MEDIA ALERT: IBM CEO ARVIND KRISHNA TO OPEN IBM THINK 2026, OUTLINING HOW AI AND QUANTUM WILL DEFINE THE ENTERPRISE

BOSTON, May 5, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Tune in live Tuesday, May 5 at 8:30 a.m. ET as IBM (NYSE: IBM) CEO Arvind Krishna opens IBM Think 2026 and explains how AI is becoming the defining force in business, what it takes to lead, and how quantum computing is emerging as the next frontier.

WHEN: Tuesday, May 5, 8:30 a.m. ET: https://www.ibm.com/events/think

Krishna will unveil his most comprehensive set of enterprise AI announcements to date, with new capabilities designed to help organizations move beyond pilots and put AI to work across the business. Drawing on IBM's own transformation, Krishna will show how enterprises are embedding AI across operations, data, and decision making — and why hybrid cloud, AI, and quantum are converging into a new source of competitive advantage.

IBM's flagship annual conference will bring together more than 5,000 senior business and technology leaders from over 80 countries to explore how organizations are putting agentic AI to work at scale. Sessions will cover agentic AI, hybrid cloud, trusted data, and automation, with a focus on real world deployments and measurable outcomes.

PHOTOS, VIDEO & TRANSCRIPTS AVAILABLE

Livestream keynotes throughout the week include:

• How leading enterprises including Aramco, Cleveland Clinic, and Elevance Health are putting AI and quantum to work
• Live demos of agentic AI managing real enterprise workflows
• IBM Research on the milestones bringing quantum advantage within reach
• The economics of AI at scale: what's working, what's not, and what it costs

WHO:

Client Speakers: 

• Dr. Serpil Erzurum, Executive Vice President, Chief Research and Academic Officer, Cleveland Clinic
• Ratnakar Lavu, Executive Vice President and Chief Digital Information Officer, Elevance Health
• Sami Al-Ajmi, Senior Vice President, Digital and Information Technology, Aramco
• Andre Agassi, Co-Founder, Agassi Sports Entertainment
• Rodney Rapson, Chief Digital Officer, Agassi Sports Entertainment
• David Treat, Chief Technology Officer, Pearson
• Jessica Schinazi, Chief Executive Officer, Away
• Carol McDaniel, Vice President, Talent Acquisition, Providence Health
• Scott Berlin, Senior Vice President, Head of New York Life Group Insurance
• Michael J. Biercuk, Chief Executive Officer and Founder, Q-CTRL

IBM Executive Speakers:

• Arvind Krishna, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer
• Rob Thomas, Senior Vice President, Software and Chief Commercial Officer
• Mohamad Ali, Senior Vice President and Head of IBM Consulting
• Dinesh Nirmal, Senior Vice President, Software
• Kareem Yusuf, Senior Vice President, Ecosystem, Strategic Partners & Initiatives
• Nickle LaMoreaux, Senior Vice President and Chief Human Resources Officer
• Ric Lewis, Senior Vice President, Infrastructure
• Dr. Jay Gambetta, Director, Research
• Joanne Wright, Senior Vice President, Transformation and Operations
• Andy Baldwin, Senior Vice President, Offerings and Growth, IBM Consulting
• Neil Dhar, Senior Vice President, Americas, IBM Consulting

Sponsors:

• Headline: Adobe, Palo Alto Networks, Salesforce
• Premier: AWS, Broadcom Mainframe Software
• Engage: AMD, Cockroach Labs, Google Cloud, HCLTech, Intel
• Select: Accenture, Bain & Company, Boston Consulting Group, Box, Deepgram, Deloitte, EY, Microsoft, Oracle, Pellera Technologies, Worksoft, Yubico
• Value: Dell Technologies, KPMG, McKinsey & Company, MongoDB, S&P Global, ServiceNow, Tech Mahindra, Wipro
• IBM Partner Plus Day: Arrow, AWS, Ingram Micro, TD SYNNEX
• watsonx and AI Partner in Action: BI WORLDWIDE, Box, Disruptive Rain, Draup, Five9, DeRisk Strategic Management, Jaxon, Inc., LogicMonitor, nativeMsg, Netsmartz, Papyrus Software, Seismic, Sirion, SmartPM Solutions, SMS DataTech, Staker
• Airline: American Airlines

WHERE: Thomas M. Menino Convention & Exhibition Center (MCEC), Boston, MA

CONTACT
Alexandra Prevor
IBM
Alexandra.Prevor@ibm.com 

 

** This press release is distributed by PR Newswire through automated distribution system, for which the client assumes full responsibility. **

MEDIA ALERT: IBM CEO ARVIND KRISHNA TO OPEN IBM THINK 2026, OUTLINING HOW AI AND QUANTUM WILL DEFINE THE ENTERPRISE

MEDIA ALERT: IBM CEO ARVIND KRISHNA TO OPEN IBM THINK 2026, OUTLINING HOW AI AND QUANTUM WILL DEFINE THE ENTERPRISE

GUANGZHOU, China, May 5, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- On May 2, 2026, during the 139th Canton Fair, Walovi held the Global Partner Conference at its global headquarters on Guangzhou Bio-Island. Over 280 prospective agents, overseas government representatives, industry experts, supply chain partners, and investors gathered to witness Walovi's latest push in globalization.

Attendees included Zhang Jiong (Vice President of Guangdong Chamber of Import & Export), Cheng Hongjin (Vice President of GPHL), Fang Dafeng (Chairman of Walovi Great Health), and Ye Jizeng (Vice President of Walovi Great Health).The conference targeted partners in 60–80 countries, and Walovi signed distribution agreements with partners from 10 countries across South America, Africa, and Central Asia, expanding its global network into emerging markets.

Cheng Hongjin outlined GPHL's global strategy as three shifts: from "going out" to "going deep", from "products" to "system", and from "trade" to "ecosystem". He stressed accelerating investment via five prongs, citing the Walovi Global Partner conference as a synergy example.

Fang Dafeng extended an invitation: "We believe that together we can integrate Eastern health wisdom into daily life worldwide, making Walovi a trusted health choice globally."

Walovi outlined a comprehensive cooperation model featuring regional protection, marketing support, headquarters assistance, and tiered incentives, aiming to add partners in over 60 new countries and regions, especially along the Belt and Road.

The signing ceremony with ten regional distributors from retail, foodservice, and distribution channels marked a strategic extension of Walovi's global sales network.

According to Frost & Sullivan, Walovi has ranked first globally in natural plant–based beverage sales for five consecutive years. It also leads in global bulk–pack beverage sales, China's banquet channel, and China's gift market. Over the past decade, overseas market scale has grown over 6.5 times, with a CAGR exceeding 25%. By deepening localization in markets like Malaysia and Saudi Arabia and launching the WALOVI international can, Walovi has built a global supply chain covering Southeast Asia, the Middle East, and Europe.

Ye Jizeng stated, "Internationalization is not just product export; it means local rooting." As Walovi aims to become a world–leading natural plant–based beverage company, the conference sent a clear message: riding the global wave of healthy consumption, Walovi is ready to join hands with global partners to create value and win together.

** This press release is distributed by PR Newswire through automated distribution system, for which the client assumes full responsibility. **

Signing Deals with 10 Countries! WALOVI Global Partner Conference Held in Guangzhou