IBM has named Sreeram Visvanathan (pictured) as chief executive for the the UK and Ireland, succeeding Bill Kelleher who took the role in mid-2017. Kelleher has been kicked upstairs to become chairman of the UK and Ireland operation, to “advance IBM’s contribution to the national agenda”, said Big Blue. Both appointments will be effective from 1 September 2020.
Visvanathan has been with IBM since 2002, and for the last five years has led the company's key public sector services business globally, covering government, healthcare, life sciences and education. “Sreeram has delivered tremendous value to our clients,” said Marta Martinez Alonso, general manager for IBM EMEA.
Visvanathan said: “We are at a pivotal point in shaping the future of our industry. The current global crisis is accelerating disruption and the need for digital transformation at scale and pace. I am personally excited to be returning to the UK.
“Through my existing work with clients in the UK public sector, I am familiar with the market and look forward to making new connections as we work together to continue to navigate the global pandemic.”
He joined IBM with the PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) acquisition in 2002, having worked in consulting since 1999. Prior to joining PwC, he worked in IT management across multiple industries. He was born in Bangalore, India and educated in the UK.
Last month, it was announced that EY and IBM were combining their services capabilities in a joint global go-to-market initiative in the digital transformation space. The multi-year alliance covers hybrid cloud services, artificial intelligence, blockchain and 5G and edge technologies.
The alliance marked EY's access to the IBM public cloud ecosystem, and will support global system integrators and independent software vendors to help their clients modernise and transform mission-critical workloads.
