IBM Channel Chief Retires, Replaced By Long-Term IBM Exec

Ravindra "Ravi" Marwaha is retiring as general manager of IBM global business partners, and is being replaced by another long-term IBM executive, Richard Hume.

Marwaha announced his pending retirement in front of an audience of IBM's solution providers and business partners during the IBM Business Partner Leadership Conference, held this week in Los Angeles.

The change in global business partner management is effective immediately.

Marwaha is leaving IBM after a 40-year career that included senior leadership positions in IBM's Personal Computing Division and Personal Systems Group. He joined Lenovo in April 2005 when IBM sold its PC Division to that China-based company, and then returned to IBM in October of 2006 to head the company's global business partner activities.

Hume was appointed general manager of IBM's x86-based System x server division in January of 2007, where he was responsible for development, sales, marketing, finance and manufacturing of IBM's Intel- and AMD-based systems, including its BladeCenter and X-Architecture systems.

Prior to that, he was general manager, operations, for IBM global business solutions. Like Marwaha, Hume also spent time as a top executive in IBM's Personal Computing Division.

David Stone, vice president of business development at Solutions-II Inc., a Littleton, Colo.-based IBM solution provider, said Marwaha's tenure at IBM came during a difficult time for IBM's channel while IBM went through several major changes.

"But Ravi performed well during that period," Stone said. "Because of all the changes at IBM, the channel chief job is one of the more difficult jobs there. We look forward to IBM reinvigorating its channel strategy going forward."