# Hiroshi Sakurai

![Hiroshi Sakurai](/resources/cognition/portraits/hiroshi-sakurai.webp)

Head of Japan Marketing at Cognition  
Cognition  
Japan

## At Cognition

- Role: Head of Japan Marketing (Marketing)
- Joined: Aug 2026
- How they joined: Directly
- Before Cognition: Head of Japan Marketing, Wiz
- Overlapped before Cognition with other Cognition people at: Snowflake; VMware; Wiz (https://www.autumn.ai/resources/cognition/worked-together)

## Identity
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hiroshi-sakurai
- Domain: cognition.ai

## Notes
- In late September 2026 he co-hosted a Tokyo event on Deployed Engineering and Devin with Asmar Ghafoor, Akira Shibata and Kevin Lee, gathering Tokyo engineers around how Devin is deployed in production; this is his first visible Cognition program. (https://www.linkedin.com/posts/azzyg_devin-cognitionai-japan-activity-7510160512744140800-fQO6)
- Joined Cognition (maker of Devin and, since its July 2025 acquisition, Windsurf) as Head of Japan Marketing in August 2026, about four and a half months after Cognition AI Japan launched. (https://www.linkedin.com/posts/takumi-masai_cognition-ai-japan%E3%81%AE%E3%83%9E%E3%83%BC%E3%82%B1%E3%83%86%E3%82%A3%E3%83%B3%E3%82%B0%E3%83%87%E3%82%A3%E3%83%AC%E3%82%AF%E3%82%BF%E3%83%BC%E3%81%A8%E3%81%97%E3%81%A6hiroshi-activity-7495343748566962176-_4BE)
- Current role is Head of Japan Marketing at Cognition. (https://www.linkedin.com/in/hiroshi-sakurai)
- Asmar Ghafoor's same post placed his arrival amid Cognition's $2B Series E at a $48B valuation, the $1B+ ARR milestone and Devin launches (Code Scans, macOS, Devin Plugins). (https://www.linkedin.com/posts/azzyg_devin-cognitionai-japan-activity-7510160512744140800-fQO6)
- He reposted Cognition's announcement on 2026-09-26: 'Cognition has crossed $1B in annualized revenue run rate.' (https://www.linkedin.com/posts/cognition-ai-labs_cognition-has-crossed-1b-in-annualized-revenue-ugcPost-7509265868359643136-yfIj?utm_source=social_share_send&utm_medium=member_desktop_web&rcm=ACoAAHCajEcBuIGyt2dt0RT02B1bGU14Dtooa_A)
- Masai's announcement tagged the early Cognition Japan team: Asmar Ghafoor, Akira Shibata (シバタ アキラ), Kenji Itoh, Daisuke Ohno, Hitomi Sawamura and Mariko Funai. (https://www.linkedin.com/posts/takumi-masai_cognition-ai-japan%E3%81%AE%E3%83%9E%E3%83%BC%E3%82%B1%E3%83%86%E3%82%A3%E3%83%B3%E3%82%B0%E3%83%87%E3%82%A3%E3%83%AC%E3%82%AF%E3%82%BF%E3%83%BC%E3%81%A8%E3%81%97%E3%81%A6hiroshi-activity-7495343748566962176-_4BE)
- Head of Japan Marketing at Wiz from April 2025 to August 2026, spanning Wiz's full-scale Japan expansion and Google's acquisition of Wiz; he left shortly after that deal closed. (https://www.linkedin.com/in/hiroshi-sakurai)
- Operating Officer, Senior Director and Head of North Asia Marketing at Snowflake from July 2021 to April 2025 (Japanese title 執行役員 マーケティング本部長). (https://www.linkedin.com/in/hiroshi-sakurai)
- Public headline says "Head of Japan Marketing at Cognition". (https://www.linkedin.com/in/hiroshi-sakurai)
- An industry GTM-moves roundup reported: 'Hiroshi Sakurai is leaving Wiz to join Cognition as Head of Japan Marketing (prev. 6 years leading marketing at VMware in Japan)'. (https://www.linkedin.com/posts/rohit-doshi-14843425_interesting-gtm-talent-moves-in-ai-activity-7505660359253315585-9ono)
- Cognition partnered with Mizuho Securities to deploy Devin across its engineering organization (with partner UL Systems); the Cognition Japan team tagged him on the announcement. (https://www.linkedin.com/posts/jessicakwok8_excited-to-announce-that-cognition-has-partnered-activity-7420284155646844928-Q0OM)
- As Snowflake's 執行役員 マーケティング本部長 (櫻井宏), he led the press office tour of Snowflake's Customer Experience Center Tokyo, Snowflake's first in Asia, in April 2024. (https://news.mynavi.jp/techplus/article/20240419-2930314/)
- Operating Officer, Senior Director and Head of Japan Marketing at VMware from August 2015 to July 2021, about six years. (https://www.linkedin.com/in/hiroshi-sakurai)
- Chief Commercial Officer, North Asia at AirAsia from May 2013 to August 2015, a commercial (not only marketing) P&L-facing role during the AirAsia Japan era. (https://www.linkedin.com/in/hiroshi-sakurai)
- Promoted Snowflake's Data Cloud World Tour Tokyo on 2023-08-23 in his own words: '最強のイベントをご用意できました！ 9/8(金)、基調講演から皆様のご来場をお待ちしています！' Flagship-event marketing is a recurring thread from Snowflake to Cognition. (https://jp.linkedin.com/posts/hiroshi-sakurai_data-cloud-world-tour-tokyo-activity-7099943878299963393-sgDv)
- Executive Officer, North Asia Solution Marketing and Deployment at NCR (2010-2013), where he ran the Japan/Korea solution marketing and deployment organization. (https://www.linkedin.com/in/hiroshi-sakurai)
- Senior Group Manager at Dell (2004-2009) covering Asia Pacific and Japan marketing communications and customer engagement strategy, Japan B2B business/marketing intelligence, and integrated marketing for Japan public sector. (https://www.linkedin.com/in/hiroshi-sakurai)
- Holds an MBA in Marketing from California State University, East Bay (2000-2002) and a BA in Business Administration from Meiji Gakuin University. (https://www.linkedin.com/in/hiroshi-sakurai)
- Previous roles include Head of Japan Marketing at Cognition; Head of Japan Marketing at Wiz; Operating Officer, Senior Director & Head of North Asia Marketing at Snowflake; Operating Officer, Senior Director & Head of Japan Marketing at VMware; Chief Commercial Officer, North Asia at AirAsia; Executive Officer, North Asia Solution Marketing & Deployment at NCR Corporation; Senior Group Manager at Dell; Global Mobile Business Development at Panasonic. (https://www.linkedin.com/in/hiroshi-sakurai)
- Education history includes MBA, Marketing, California State University - East Bay; BA, Business Administration, Meiji Gakuin University. (https://www.linkedin.com/in/hiroshi-sakurai)
- Began his career in Global Mobile Business Development at Panasonic (2002-2004). (https://www.linkedin.com/in/hiroshi-sakurai)
- Location is Japan. (https://www.linkedin.com/in/hiroshi-sakurai)

