, who joined as Netskope's first salesperson in India and has since been promoted Vice President and Country Manager for SAARC.

"Hiring the right person is critical," he said. "There's nothing worse than hiring and then having to replace them. So hire slowly, and hire right."

Culture is the North Star

Throughout the conversation, Burnside returned time and again to one core theme: culture.

"My North Star is culture and teamwork," he said. "I'm so proud of the team I built here. It's just an incredible group of human beings."

His hiring philosophy is simple: good people first, great at what they do second, work hard and smart third - and have a laugh together.

"We spend so much time together," he said. "You want people that you can have a bit of a laugh with too."

Burnside also takes pride in the team's intern programme, the first of its kind across the company.

One intern, Samantha van Stokrom, is now a celebrated Solutions Engineer in Melbourne. Another employee, Jennifer Summers, joined from a completely different industry and has since thrived in three roles, most recently being promoted to Channel Sales Manager.

"It's people like that who make this work feel really rewarding," he said.

Hybrid working, with a human touch

While many tech leaders remain divided on the future of hybrid work, Burnside is confident it's here to stay.

"We've got 14 offices across the region, and they're used every single day," he said. "But we don't mandate that everyone has to come in."

He believes that creating environments people want to be in is the key.

"Better teamwork, better camaraderie. We're all learning from each other," he said. "I've seen a huge difference in ramp times between new hires who come into the office and those who don't - it's night and day."

More growth, more complexity in the future

Netskope's APAC strategy for the next few years centres on continued geographic and infrastructure expansion, with new teams forming in Taiwan, Thailand, the Philippines and Hong Kong.

"There's a lot of focus around data sovereignty too," Burnside added. "That isn't going to change. If anything, it's going to ramp, so we continue to build infrastructure designed for data sovereignty where our customers need it."

He also pointed to the increasing convergence of security and networking as a trend reshaping the region.

"Security and networking are completely interlocked now." he said. "For too long the technology available to them was forcing them to compete - security posture vs user experience. That's no longer acceptable."  

The future is human

Burnside remains as energised as ever - both by what's ahead in the industry and by the people around him.

"There's lots of young people on our team with aspirations to grow," he said. "We've promoted 12 people in the last year alone."

For all the technology talk, Burnside says it's the human side of the business that fuels him the most.

"I'm still excited as the day I joined," he said. "If you have good people around you, do right by them, and allow them to be the best they can be - the business sort of sorts itself."