Bridget van Kralingen is Senior Vice President of IBM Global Industries, Clients, Platforms & Blockchain. She leads a business unit that conceives, develops, and scales disruptive software cloud platforms for specific industries; opens new markets for the Watson artificial intelligence platform; and has established IBM as the clear leader in the emerging market for blockchain.
In parallel, she leads IBM’s top client segment, global enterprises that represent a significant portion of IBM’s annual revenues. She is accountable for IBM’s global industries – strategy, research, solution development and industry talent.
Bridget leads the company-wide mission for blockchain, spanning R&D, solutions, platforms and services – a business unit recognized as the leading enterprise blockchain provider.
Bridget is also responsible for IBM's global strategic partnerships and alliances with industry leaders such as Apple, SAP, Workday and Salesforce.
Prior to this appointment, Bridget was Senior Vice President of IBM’s Global Business Services, a $17B consulting business with 150,000 professionals. She was responsible for the strategy, execution, and business results spanning consulting, systems integration, digital agency, business process outsourcing, and application management services. Previously, Bridget was General Manager, IBM North America, responsible for revenue, profit, and client satisfaction for IBM's business in the United States and Canada. Before that, she led Global Business Services in Northeast Europe, Middle East, and Africa.
Bridget brings more than 20 years of business experience to her current role. She joined IBM in April 2004 as global Managing Partner of the Financial Services Sector, following her tenure at Deloitte Consulting, where she was Managing Partner of the Financial Services Sector.
Since 2011, Bridget has been listed as one of Fortune Magazine's "50 Most Powerful Women in Business." She is a member of the Board of Directors of the Royal Bank of Canada.
Bridget began her career as a researcher and trained psychologist at the South African Council for Scientific and Industrial Research. She holds a Masters of Commerce degree from the University of South Africa and Bachelors of Commerce degree from the University of Witwatersrand.