Ana Paula will be responsible for the company’s business strategy and professionals’ development, working with clients and the market to help accelerate the digital transformation, the adoption of artificial intelligence and new cognitive models in the region.

Ana Paula is the first female executive to lead IBM’s operations in Latin America.

The executive is following Rodrigo Kede, who has been appointed as general manager of Global Technology Services of IBM for North America, a region that includes the United States and Canada. Kede will be based in New York.

Ana Paula Assis has over 20 years of professional experience in the Information Technologies industry, and in the strategic business development, as well as a broad international career that includes leadership roles in Brazil, Latin America and the world. During the past decade, she was director of the Global Technology Services unit for the Financial Services industry in Latin America, as well as director of Strategic Outsourcing and vice-president of Software Group.

 In 2015, she was appointed vice-president of the Software business for IBM Greater China Group, operation that includes China, Hong Kong and Taiwan. By the beginning of 2017, she returned to Latin America to lead the regional Services organization.

 “I am very excited to lead a highly talented and diverse organization in an environment as dynamic and innovative as Latin America. We are committed to our region’s progress, supporting the continuous transformation of the public and private sector through unique capacities of artificial intelligence, cloud and industry expertise. Latin America is well prepared to address this opportunity. Technology has dramatically improved people’s lives during the past century. We will continue to lead this path and help build a better future,” said the new general manager of IBM Latin America.

Ana Paula Assis started working in IBM in 1996. She has a degree in Computer Sciences with a business specialization from the Getúlio Vargas Foundation, and has an MBA from the Foundation Dom Cabral of Brazil.