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The Google Cloud Ambassador Program
A vibrant community of cloud experts and advocates
The Google Cloud Ambassador Program is a community for top-tier Google Cloud professionals who work within Google Cloud partner organizations. It is designed to recognize, reward, and elevate these experts as influential thought leaders and advocates. As influential champions, Ambassadors share their knowledge and passion for Google Cloud both internally and externally, focusing on their particular domain of expertise. They act as key drivers for their organization's business and ensure customer success on Google Cloud. Interested in becoming Google Cloud Ambassador?
Meet the Ambassadors
Every Ambassador has achieved multiple Professional certifications and demonstrated significant, public contributions to their specialized Solution Area. They are proven thought leaders and the most trusted experts in the Google Cloud Partner ecosystem, ready to help drive customer success and innovation.
Akira Yamasaki
Serving as both an Engineer and Chief of Staff at G-gen Co., Ltd., Akira Yamasaki accelerates data-driven management by constructing robust data foundations for diverse organizations. He acts as a strategic bridge between business requirements and technical implementation, possessing deep expertise in BigQuery, Vertex AI, and the application of Generative AI to solve business challenges.
Alex Gkiouros
Alex is a Staff Architect, Field Engineering Lead, and a member of the CTO Council. With a wealth of experience in large-scale Migrations, Security, and FinOps, he specializes in helping organizations navigate the complexities of cloud adoption. His expertise is centered on turning intricate technical challenges into measurable business outcomes, ensuring that cloud investments are optimized for both performance and financial efficiency through high-level field engineering.
Alistair Grew
I'm a Google Cloud Engineer and Architect based in the UK. Multi-certified and I have over 6 years experience with GCP with my primary focus being Platform Engineering. My specific interests are broad but include networking, serverless compute and increasingly data and AI. I enjoy delivering in-person talks and blogging on Google Cloud topics that interest me.
Christian Newman
Christian Newman is a Google Developer Expert and Google-certified professional who has successfully led the digital transformation of TELUS and over 50 other companies using Google Workspace and Gemini. A featured speaker at Next '24, he combines high-level technical advocacy with a commitment to leadership and the study of Mandarin. He actively engages with the professional community, frequently bridging connections over shared industry insights.
Damian Sztankowski
Damian is a Google Developer Expert, Kubestronaut, and CoE Tech Lead who is known for making cloud technology both useful and accessible. He specializes in modernizing legacy systems by integrating them with modern AI capabilities, ensuring that organizations can evolve without losing the value of their existing expertise. His approach combines deep technical proficiency with a unique ability to guide clients through complex digital transformations in an engaging and functional way.
David Zhu
David is a highly distinguished Tech and Thought Leader who brings more than 30 years of professional consulting experience to every engagement. Throughout his extensive career, he has guided numerous organizations through the evolution of the digital landscape, offering high-level strategic oversight and technical leadership. His three decades of tenure in the industry allow him to provide a rare depth of insight into both legacy systems and the cutting-edge innovations that define the modern enterprise environment.
Emerson Moraes
Emerson is a Head of Technology and GCP Architect who is dedicated to empowering businesses through the strategic integration of Cloud and AI. He is a prominent figure in the technical community, frequently sharing his expertise through professional Tech Talks and industry presentations. His approach focuses on leveraging cloud architecture to solve real-world business challenges, ensuring that technical implementations drive meaningful organizational growth and digital maturity.
Fernando Barrera
Fernando is a Google Workspace and AI leader with more than 8 years of experience helping organizations transform their collaboration and operational strategies. He bridges the gap between technical implementation and business strategy by driving the adoption of tools like Gemini Enterprise. His work focuses on unlocking new levels of productivity and automation, allowing businesses to make smarter, data-driven decisions through advanced AI integration and digital strategy.
Gene Schank
Gene is a prominent GCP Trainer and Architect who is passionate about empowering technical teams to build secure and AI-powered solutions within the cloud ecosystem. He specializes in designing robust architectures that prioritize security while enabling the latest advancements in artificial intelligence. His work focuses on providing both the high-level infrastructure design and the practical training required for organizations to thrive in the Google Cloud environment by building secure, AI-powered solutions.
