IBM has appointed company veteran David La Rose to run its Australian and New Zealand operations as its new managing director.

La Rose replaces Kerry Purcell, who spent almost three years in the role.
Purcell is returning to Japan - where he led IBM global business services for three-and-a-half years to 2015 - to take on an unspecified executive role.
IBM's new local boss first joined IBM in 1993 in a sales and business analyst role, and has worked in executive positions for the company across the world since then.
La Rose was most recently the vice president of enterprise sales for IBM's Asia Pacific region, based out of Singapore.
IBM's local office has undergone restructuring in recent years as the business shifts more towards cloud computing and cognitive technologies. Its headcount dropped by more than 1000 people in its last financial year.