Big Blue Opens New Dedicated IoT Arm

IBM has announced the creation of two new business units, both to be led by Harriet Green, formerly CEO and executive director of the Thomas Cook Group and of Premier Farnell.

One will be an Internet of Things (IoT) unit, while the other one will be an educational unit.

Green has been named vice-president and general manager of the Internet of Things (IoT) division. She will lead a team that will soon comprise more than 2000 consultants, researchers and developers dedicated to helping clients unlock value in new insights, the company said in a press release.

The new Education unit will formally launch later this year.

“I’m honoured to join IBM and to become part of a team that is shaping this exciting and transformative moment for industries,” said Ms. Green. “The Internet of Things will help enterprises and governments at every level unlock entirely new areas of opportunity and growth, and no company is better positioned than IBM to be the partner of choice as these organizations embrace its potential.  Likewise, education is being transformed by technology and IBM is incredibly well positioned to help leaders in the field enable this change”, she said in a press release.

Earlier in her career, she was CEO and executive director of Premier Farnell, a high-service distributor of technology products and solutions for electronic system design, maintenance and repair, and spent over a decade in executive roles at Arrow Electronics, a global provider of products, services and solutions to industrial and commercial users of electronic components and enterprise computing solutions.

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.  She was awarded the Order of the British Empire (OBE) by Queen Elizabeth II for services to electronics in June 2010.