Changes in my leadership team at IBM to transform our culture and skills

Today, I’m announcing important changes to my leadership team at IBM. 

Diane Gherson, who has been IBM’s Senior Vice President of Human Resources for the past seven years, has decided to retire. Diane has played a key role in transforming our company’s culture and in providing IBMers with the skills they need to help our clients accelerate their journeys to hybrid cloud and AI. I’d like to thank Diane for her leadership and impact.

I am delighted to announce that Nickle LaMoreaux will succeed Diane as our Senior Vice President of Human Resources and Chief Human Resources Officer. Currently responsible for HR in Cloud and Cognitive Software, Nickle is a seasoned HR leader who has a deep understanding of our business and the needs of our clients. Nickle has held a variety of HR leadership roles around the world and has worked on many large transformational projects while at IBM, such as the acquisition of Red Hat. She is a trusted advisor to many IBM leaders around the world and her experience aligns to the future of IBM as we focus on creating the leading hybrid cloud platform and unlocking the power of AI. 

I am also pleased to announce that Obed Louissaint has been appointed Senior Vice President of Transformation and Culture. While this is a new position with a scope that spans Leadership, Learning, Diversity and Inclusion, Transformation, and Talent, it is an area I have long been focused on. Obed is a skilled leader who has firsthand experience in shaping an organization’s culture to spur innovation and in aligning the skills of IBMers with the evolving needs of our clients.

Culture is the underlying force that will make it possible for IBM to capitalize on the most promising growth opportunities in our industry. IBM is an innovator—in every dimension of the word—and IBMers are at their best when we delight clients by delivering value that they cannot get anywhere else. For that reason, culture is the most critical component of our long-term success as a company. 

To that end, we at IBM are singularly focused on creating a culture that fosters curiosity, continuous learning, and speed. This is what I call a growth and entrepreneurial mindset. I know that transforming the culture of a company with IBM’s breadth and global scale is a tall order. But we are committed to it. And I have great confidence in Nickle and Obed’s ability to continue to move us in the right direction.

So, let me congratulate Nickle and Obed for their appointments. Their leadership will be central to our success and I’m eager to see the positive outcomes they will create for IBM and our clients.

Arvind