IBM Consolidates Marketing And Comms Under CCO Jonathan Adashek

PRovoke Media20th January 2022

IBM CCO Jonathan Adashek has assumed oversight of the company's marketing division, which had been under the watch of CMO Carla Piñeyro Sublett.

ARMONK, NY — IBM CCO Jonathan Adashek — who has spent much of his two-year tenure overhauling the tech giant’s comms function — has added oversight of the company’s marketing division to his responsibilities, which most recently were handled by CMO Carla Piñeyro Sublett

Adashek now formally serves as CCO and senior VP of marketing and communications, according to Forbes.

Sublett, who was hired last year to oversee all global marketing, brand initiatives and client feedback, remains with the company, according to a company spokerson. She replaced Michelle Peluso, who departed IBM in January 2021 after five years to join CVS Health as chief customer officer.

“While we can confirm the change in responsibilities, Carla has not left IBM. She is evaluating her next opportunity,” the spokesperson said.

Consolidating comms and marketing under Adashek is the latest in a series of high-profile changes in the company’s marketing and communications functions in recent times.

Those include most recently Adashek rethinking IBM’s approach to communications, dividing the team into groups focused on different parts of IBM’s business.

Under the new campaign-driven approach, IBM’s in-house communicators — who have traditionally supported initiatives across the business — now focus on just one of five areas: AI, hybrid cloud, quantum and innovation, good tech, and business growth. Previously, assignments were handled on more of an ad hoc basis.

IBM’s communications team operates in more than 170 countries and leads all of the company’s global external and internal communications and public relations activities.


The department’s reorganization was the result of a months-long effort by Adashek, who started evaluating the function’s operations after joining IBM as CCO in January 2020, replacing Ray Day. Adashek previously served as global communications lead for the Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi Alliance.

Adashek was hired on the heels of considerable in-house communications staff turnover that preceded and continued under Day, whose two-year tenure was marked by substantial changes in the department, including significant senior departures and arrivals.

Former Ford exec Day (who is now with Stagwell Group) not only overhauled the company’s communications function but also its longstanding PR agency relationships, with IBM bringing in Weber Shandwick to lead its global PR agency lineup.

Day’s appointment followed the retirement of chief brand officer Jon Iwata, the influential leader who spent 34 years with the company and went on to take a senior advisory role with Ogilvy.

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