Garrett Ilg

Proficient in Japanese and native to English, Ilg built his career internationally with a deep focus on Japan and Asia. Beginning as Japan country manager for the telecommunications company V Band in 1988, Ilg progressed to senior vice president and head of Asia Pacific for the global software company BEA. In 2006, he joined Adobe Systems, Inc. as president of Adobe Japan and then served as the president and CEO of SAP Japan. In 2011 Ilg returned to the United States to re-join Adobe Systems as their Head of America’s Enterprise Sales & Field Operations, which then lead to extended responsibility and his current position as Senior Vice President, Global Enterprise Sales & Field Operations.

Throughout his career, Ilg has been at the forefront of innovation in technology and software. He has led business initiatives that focused on developing and monetizing mobile technology, driving the app server revolution that transformed the Internet from a mass communication system to both a communication and business platform, now pushing the envelope of the digital transformation.

While Ilg was president of Adobe Systems Japan from 2006 to 2008, he was responsible for leading Adobe Systems’ expansion into the mobile and enterprise markets through partnerships, strategic alliances, and advancement of its software platform. Japan had one of the first mass market mobile telephone platforms in the world, and Ilg was on the forefront of application development and the monetization of mobile (both commerce and advertising), working with companies like Japan Telecom, KDDI, and Docomo to build some of the first internet based applications on handheld mobile phones just as mobile devices proliferated both business and personal usage in the early 2000’s.

Ilg is also very committed to social responsibility in business. While serving as president and Japan representative director of SAP, he developed corporate responsibility initiatives that were utilized by many charities, particularly after the 2011 earthquake hit Japan.

For almost 30 years, Ilg has held leadership roles in driving major business transformations fueled by advances in technology—mobile, Internet, e-commerce, and now digital. He has built a remarkable international career strengthened by his deep cross-cultural understanding and competencies as well as his ability to identify and pursue strategic opportunities created by fast-moving developments in technology. We are proud to have him as an alumnus of the University of New Hampshire’s Paul College of Business and Economics (formerly Whittemore School of Business and Economics).