# Maria Bartolome Winans

> Maria Bartolome Winans is Kyndryl's chief marketing officer and the executive who helped turn IBM's managed-infrastructure spinoff into a standalone brand. A Santiago-born, North Carolina-raised marketer with degrees in business administration and art from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, she spent 29 years at IBM before becoming Kyndryl's second employee in 2021. Her work joins brand strategy to organizational culture: employee interviews informed the Kyndryl Way, every worker was treated as a founder, and a tree was planted in each employee's honor. She remains an active mentor, executive sponsor of Kyndryl's Hispanic-Latino inclusion network, certified fitness instructor, painter and advocate for curiosity, inclusion and decisive leadership.

- **Role:** Chief Marketing Officer at Kyndryl
- **Organizations:** Kyndryl, IBM, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
- **From:** Santiago, Chile
- **Nationality:** Chilean-American
- **Education:** Bachelor's degree in business administration and art, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
- **Known for:** Helped create Kyndryl's name, identity, global marketing organization and people-centered brand before its 2021 separation from IBM., Became Kyndryl employee No. 2 after a 29-year IBM career., Led marketing across North America and Latin America as CMO of IBM Americas.

## Career timeline

- **Early 1990s** — Joined IBM after college, beginning in sales for laptops, computers and servers.
- **Mid-1990s** — Roughly three years into IBM, took assignments drawing on her Spanish and cross-cultural background in Latin America and Europe.
- **2010s** — Held global IBM leadership roles spanning sales, marketing and strategy, including marketing work for Smarter Commerce and Watson.
- **2019** — Served as IBM's chief marketing officer for North American marketing and co-chair of the IBM Hispanic Council.
- **2020-2021** — Served as Chief Marketing Officer for IBM Americas, responsible for marketing across North and Latin America.
- **2021** — Became Kyndryl's second employee and Chief Marketing Officer, leading development of the company's name, brand, marketing organization and cultural platform before the IBM spinoff.
- **2021-present** — Leads global marketing at Kyndryl and serves as executive sponsor of its Hispanic-Latino Kyndryl Inclusion Network.
- **2025** — Discussed Kyndryl's brand evolution, Kyndryl Way culture and Double Your Impact campaign in Forbes and the BrandSide podcast.
- **2026** — Her organization shared recognition including a Gold ANA B2 Award for account-based marketing and four Telly Awards for Kyndryl storytelling work.

## Achievements

- Helped create Kyndryl's name, identity, global marketing organization and people-centered brand before its 2021 separation from IBM.
- Became Kyndryl employee No. 2 after a 29-year IBM career.
- Led marketing across North America and Latin America as CMO of IBM Americas.
- Contributed to IBM global marketing initiatives including Smarter Commerce and Watson.
- Helped establish the Kyndryl Way around the behaviors restless, empathetic and devoted.
- Serves as executive sponsor of Kyndryl's Hispanic-Latino inclusion network.
- Received the ASPIRA Association Corporate Leadership Award and was named among LATINA Style's Top 10 Corporate Latina Executives of the Year.
- Recognized as a finalist for Chief Marketing Officer of the Year in the Women in Tech Global Awards 2026.

## Latest updates

- **2026-08** — Shared Kyndryl marketing recognition including a Gold Award in Account-Based Marketing at the 2026 ANA B2 Awards and four Telly Awards for video and storytelling work.
- **2026-08** — Named a finalist for Chief Marketing Officer of the Year in the Women in Tech Global Awards 2026.
- **2025-10** — Reflected on Hispanic heritage, the power of 'and,' and creating room for people to learn in a Kyndryl Hispanic Heritage Month feature.
- **2025-06** — Discussed Kyndryl's business turnaround, AI focus and plans to grow the company's influence in South America in a Diario Financiero profile.
- **2025-05** — Appeared on the BrandSide podcast to discuss building Kyndryl's brand, culture, Double Your Impact campaign and global marketing organization.
- **2025-03** — Detailed the Kyndryl launch, employee-founder concept and Kyndryl Way in a Forbes interview.

## Links

- Website: https://www.kyndryl.com/us/en
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/maria-bartolome-winans-41008014/

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/maria-winans
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-08-14