Roderick Lappin of Lenovo passes away

Roderick Lappin, Sr. vice president and Chief Customer Officer of Lenovo’s Data Centre Group will be remembered for his world-renowned energy, positive attitude, hard work ethic and the ability to care for people. He was 47-year-old and was a renowned world traveler, risk taker and mentor who could speak multiple languages. Roderick was a game-changer and he represented the best of Lenovo.

Lappin started at Lenovo in 2007 as a vice president responsible for sales, marketing and customer relationships in Asia Pacific and Japan. He quickly rose through the ranks over the years at Lenovo to become president of Asia-Pacific, responsible for the company’s business in the region.

He brought this incredible level of energy to Lenovo datacenters. He was personable, bright, and knew how to take care of his customers and I know he had a deep affection for the channel as well. Rod had a lot to do with Lenovo’s channel first strategy. I think he brought a level of sales and marketing discipline to the data center group as well. Just a bunch of firsts that I could give Rod credit for.

His spirit and passion were unprecedented. He was kind and thoughtful and always greeted his peers and colleagues with a smile. His departure is a major loss for all. In a statement, Lenovo said, "Lappin was an outstanding leader, instrumental in so much of Lenovo’s success over the past years and a friend to us all. He will be dearly missed.”