Bengaluru – 3rd December, 2025: In a significant leadership announcement, IBM has appointed Aparna N. as its new Chief Talent, Leadership & Culture Officer, marking a major milestone in her distinguished 22-year career with the global technology leader.
The appointment reflects IBM’s continued focus on building a skills-first, innovation-driven workforce, and on deepening its culture of agility, leadership, and inclusion across global markets.
A Two-Decade Journey of Leadership and Transformation
Having joined IBM over two decades ago, Aparna N. has been at the forefront of shaping the company’s talent philosophy, leadership depth, and organizational culture. Her journey through multiple global HR leadership roles has equipped her with a deep understanding of the company’s evolving business and people priorities.
In her most recent position as Vice President, HR for IBM Talent Management, Aparna led enterprise-wide, future-focused programs designed to strengthen leadership pipelines, develop next-generation skills, and enable global alignment through a skills-first talent approach. Under her leadership, IBM expanded its investment in reskilling initiatives, digital learning ecosystems, and leadership capability-building — aligning workforce strategy with the company’s business transformation agenda.
Driving Growth and Culture Through People Leadership
Before her global talent management role, Aparna served as Vice President, HR for Offerings & Growth within IBM Consulting, where she played a crucial role in advancing the people and culture agenda for IBM’s multi-billion-dollar consulting business.
Her work spanned organizational integration during key global acquisitions, culture transformation programs, and the creation of adaptable workforce models to support the company’s high-growth markets.
Aparna’s leadership in these initiatives helped IBM Consulting evolve into a more agile, inclusive, and client-centric organization — strengthening its position in a fast-changing digital services landscape.
Empowering a Global Workforce for the Future
In her new role as Chief Talent, Leadership & Culture Officer, Aparna will be responsible for driving IBM’s worldwide people strategy — focusing on leadership development, organizational culture, employee experience, and future-ready skills.
She will lead initiatives that build transformative leadership capability, reinforce a high-performance culture, and embed inclusivity and innovation into every layer of IBM’s talent ecosystem.
Aparna’s appointment underscores IBM’s vision of fostering a globally integrated, diverse, and empowered workforce that can thrive amid ongoing technological disruption and business transformation.
Aparna’s Academic and Professional Excellence
Beyond her extensive corporate experience, Aparna brings a strong academic foundation to her new role. She has completed executive education programs from some of the world’s most respected institutions — including Harvard Business School, Cornell University’s ILR School, and the National Institute of Management.
Her educational and professional journey reflects a consistent focus on leadership, innovation, and people-centric transformation, which aligns seamlessly with IBM’s global mission of driving progress through technology and human potential.
IBM’s Commitment to Culture and Innovation
Aparna’s elevation comes at a time when IBM continues to evolve its organizational and cultural DNA to support its hybrid cloud and AI-led growth strategy. The company’s focus on skills-first development, inclusive leadership, and continuous learning has positioned it as a leading employer of choice in the global technology landscape.
With Aparna now leading IBM’s global talent and culture agenda, the company aims to further accelerate its people transformation initiatives that empower employees to innovate, collaborate, and deliver value in an increasingly digital world.
Her appointment reinforces IBM’s long-standing belief that culture and leadership are critical enablers of sustainable business success.
