Bridget Van Kralingen

Van Kralingen leads a recently formed division aimed at developing new, vertical-specific businesses and technologies. That includes initiatives in hot areas like blockchains, which many of IBM’s biggest customers are dabbling in. It’s a necessary move: The tech company, with profits down 10% last year, needs all the new sources of business it can get. The longtime IBM exec is CEO Rometty’s go-to when she needs someone to run an emerging operation, so in July van Kralingen was given the additional role of overseeing all of the company’s industry sales and consulting teams. The combined roles give her reach into every top account, regardless of sector.