Abstract
The IBM Mainframe is approaching its 60th birthday and it continues to be a corner stone of the IT infrastructure of many major organisations.
In this session Gareth will show how IBM continues to invest in its Mainframe Platform and position it as a critical component of a modern Hybrid Cloud infrastructure, where Cobol applications can reside alongside and integrate with Cloud native applications.
As well as covering the current technology highlights of the IBM Mainframe platform Gareth will also pre-view some of the technical directions that the IBM Mainframe team are planning for the remainder of this decade.
Bio
Gareth Greenwood is a results focused, experienced IT solutions leader and practitioner who has held a broad spectrum of roles through a 38 year career with the IBM Corporation.
Since January 2022 Gareth has led the technical sales team within the EMEA zStack sales organization that is responsible for the sale of IBM mainframe hardware and software across the Europe, Middle East and Africa geography. In this role Gareth leads a community of 200 technical sellers, including both product specialists and architects, who together work across a very high value client base that includes banks, insurance firms, large retailers, and government organizations.
Between 2011 and 2021 Gareth held a number of technical sales leadership roles related to IBM’s Mainframe business.
Prior to his Mainframe related roles Gareth led the technical sales and services team of IBM's Lotus software brand in Central and Eastern Europe, Middle East and Africa (CEEMEA). As well as managing the technical sales professionals that supported new license sales Gareth was also responsible for delivering the profit plan of the Lotus services business through a team of over twenty experienced consultants and a network of partners spread across the CEEMEA territory.
Between 2002 and 2007 Gareth was the Lotus e-learning evangelist and technical sales leader across Europe Middle East and Africa (EMEA). In this role he supported the EMEA wide Lotus sales organization through the provision of e-learning thought leadership and technical expertise in the Lotus e-learning product set.
Prior to moving into IBM’s software division in 2002 Gareth held a number of different management roles in IBM’s education and learning services unit; including managing consultant for a team of learning consultants and managing a team of technical instructors and quality assurance manager for the education unit in IBM in the UK.
Between 1986 and 1994 Gareth undertook a series of IBM mainframe technology teaching roles, focused primarily on the MVS (now z/OS) operating system. This period included experience teaching both IBM and customer staff across the world including Western Europe, Australia and Korea as well as his home base of London.
In addition to his Bachelor of Science degree Gareth holds an adult teaching certificate and a diploma in training and development management.
Married with two children and two grandchildren, Gareth spends his free time as a volunteer manager in a leading British first aid and event medical services charity. In 2022 he was invested as a Commander of the Order of St John in recognition of his charitable and voluntary work, particularly during the Covid-19 pandemic.