Jake Holmquist
With over 20 years of experience in the cloud sector, Field CTO and Architect Jake Holmquist specializes in bridging the gap between executive strategy and engineering execution. He is an expert in modernizing business processes and unblocking delivery cycles through the implementation of agentic workflows. His strategic guidance enables stakeholders to effectively manage increased cloud spend while driving long-term modernization.
Jason Quek
Jason is a technical leader and strategist who specializes in the design and implementation of cloud-native systems. He focuses on developing the architectural patterns and detailed technical documentation necessary for organizations to manage large-scale digital infrastructures. His work is characterized by a commitment to operational excellence, helping businesses build resilient systems that can adapt to the rapidly changing demands of the technology landscape through structured cloud frameworks.
John Pettit
John is a dedicated technical architect and strategist who specializes in the creation of comprehensive documentation and architectural frameworks. He focuses on building the structural foundations that allow businesses to transition toward cloud-native environments with clarity and precision. By developing detailed guides and strategic roadmaps, he ensures that complex digital transformations are executed with a high degree of organizational alignment and technical accuracy for global clients.
Julien Landuré
Julien is the Co-Founder and CTO at TechTown, as well as a highly regarded Google Developer Expert for Cloud. As the founder of DevFest Nantes, he has organized one of the largest DevFests in the world and holds 6x Google Cloud professional certifications alongside 2x AWS certifications. With 20 years of IT experience, he specializes in guiding organizations through complex technological shifts, leveraging his expertise in managed services to build innovative solutions that empower both developers and businesses.
Maciej Szatkowski
Maciej is a Senior Cloud Engineer at mcCloud with 20 years of IT experience, primarily serving enterprise clients. As a multi-certified Google Cloud professional, he focuses on building scalable GenAI solutions that address specific business needs. Beyond his professional role, he is a dedicated husband and father, an adrenaline enthusiast who enjoys the outdoors, and an active leader in the GDG Bydgoszcz community, balancing enterprise expertise with community involvement.
Mark Johnson
Mark is a premier cloud strategist who holds the distinction of being a 15x Google Certified professional and a Google Developer Expert. As a recognized LinkedIn Top Voice, he has established a reputation for driving significant operational efficiency, notably having managed solutions for over 50,000 users and providing technical support for 75,000 mobile devices. He is proven to help his clients scale their business processes up to 5x faster through the expert application of cloud and AI technologies.
Martijn van de Grift
As the Google Cloud CTO at Xebia and an authorized Google Cloud instructor, Martijn van de Grift leads enterprise-level migrations and optimizations to maximize ROI on Google Cloud platforms. He specializes in the architectural design of Data & AI ecosystems and the implementation of FinOps frameworks to ensure cost-effective cloud scaling. Outside of his professional technical leadership and training roles, he is an active CrossFitter.
Masahiko Utsunomiya
Masahiko is a software engineer and Google Developer Expert who specializes in helping financial services firms adopt secure and reliable cloud solutions. His work focuses on cloud-native platform design, networking, and the enablement of Generative AI through Vertex AI. He ensures that highly regulated organizations can innovate safely by building AI-ready infrastructures that meet the most stringent security and reliability standards within the financial sector.
Massimiliano Imbrogno
Massimiliano is an accomplished Cloud Architect who focuses on driving innovation through the development of scalable and secure technical architectures. He is committed to delivering solutions that provide a measurable business impact, ensuring that every architectural decision aligns with the client’s long-term strategic goals. His work bridges the gap between complex technical requirements and the practical needs of modern, data-driven enterprises through secure and scalable designs.
Mijung Kang
Mijung Kang is a change management specialist dedicated to driving measurable adoption of Google Workspace within complex organizations. She designs and executes user-centered strategies that transform traditional workflows into high-efficiency models through the integration of collaboration tools and AI. Her work focuses on enabling teams to navigate digital transitions and work more effectively in a modernized environment.
Prashant Gupta
Prashant is a technical specialist who focuses on driving client success through the practical application of AI and Platform Engineering. By architecting high-performance developer platforms on Google Cloud, he helps organizations accelerate their delivery timelines and improve overall engineering efficiency. His work ensures that businesses can effectively harness the power of applied artificial intelligence to solve complex operational problems and deliver superior user experiences through platform engineering.
Regnard Raquedan
Regnard serves as the Global Technical Lead for Google Cloud at GitLab, where he manages the intersection of cloud strategy and developer operations. An alumnus of MIT Sloan, he brings a sophisticated business perspective to technical disciplines such as AI and DevSecOps. His leadership is instrumental in helping global organizations adopt modern security practices while accelerating their development lifecycles through advanced cloud-native technologies and global ecosystem solutions.