## Experience
- Head of Japan Marketing at Cognition (Aug 2026 - Present)
- Head of Japan Marketing at Wiz (Apr 2025 - Aug 2026)
- Operating Officer, Senior Director & Head of North Asia Marketing at Snowflake (Jul 2021 - Apr 2025)
- Operating Officer, Senior Director & Head of Japan Marketing at VMware (Aug 2015 - Jul 2021)
- Chief Commercial Officer, North Asia at AirAsia (May 2013 - Aug 2015)
- Executive Officer, North Asia Solution Marketing & Deployment at NCR Corporation (Jan 2010 - Apr 2013): Ran Japan/Korea Solution Marketing & Deployment organization
- Senior Group Manager at Dell (Dec 2004 - Dec 2009): - Asia Pacific & Japan, Marketing Communications & Customer Engagement Strategy
- Business/Marketing Intelligence for Japan B2B market
- Integrated Marketing / Business Development for Japan Public sector
- Global Mobile Business Development at Panasonic (Oct 2002 - Dec 2004)

## Education
- California State University - East Bay - MBA, Marketing - (Jan 2000 - Dec 2002)
- Meiji Gakuin University - BA, Business Administration

## Sources
- https://www.linkedin.com/in/hiroshi-sakurai
- https://news.mynavi.jp/techplus/article/20240419-2930314/
- https://www.linkedin.com/posts/rohit-doshi-14843425_interesting-gtm-talent-moves-in-ai-activity-7505660359253315585-9ono
- https://www.linkedin.com/posts/azzyg_devin-cognitionai-japan-activity-7510160512744140800-fQO6
- https://jp.linkedin.com/posts/hiroshi-sakurai_data-cloud-world-tour-tokyo-activity-7099943878299963393-sgDv
- https://www.linkedin.com/posts/takumi-masai_cognition-ai-japan%E3%81%AE%E3%83%9E%E3%83%BC%E3%82%B1%E3%83%86%E3%82%A3%E3%83%B3%E3%82%B0%E3%83%87%E3%82%A3%E3%83%AC%E3%82%AF%E3%82%BF%E3%83%BC%E3%81%A8%E3%81%97%E3%81%A6hiroshi-activity-7495343748566962176-_4BE
- https://www.linkedin.com/posts/jessicakwok8_excited-to-announce-that-cognition-has-partnered-activity-7420284155646844928-Q0OM
- https://www.linkedin.com/company/cognition-ai-labs/posts
- https://www.linkedin.com/posts/cognition-ai-labs_cognition-has-crossed-1b-in-annualized-revenue-ugcPost-7509265868359643136-yfIj?utm_source=social_share_send&utm_medium=member_desktop_web&rcm=ACoAAHCajEcBuIGyt2dt0RT02B1bGU14Dtooa_A


Researched with Autumn (https://www.autumn.ai) from public sources. Updated 2026-11-04. Profile: https://www.autumn.ai/resources/cognition/people/hiroshi-sakurai · Everyone at Cognition: https://www.autumn.ai/resources/cognition/people