Giovanni Lanfranchi is a prolific inventor with deep technical expertise driving some of IBM’s mission-critical innovation strategies. Giovanni has proven general management leadership skills leading complex and sophisticated R&D organizations on a global basis. He has led M&A due diligence and analysis efforts, as well as being recognized as an “IBM Master Inventor” for his cross-patent activities and support of emerging labs in the area of innovation.
He is an IT veteran with 20+ years of engineering leadership experience with a unique combination of technology vision and business acumen. He is currently IBM Vice President Global Technology Services (GTS) and Head of WW Service Delivery Architecture & Technology.
In his current role, he has the mission to redefine the overall new technology foundation for the entire IBM Services organization (> 110K people), shaping a new “Cognitive Technology Service Delivery Platform” that would move from a practitioner-led and labor intensive approach to a technology-led service delivery. This important initiative is innovative and transformational with the potential to disrupt the world of professional services.
Giovanni earned his Ph.D. in Physics at the University of Milan. During this period he worked as a researcher at Olivetti, a market leading Italian IT Company.
His professional career began in the field of robotics where he ascended to the head of the R&D department at MCM (Machining Centre Manufacturing), a leading firm in Milan, Italy. He then moved to the numerical simulation and CAD (Computer Aided Design) area as the top consultant for important companies while also leading the Fluid Dynamics Department of Ferrari F1 Racing Team. During this period, Lanfranchi earned a reputation as a Computer Aided Engineering domain expert in the manufacturing industry.
In 1988 Giovanni joined IBM as an Industry Consultant Director where he led engineering consulting projects worldwide for Boeing, BMW, Mercedes, Ferrari F1, and Fiat.
He subsequently moved into the IBM Software Division where he was appointed Manager of the Availability/Performance & Scheduling for products, a central area of development for Tivoli (now IBM Cloud and Smarter Infrastructure).
In 2008, he was named IBM Vice President with WW responsibility for the service process automation area. During his tenure in this role, he demonstrated strategic and tactical leadership with responsibility for over 1,000 employees across 9 laboratories in Europe, US, and Asia Pacific. He played a crucial role spearheading IBM’s entry into the cloud computing space.
In 2014, he moved to IBM Global Technology Services (GTS). His mission was to help completely redefine the technology foundation for the IBM Services Organization. He currently owns the development of the “Cognitive Technology Service Delivery Platform”; Lanfranchi recently created a GTS lab with more than 2,300 highly skilled professionals focused on developing agile transformation methodologies.