Richard Foltak
Richard Foltak is an elite security leader at Dito, bringing over 35 years of executive experience from tenures at Cisco, Verizon, and Deloitte. He pairs deep technical expertise with strategic leadership, backed by an extensive portfolio of 45+ industry certifications, including the complete Google Cloud certification suite. His career is defined by securing enterprise environments and providing high-level consultancy on complex infrastructure.
Satoshi Karasuyama
Satoshi Karasuyama is a Solutions Architect at Accenture Japan who leverages extensive on-premises and cloud expertise to drive "Enterprise Reinvention" for his clients. He focuses on unlocking tangible business value through the deployment of Generative AI, specifically centered around AWT, Google Workspace, and Gemini Enterprise. His work is dedicated to advancing client capabilities beyond traditional cloud boundaries.
Shunji Nishida
Shunji is a technical architect and developer who is deeply involved in the cloud-native and open-source communities. He focuses on the creation and sharing of specialized configurations and scripts that help other professionals optimize their cloud environments. By contributing to the broader technical knowledge base, he plays an active role in advancing the standard for cloud automation and infrastructure-as-code practices globally through shared technical excellence.
So Matsubara
Densan System Co.,Ltd.
So Matsubara is a Data Engineer at Densan System Co. who builds modern analytics platforms for clients using BigQuery and Looker Studio. Recognizing the critical link between data foundations and intelligence, he also develops generative AI agents utilizing the Agent Development Kit (ADK). When not engineering data solutions or gen AI tools, he spends his time driving.
Stacy Véronneau
Stacy serves as a Cloud Advisor with a deep technical focus 1on Infrastructure, Security, Operations, and generative AI. With 28 years of professional IT experience and a specialization in cloud technologies since 2007, he is committed to helping organizations navigate the complexities of digital transformation. He holds 4x Google Cloud certifications and 1x HashiCorp certification, providing the strategic guidance necessary to scale technology stacks effectively. When he is not focused on professional advisory, he maintains a balanced lifestyle through outdoor activities like walking and cycling, as well as personal interests in gaming and high-quality coffee.
Tomoaki Sekiya
Densan System Co.,Ltd.
Tomoaki is a Technical Architect at Densan System Co., where he specializes in modernizing End User Computing for government, education, and enterprise clients. He focuses on delivering secure, comprehensive solutions using Google Workspace, Chrome Enterprise Premium, and Google Cloud. Outside of his technical career, he is passionate about exploring the world and enjoys traveling to new destinations with his family while delivering secure all-Google solutions.
WonKyu Kang
WonKyu is a Google Workspace expert who specializes in leading enterprise-level digital transformation and change management initiatives. He is a leading advocate for the Agentic Workplace, where he drives organizational productivity through the strategic use of automation and collaborative digital tools. His work focuses on helping businesses modernize their internal operations and adopt new ways of working that enhance efficiency and employee engagement across the enterprise.
Yuma Sugimura
Yuma is a founding member and the current CTO of G-gen Co., Ltd., where he plays a pivotal role in shaping the company’s technical vision. He is responsible for building the core engineering foundations of the organization and leading the development of innovative cloud services as a foundational leader. His leadership focuses on creating a culture of technical excellence and architecting scalable systems that support the long-term growth and success of the business.
Yusuke Kudo
Yusuke is a Cloud Architect dedicated to driving cloud-native solutions that enable business agility. He specializes in the design of scalable and reliable platforms, modernizing legacy systems to ensure they can meet the demands of a modern digital economy. By applying SRE principles and generative AI, he helps clients solve their most complex technical challenges and deliver consistent, long-term value to their stakeholders through modern platform design.
Yuta Kondo
Yuta is a highly specialized cloud engineer with a deep mastery of SRE, Kubernetes, and Terraform. His technical contributions have earned him significant industry recognition, including the Google Cloud Partner Top Engineer award and the prestigious Golden Kubestronaut status. He focuses on building highly automated, resilient, and scalable infrastructures that allow organizations to maintain high availability and performance in complex cloud environments using industry-leading tools.
FAQ
What is the Google Cloud Ambassador Program?
