IBM names new Asia Pacific leader

Brenda Harvey (IBM)

IBM has appointed Brenda Harvey as general manager of Asia Pacific following the resignation of Harriet Green.

Big Blue has moved quickly to fill the vacate leadership position following Green’s exit, after more than four and a half years in the top regional role.

Currently based in New York - but expected to relocate to Singapore - Harvey was most recently general manager of Public Sector for IBM in the US, tasked with running a $5 billion business.

Prior to this, Harvey - who joined the business in 1987 - lived in Shanghai for three years as general manager of Integrated Technology Services, Cloud and Geographic Expansion, with responsibility for sales and delivery in over 120 countries across Asia Pacific, Latin America, Europe and the Middle East and Africa.

“Harriet Green has made the decision to retire from IBM to support her family with some health-related issues,” a spokesperson for IBM told Channel Asia. “IBM thanks Harriet for her many contributions and wishes her well.

“Brenda Harvey is succeeding as the general manager of IBM Asia Pacific. Brenda Harvey is a very experienced global executive, having held roles in the U.S. and Asia previously. In her prior role, she was the general manager for the U.S. Public Market.”

As reported by Channel Asia, Green announced her decision to depart as CEO and chairman of IBM in Asia Pacific on 8 January. Revealed via social media, the industry executive made the “hard decision” to resign from the business to “take some time out of my career to be with my family”.

“One of the things that sets IBM apart is its compassion, especially in supporting people through the lifetime of their personal needs,” wrote Green, via LinkedIn. “For me, right now, that means shifting my focus and spending more time caring for those people closest to me.

“My time with IBM has been among the most fulfilling periods of my career, working closely with clients on their most challenging business transformation initiatives. I've valued this opportunity tremendously and will take only good memories with me to this next important chapter - one that many of you will have undertaken.”

Green joined IBM in September 2015 as general manager of Watson Internet of Things, Commerce and Education, based in the UK. In January 2018, Green was handed the reins of Asia Pacific, tasked with driving growth across the entire region.

Prior to joining the technology giant, Green was CEO of the Thomas Cook Group - which collapsed in September 2019 - leading the global transformation and rebranding of one of the oldest names in leisure travel.