Rapid7 names Simon Ractliffe to lead APJ security push

Rapid7 has appointed Simon Ractliffe as General Manager, Asia Pacific and Japan, based in Sydney.

Ractliffe takes responsibility for Rapid7's commercial strategy and operations across the Asia Pacific and Japan region. The company said the remit includes growth across the region and closer engagement with customers and partners.

Rapid7 positions its portfolio around threat detection and what it calls exposure management. The company said it aims to connect these areas in customer security operations, alongside incident response workflows.

In a statement on the appointment, Ractliffe described Rapid7's platform direction and its use of automation in security operations.

"Rapid7 is uniquely positioned to deliver a unified, open platform that meets our clients and partners wherever they are on their journey to strengthen and simplify their security operations. A long-standing goal in security operations has been to bring together business-risk-contextualised vulnerability and threat data, and then add in the power of automation to reduce time to containment, manage risk more effectively, and strengthen business resilience at scale. We've made this aspiration a reality," said Simon Ractliffe, General Manager, Asia Pacific and Japan, Rapid7.

Microsoft focus

Rapid7 linked the APJ leadership change with its work with Microsoft. The company highlighted an expanded partnership that centres on Microsoft environments and customer deployments that use Microsoft security products.

The company said the partnership covers what it described as preemptive detection and response across Microsoft environments. Rapid7 also pointed to its managed detection and response offering for Microsoft and the way it integrates with Microsoft's security tools.

Rapid7 said its MDR for Microsoft combines its security operations centre expertise with the Microsoft security ecosystem. The company said the offering aims at earlier identification of attacks and clearer response actions. It also cited resilience, return on Microsoft Defender investment, and lower operational complexity as intended outcomes.

Rapid7 did not disclose specific revenue targets for the region, or the size of its APJ business. It did not detail any changes to its channel strategy or whether it plans to add further senior leadership roles in the region.

Career background

Ractliffe brings more than 30 years of leadership experience across cyber, cloud, and AI markets, Rapid7 said. He joins from Secureworks, where he served as Regional Managing Director for Australia, New Zealand, and South East Asia.

His previous roles include Regional General Manager for Australia and New Zealand at Qualys, General Manager Australasia at IBM, and Head of Cybersecurity at Singtel. Rapid7 referenced industry relationships and enterprise technology experience as factors in the appointment.

Rapid7 Chief Commercial Officer Allan Peters said the company expects Ractliffe to bring a practical view of customer and partner requirements in the region.

"Simon brings deep experience across cybersecurity and enterprise technology, along with a strong understanding of the real-world challenges our customers and partners face every day," said Allan Peters, Chief Commercial Officer, Rapid7. "With Simon leading APJ, we will continue helping organisations across the region reduce risk earlier, operate more efficiently, and build lasting cyber resilience," said Peters.

Rapid7's APJ business covers a mix of mature and developing security markets, with large enterprises, government agencies, and mid-market firms increasing focus on identity, cloud security, and incident response readiness. Many organisations now run complex security stacks and use multiple service providers, which increases operational overhead for security teams.

Ractliffe will lead Rapid7's regional commercial execution amid that backdrop. The company said the role includes work with partners and customers on security operations modernisation and on connecting exposure management with threat detection and response.