Trend Micro's Chiu appointed to head Asia-Pacific sales

Network security company Trend Micro Inc announced yesterday that its Taiwan general manager, Marvin Chiu (丘立全), had been appointed senior director of sales and marketing for the firm's Asia-Pacific consumer segment.

Ralph Liu (劉家雍), president of Trend Micro's Asia-Pacific Operations, will take over as general manager until another candidate is found to fill the post, Chiu told a press briefing yesterday.

The first task ahead is to expand market share in developing countries in the region, while maintaining growth rates in markets in developed markets, such as Taiwan and Australia.

Trend Micro took 70 percent of the market share in Taiwan and 50 percent in Australia, Chiu said, adding that he hopes the annual growth rate in the two markets stays at 40 percent.

The market with the greatest untapped potential is China, where marketing strategies vary in different regions, Chiu said.

"With a good reputation and strategies, we expect to see our business in China rocket by three digits in the near future," he said.

Currently, the No. 1 anti-virus software vendor in China is Rising Antivirus International Pty Ltd (瑞星科技), followed by Kingsoft Co (金山軟件).

Another market that Trend Micro is targeting is South Korea, where the broadband penetration rate is higher than in Taiwan. By providing anti-spyware scanning before users play online PC games, the company may expand its market presence there, Chiu said.

In Taiwan, a major goal for the firm is to boost online software sales, which is convenient for users, and costs less after deducting packaging expenses, he added.