IBM has recruited Dell veteran, Catherine Lian, to lead the organisation’s growth efforts in Malaysia, the firm has revealed.
Lian was appointed following the retirement of Chong Chye Neo and will report directly to Patricia Yim, GM of ASEAN, IBM.
In her new role, she will have responsibility for establishing strong relationships with clients and partners, growing the firm’s market share, and advancing key strategic thrusts for the organisation, such as digital transformation, encompassing hybrid cloud, artificial intelligence, analytics, and security.
She most recently led Dell’s Indonesian operation, as the vendor’s managing director since 2013, responsible for overseeing business directions and operations in Indonesia, including the large enterprise, small and medium business, and consumer business groups.
She was also responsible for leading the consumer retail business and driving channel management in the commercial segment for this region, building a strong inventory management system and growing market share for the firm’s retail business.
Lian first joined Dell upon graduating from university in Malaysia, holding various roles and regional leadership positions, in areas such as inside sales, business development and several management positions, including as general manager for South Asia SMB channel business.
As the general manager for the vendor’s South Asia SMB channel business she spearheaded efforts to develop and grow the firm’s SMB business across key markets, including Indonesia, Vietnam, and Pakistan.
Lian has also led efforts to support women across the region take on key leadership positions in the technology sector through her involvement in the Dell Women’s Entrepreneur Network, providing them with support and access to technology, capital, resources and networking.
IBM has seen significant growth in recent years across its cloud business, most recently posting a 12 per cent increase in cloud revenue in 2018 compared to 2017, which now stands at US$19.2 billion, the majority, US$11.3 billion, comes by way of an as-a-service offering, while the remaining, US$7.8 billion comes from cloud-related hardware, software and services.
