As Vice President, Technology Strategy, Growth Initiatives and CTO for Cloud Computing on the IBM Corporate Strategy team, Lauren is responsible for the technology strategy for IBM's growth initiatives, including cloud computing, Smarter Planet, business analytics and emerging markets.
In her previous role as Vice President of Cloud Computing for IBM Software Group, Lauren led a global team responsible for establishing market leadership for Cloud computing. Her team engaged directly with clients to deliver leading edge capabilities, incorporating their technology requirements into IBM’s strategy, offerings and plans.
As a senior executive on IBM’s Integration and Values Team, Lauren played a leadership role in a company-wide initiative called the Client Value Initiative – a strategic reshaping of IBM’s value creation. She was responsible for integrating and transforming IBM’s processes for skills development, knowledge management and career progression for IBM’s professional sales force.
In a previous role, Lauren led worldwide Technical Sales and Sales Enablement for IBM Software Group. She was responsible for the 5000+ technical sales organization – and for sales enablement and customer software deployment across IBM’s total software business.
Lauren joined IBM in 1978 as a Systems Engineer in New York City and has held a variety of leadership positions since that time. In 1991, Lauren joined IBM’s client/server business initiative, taking responsibility for developing new markets and laying the ground work for distributed computing. Later she led IBM’s Midwest sales territory, delivering e-business and early web solutions to all types of clients.
Lauren graduated from the University of Pennsylvania Wharton School with a Bachelor of Science degree. She has served on the IBM Technical Leadership Team which is responsible for the development and advancement of IBM’s technical workforce. As a role model and mentor to women and minorities around the world, Lauren co-chairs the IBM North America Black Constituency Council. She is Chair of the Board of Visitors for the Northeastern University College of Business and serves on the International House, New York, Board of Trustees. She also serves of the Board of Directors for MoJo (www.momsandjobs.com) and is a member of the Executive Leadership Council.
In 2003, Lauren received the Women of Color Technology Conference's Managerial Excellence Award form Career Communications Group, Inc. In 2006, she was recognized as one of the 25 Most Influential Black Women in American Business by The Network Journal. She was also named one of the Top 100 Blacks in Technology in 2006 and 2007 by Career Communications Group, Inc.