Harriet Green Joins IBM to Head Education, Internet of Things Units; John

“Big Data, advanced analytics and cognitive computing” to the “Internet of Things” (IOT) and education. “Throughout her career, across multiple geographies and cultures, she has consistently shown a deep understanding of the needs of her customers and clients, and how to help them achieve their goals and aspirations”.

Big Blue announced plans in March to invest $3bn (£1.95bn) over the next four years in cognitive computing technologies and cloud services, and the new units represent the next stage in that plan.

IBM on Monday took another step toward positioning itself as an Internet-of-Things powerhouse by introducing a business unit devoted to advancing technologies related to so-called smart devices, as well as bringing in some outside help to run it.

Harriet Green will be leading a team that will soon be composed of approximately 2,000 consultants in the two units she will be heading. IBM’s automotive cloud could also gather data on road conditions as well as use satellite data and other publicly available data to help guide the drive along on the best course for the trip.

IBM has been looking to capitalise on high-growth areas such as data anlytics and IoT, even as it has sold off lower-margin businesses such as PC and x86 server manufacturing. Last week, IBM appointed former Philips Healthcare CEO Deborah DiSanzo as general manager of its Watson Health unit.

“By combining data directly from the auto with other sources, the insights derived through the IBM IoT for Automotive solution have the potential to change how we interact with our vehicles moving forward”, adds Wollschlaeger.

The integration between IBM and ARM will purportedly allow products powered by ARM mbed-enabled chips to automatically register with the IBM IoT Foundation, and connect with IBM analytics services.

Prior to Thomas Cook, Green was CEO at Premier Farnell and spent a decade in various senior roles at IBM distributor Arrow Electronics.

The new Education unit will formally launch later this year, IBM said. She also pointed out that education is being transformed by technology, and with IBM’s position, the company will be able to help advance and improve it.

Ms. Green was named Leader of the Year 2013 in the UK National Business Awards, as well as the Sunday Times Business Leader of the Year 2013.