Brendan Buckingham

Brendan Buckingham is an expert in business development and innovation, with more than 3 decades' experience of working in latest industry trends, best practices, a deep understanding of the ethics and regulatory requirements.

He has spent a larger period of his career, more than 27 years, at IBM UKI, leading and managing teams involved in data tech, Red Hat IBM AI, hybrid cloud, information architecture.

Brendan is part of IBM Data Science and AI Elite (DSE), a team that engages with organizations across every industry, offering data science use cases and overcoming the challenges of AI adoption. Since its inception in 2018, the team has completed engagements in 50 countries across 6 industry sectors with the leadership of nearly 100 data scientists.

Brendan combines his extensive experience across business and industry with technical skills to help CDO’s, Data Architects and AI engineers to collaborate with their business colleagues to develop strategies that address some of the most critical business challenges.  

Brendan started his career in 1991 when he joined Linklaters, where he worked with a small department to define a global infrastructure and desktop solution for fee earners.

His tenure with IBM commenced in 1993, and over the years, he took on increasingly influential roles within the organization. He progressed from being the Unified Communications Leader for NE Europe to managing the technical professionals forming the NE Europe Community of Practice. During this period, he was responsible for establishing a "go-to-market" strategy with major network equipment providers like Cisco, Nortel, Avaya, Polycom, and Tanberg

As the Unified Communications Leader, Brendan was also entrusted with driving mutual Unified Communications Sales Opportunities in Europe for the IBM software group. Brendan also took on different roles within IBM, such as Lotus Technical Leader, where he led strategic technical engagements to enhance human collaboration and efficiency.

As the IBM WebSphere Technical Manager, he oversaw a team of professionals assisting major IBM customers in identifying business requirements for process improvement, activity monitoring, complex event processing, cloud solutions, and enterprise connectivity.

In 2015, Brendan assumed the role of Technical Sales Leader in the Cognitive Solutions Unit at IBM UKI. Here, he led a team of analytics and cognitive professionals, focusing on building value and selling customer-centric solutions. His responsibilities encompassed advanced analytics, predictive solutions, optimization, cognitive solutions, critical situation management, counter fraud, entity analytics, and Internet of Things (IoT).

Brendan also served as the Cloud UKI Sales Leader for IBM Cloud Private and IBM Cloud Private for Data, where he played a pivotal role in sales and business development for IBM's core Hybrid Cloud platforms in the UKI Cloud Business. His direct engagement with customers, sales teams, and channel partners led to the delivery of value-based hybrid cloud solutions.

Brendan is currently the Business Development Leader for Data Fabric and AI at IBM Technology UK Ireland, where he works with customers to build Hybrid Cloud Information Architectures based on Data Fabric Principles. His focus on insight-driven business outcomes that support business agility and transformation underscores his commitment to driving technological innovation and solutions in the ever-evolving landscape of AI, data, and cloud computing.

Brendan's leadership is characterized by a constant focus on customer success and value, and he collaborated closely with sales teams and managers to develop value-based approaches to selling.

Brendan Buckingham's vision is rooted in a lifelong commitment to driving technological innovation and solutions in the dynamic realms of AI, data, and cloud computing. He believes in harnessing the power of cutting-edge technology to transform businesses and empower organizations to be able to thrive in the digital age.

With his visionary leadership, he tries to bridge the gap between technology and real-world business outcomes. He envisions a future where businesses leverage advanced analytics, predictive solutions, optimization, cognitive capabilities, and IoT to unlock growth, enhance efficiency, and drive innovation. Brendan's work has been focussed on developing customer-centric solutions, ensuring that technology not only meets but exceeds the needs and expectations of clients.

His commitment to insight-driven business outcomes that support agility and transformation aligns with his overarching goal of helping organizations adapt, evolve, and thrive in an increasingly digital and data-driven world.

Brendan's vision is characterized by a relentless pursuit of value and success for clients, driven by collaborative approaches and a deep understanding of the transformative potential of technology.