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10 IBM partnerships leaders
These ten current and former IBM partnerships leaders have held director, vice president and managing director roles in strategic partnerships, alliances and partner development at the company. A reader can learn how partnerships leaders work at IBM from people who have held the role.
Professionals to explore
01—10Akhilendra Singh Ukesh
LinkedInExperience: Director - Strategic Alliances & Partnerships, Global TLS OEM Channels Ecosystem · IBM
Director - Strategic Alliances & Partnerships, Global TLS OEM Channels Ecosystem at IBM since March 2022, a Director-level sales role based in Delhi. Earlier they were Senior Enterprise Account Director at VMware (2020), Account Director for global systems integrators at Microsoft (2014–2016) and in global account management at IBM (2007–2014).
Betty George
LinkedInExperience: Director of Partner Development - IBM Channels Ecosystem · IBM
Director of Partner Development - IBM Channels Ecosystem at IBM since April 2022, based in Atlanta, where their profile says their team co-creates with business partners building on IBM solutions. Earlier at IBM they were Director Global Alliances and Business Development (2000–2009) and held regional and global sales manager roles from 1990.
Christopher Brown
LinkedInExperience: Director, WW AI & Automation Partnerships · IBM
Director, WW AI & Automation Partnerships at IBM since July 2025, based in New York. Earlier at IBM they were Principal, WW AI Partnerships & Investments (2024–2025), Program Director, Growth Partnerships & Investments (2022–2024), Cloud Ecosystem Strategy Leader in the IBM Ecosystem (2020–2022) and a strategy consultant from 2019.
Kylie Rutherford
LinkedInExperience: Director AI Technology Partnerships · IBM
Director AI Technology Partnerships at IBM since July 2025, based in Seattle, where their profile says they lead the global AI partnership strategy across foundation model providers. Earlier at IBM they were Director of Global Sales, Software and AI Partnerships (2021–2025), after Global Partner Sales Leader at Amazon Web Services (2017–2021).
Michelle Pellegrin
LinkedInExperience: VP & Global Managing Director, Strategic Partnership for Microsoft, IBM Ecosystem · IBM
VP & Global Managing Director, Strategic Partnership for Microsoft, IBM Ecosystem at IBM since July 2022, based in Ottawa. Earlier at IBM they were Global Executive Director, Strategic Partnerships (2021–2022), Global Director Customer Success, Data and AI (2019–2021) and held sales and client engineering roles from 2013.
Nick Otto
LinkedInExperience: General Manager & Global Vice President Strategic Partners · IBM
General Manager & Global Vice President Strategic Partners at IBM since June 2022, based in Atlanta. Earlier at IBM they were Vice President Strategic Partnerships (2020–2022), Director IBM Partnerships & Alliances (2018–2020) and a Partner in IBM Consulting (2017–2018), after Associate Partner roles in IBM Consulting strategy and analytics from 2014.
Petra Florizoone
LinkedInExperience: Director IBM Quantum, Global Partnerships & Business Development · IBM
Director IBM Quantum, Global Partnerships & Business Development at IBM since March 2024, based in Brussels, where their profile says they lead strategic partnerships and global sales for IBM Quantum. Earlier at IBM they were Director, IBM Quantum Sales Europe, Middle-East & Africa (2022–2024) and Director, Industry Business Development IBM Benelux (2021–2022).
Saleem Hussain
LinkedInExperience: Head of Research Partnerships, IBM watsonx · IBM
Head of Research Partnerships, IBM watsonx at IBM since May 2023, where their profile says they lead the partnership model for IBM Research around foundation models and generative AI. Earlier at IBM they were Director of ISV Programs & Investments in the IBM Partner Ecosystem (2021–2023) and Director of Strategy Ecosystems, Strategic Partnerships & Cognitive Applications (2018–2021).
Steven Peng
LinkedInExperience: Director, Strategic Partnerships IBM Watson & Cloud Platform · IBM
Former Director, Strategic Partnerships IBM Watson & Cloud Platform at IBM (2015–2025), where their profile says they led the global team building partnerships with technology partners, key ISVs and ecosystem partners. They were also Director, Strategic Partnerships VMware at IBM (2014–2015), and before IBM they held partner sales and channel strategy roles at VMware (2011–2014).
Unnikrishnan Rajagopal
LinkedInExperience: Director - ISV Ecosystem, GSI and Alliances, Worldwide · IBM
Director - ISV Ecosystem, GSI and Alliances, Worldwide at IBM since January 2023, a Director-level role based in Chennai covering Power Systems according to their headline. Earlier at IBM they were Program Director - WW Storage, IBM Global Sales and Business Development (2004–2023), after Practice Manager at Wipro (2003–2004).
Choose the right perspective
Match the person's partner type to your question, since AI model providers, ISVs, global systems integrators, hyperscalers and channel partners each involve different terms and teams. Check their product area and region, because software, research, quantum and infrastructure partnerships at IBM can follow different priorities.
Questions to take into the conversation
- 01How does a large enterprise vendor decide which AI and software companies to invest in as strategic partners?
- 02What does an ISV need to show to get co-selling support from a large vendor's sales teams?
- 03How do partnerships teams manage a relationship with a partner that is also a competitor?
Reaching IBM partnerships leaders
How can I contact one of these IBM partnerships leaders?
Pick one of the 10 people on this page and choose "Book a paid call", or describe your project to find others. You offer a fee for a 15-minute call or a written answer, Instant Expert finds the person's work email and sends the invitation, and they decide whether to accept. The list covers 1 company: IBM, based on profile data retrieved on October 9, 2026. Being listed here doesn't mean someone has agreed to take calls.
How much does it cost to reach IBM partnerships leaders?
You choose the offer, starting at $5 per person. It includes Instant Expert's 20% fee, so an offer that pays the person $100 costs you $125. You're charged only when the person books the call or sends the answer.
What if they don't reply?
You pay nothing. Instant Expert sends follow-up reminders, and if the person hasn't booked or answered within 7 days, the request expires and any hold on your card is released. You can invite several of the 10 people on this list at once and cap your total spend, so you pay only for the ones who accept.
Can an AI agent ask one of these IBM partnerships leaders a question?
Yes. An agent with a USDC wallet on Base can ask one question without an Instant Expert account. It names the person, for example by the LinkedIn URL on this page, and pays per ask over x402 (HTTP 402). The person answers in writing or by voice note, and if nobody answers within 7 days, the payment goes back to the wallet automatically. x402 docs
About this directory
This is a professional research starting point based on business profile data retrieved on . Titles and companies reflect that source snapshot and may describe past or present roles. Check the linked profiles for current details. Inclusion does not imply Instant Expert membership or availability.
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