IBM veteran La Rose takes over as ANZ MD
IBM has announced the appointment of David La Rose as the new managing director of IBM Australia and New Zealand, replacing Kerry Purcell who joined the local arm of Big Blue in 2015.
La Rose has spent 28 years with IBM, holding senior executive roles in Europe where he was the general manager of Central and Eastern Europe, as well as in the Asia-Pacific region. Most recently, the incoming MD was the AP vice president for Enterprise and Commercial, responsible for IBM's sales organisation across APAC.
"Having spent much of my early career working for IBM in Australia, I regard it as a real privilege to be given the opportunity to lead this business," La Rose said in a statement. "I have a strong appreciation for the talent that exists within IBM across Australia and New Zealand, and a great respect for the innovation and industry leadership shown by our clients."
During his European tenure, La Rose transitioned the business to strategic software and services. He also held the role of vice president of IBM Global Business Partners and earlier in his career held a number of senior roles within the Systems business in Australia, China, and Japan.
Purcell will return to IBM Japan in a senior leadership role.
For the 2016 financial year, the local arm of IBM reported AU$16.8 million in net profit, less than half of its 2015 total of AU$53.3 million.
Revenue for the company was AU$3.2 billion -- down AU$316 million from 2015's AU$3.5 billion total -- with gross profit reported as AU$704 million for the 12 months to December 31, 2016.
IBM Australia paid AU$13.9 million in income tax, compared with AU$28.6 million paid a year prior.
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