The Google Cloud Ambassador Program is a community of top-tier Google Cloud professionals working at Google Cloud Partner organizations. These Ambassadors are influential thought leaders who drive their own partner organization's Google Cloud proficiency and develop offerings to support customer success on the Google Cloud platform, with deep expertise in key solution areas.
Who are Google Cloud Ambassadors?
Google Cloud Ambassadors are:
- Google Cloud experts within the Google Cloud Partner Network, specializing in Infrastructure, Data & Analytics, AI/ML, Security, or Workspace
- Thought leaders and influencers who drive Google Cloud adoption and proficiency in their solution area
- Passionate about Google Cloud and share their knowledge internally and externally
- Ambassadors for both their organization and Google Cloud, driving business forward and ensuring customer success
How does the Ambassador Program differ from the Google Developer Experts (GDE) and Google Cloud Partner All-stars programs?
Feature | Google Cloud Ambassador | Google Developer Expert (GDE) | Google Cloud Partner All-Stars |
Program Type: | An ongoing technical role | An ongoing community title | An annual recognition award |
Audience: | Partner employees (Technical & Business Leaders) | Independent developers | Partner employees (high-performers) |
Core Focus: | Google Cloud (e.g., Data, Infra, AI/ML, Security, Workspace) | Broad Google tech (e.g., Android, Flutter, Firebase, Google Cloud) | Functional business impact (e.g., Sales, Marketing Delivery, AI) |
Main Goal: | Drive Google Cloud adoption within their partner org and for customers | Share knowledge with the global developer community | Celebrate excellence and high-impact partner contributions |
Selection: | Self/Google employee nominated; requires certifications & contributions | Referral-based; requires deep technical & community interviews | Google-employee nominated; based on performance in functional categories |
Status & Duration: | Ongoing (must maintain certs & annual contributions) | 1-year title (renewable annually based on continued community activity) | Annual award (A new set of winners is recognized each year) |
Feature
Google Cloud Ambassador
Google Developer Expert (GDE)
Google Cloud Partner All-Stars
Program Type:
An ongoing technical role
An ongoing community title
An annual recognition award
Audience:
Partner employees (Technical & Business Leaders)
Independent developers
Partner employees (high-performers)
Core Focus:
Google Cloud (e.g., Data, Infra, AI/ML, Security, Workspace)
Broad Google tech (e.g., Android, Flutter, Firebase, Google Cloud)
Functional business impact (e.g., Sales, Marketing Delivery, AI)
Main Goal:
Drive Google Cloud adoption within their partner org and for customers
Share knowledge with the global developer community
Celebrate excellence and high-impact partner contributions
Selection:
Self/Google employee nominated; requires certifications & contributions
Referral-based; requires deep technical & community interviews
Google-employee nominated; based on performance in functional categories
Status & Duration:
Ongoing (must maintain certs & annual contributions)
1-year title (renewable annually based on continued community activity)
Annual award (A new set of winners is recognized each year)
Where do I submit a nomination?
Eligible candidates can self-nominate by logging into the Partner Network Hub and submitting an application. Alternatively, members of your Google Cloud account team (e.g., Partner Engineer, PDM) can submit a nomination on your behalf.
What is the ideal candidate profile for Google Cloud Ambassadors?
Ideal candidates must be:
- Demonstrated technical proficiency in Google Cloud solution areas and a consistent, proven track record of sharing knowledge with the community (e.g., blogs, webinars, Public speaking) focused on Google Cloud solution areas
- Influential: Play a key role in building and contributing to their organization's Google Cloud practice
- Business acumen: Possess strong business understanding and strategic thinking
- Decision maker/technical leader : Influence and authority in business and technical decisions, or serve as a technical leader guiding strategy and direction
What are some examples of roles for Google Cloud Ambassadors?
- Business/Commercial: VP, CEO, Head of Cloud, (Senior) Director, General Manager Cloud, Cloud Practice Director
- Technical: CTO, (Cloud) Practice Lead, Head of Cloud, Architect Lead, Solutions Architect Manager
What are the benefits for Google Cloud Ambassadors and their partner organizations?
For Ambassadors:
- Public website recognition, highlighting their specialization as Ambassador in [Specialization]
- Access to special events
- Development opportunities for Ambassadors
- Eligibility for Google Cloud Next passes
- Google Cloud Ambassador Program swag
For partner organizations:
- Potential marketing exposure from the Ambassador's public profile and recognized expertise
- Opportunity for prioritization of publications on the Google Cloud blog
- Generate new business opportunities in specific Google Cloud focus areas, leveraging the Ambassador’s validated expertise and influence.
- Enhance talent attraction by showcasing the partner profile
What are the requirements to remain in the Google Cloud Ambassador Program?
To maintain active status, Ambassadors must strictly adhere to the following criteria. Status is reviewed annually.
- Partner status: The Ambassador must remain a full-time employee of a Google Cloud partner organization at the Select or Premier tier.
- Certification validity: The Ambassador must maintain valid and active status for both required certifications specific to their solution area (see certification matrix). Lapsed certifications must be renewed within the grace period.
Specialization | Primary Certification (Required) | Secondary Certification (Select One) |
AI/ML | Professional Cloud Architect | Machine Learning Engineer |
Infrastructure | Professional Cloud Architect | Cloud Network Engineer OR Cloud Security Engineer OR Security Operations Engineer |
App Modernization | Professional Cloud Architect | Cloud Developer OR Cloud DevOps Engineer |
Data & Analytics | Professional Cloud Architect | Professional Data Engineer |
Data Management | Professional Cloud Architect | Cloud Database Engineer |
Security | Professional Cloud Architect | Cloud Security Engineer OR Security Operations Engineer |
Workspace | Cloud Digital Leader | Associate Google Workspace Administrator |
Specialization
Primary Certification (Required)
Secondary Certification (Select One)
AI/ML
Professional Cloud Architect
Machine Learning Engineer
Infrastructure
Professional Cloud Architect
Cloud Network Engineer OR Cloud Security Engineer OR Security Operations Engineer
App Modernization
Professional Cloud Architect
Cloud Developer OR Cloud DevOps Engineer
Data & Analytics
Professional Cloud Architect
Professional Data Engineer
Data Management
Professional Cloud Architect
Cloud Database Engineer
Security
Professional Cloud Architect
Cloud Security Engineer OR Security Operations Engineer
Workspace
Cloud Digital Leader
Associate Google Workspace Administrator
- Contributions: The Ambassador must submit a minimum of five (5) approved contributions (blogs, whitepapers, speaking engagements) per calendar year.
- Engagement: The Ambassador must respond to mandatory program surveys and feedback requests.
What qualifies as an "Approved Contribution"
To meet the program's technical merit standard, submitted artifacts must be:
- Public-facing: Accessible to the general Google Cloud community
- Non-promotional: Content must focus on solving technical challenges, architecture, or coding, rather than marketing your partner organization's sales pitch
- Technically substantive: Blogs and whitepapers should include architectural diagrams, code snippets, or original analysis of Google Cloud services
Who makes the final decision to admit an Ambassador?
Admission is a two-step validation process:
Technical validation: Regional Partner Engineers (PEs) review submitted artifacts to determine if they meet the program's technical standards.
Program validation: The Global Program Lead validates eligibility criteria (Select tier, certifications).
Note: The Global Program Lead retains the sole discretion to approve or decline nominations. Decisions are based not just on technical eligibility, but on strategic program health, including:
- Ecosystem balance: Ensuring diverse representation across different Partner organizations
- Regional capacity: Managing geographic distribution to avoid over saturation in specific cities
- Strategic fit: Prioritizing admission for under-represented solution areas based on current business needs
Under what circumstances will an Ambassador be removed?
Ambassador status may be revoked immediately if:
- Employment change: The Ambassador leaves the qualifying partner organization
- Certification lapse: Failure to renew required certifications
- Inactivity: Failure to submit the minimum of 5 contributions or failure to respond to program feedback
- Conduct: Violation of Google Cloud Community Guidelines or NDA
How is the Google Cloud Ambassador Program team structured?
- Global Program Lead: Responsible for overall program strategy, governance, final approval authority on nominations, and benefits coordination.
- Regional Partner Engineers (PEs): Act as the Technical Approvers for the program. They drive nominations, review technical artifacts for quality, and engage Ambassadors in regional events and opportunities.
Ready to be recognized as a leader?
Become a Google Cloud Ambassador and gain recognition as a top Google Cloud professional, driving innovation and success within your organization, and the broader cloud ecosystem. Elevate your career, share your expertise, and gain exclusive access to resources and events.