Rick Qualman

Rick Qualman is the VP of Strategy and Business Development for the Global Telecommunications Industry.  Mr. Qualman has eighteen years of experience in the telecommunications industry.  In this role, he is responsible for managing IBM business development and strategic initiatives with world-wide telecommunications service providers, developing alliances with key ISVs and telecommunications equipment manufacturers and driving industry investment strategies.

  

Upon Mr. Qualman’s return to South Florida in 2007, he was named Senior Location Executive for IBM South Florida.  In July of 2008, he assumed the role of IBM’s Senior State Executive for Florida & Puerto Rico.   In this role, Mr. Qualman represents the IBM Corporation as a globally integrated enterprise in the community and IBM’s primary voice in the state providing leadership in developing relationships with State policy makers, key stakeholders and business leaders.

Mr. Qualman started with IBM in the Boca Raton, Florida manufacturing facility in 1980. From 1980 to 1986 he held numerous positions in purchasing, new product development, and contracts.  In 1986, he joined the Midwest sales and marketing organization and was transferred to Chicago, Illinois.  From 1986 to 1997, Mr. Qualman held various sales management positions, including Alliance Executive for the IBM/Ameritech Alliance and the IBM/Pacific Bell Alliance.  

In 1997, Mr. Qualman was named Client Executive for the BellSouth account and relocated to Atlanta, Georgia. In 2000, he was named Business Development Executive for Cable & Wireless PLC and commuted between Atlanta, Vienna, Virginia and London, UK.  In 2001, he was named Cluster Unit Executive for the Southeastern Communication Sector, with the responsibility of telecommunications, media & entertainment, and utilities industries.

Mr. Qualman was appointed Customer Unit Director in 2002, responsible for the Southeastern Region. In this capacity, he was responsible for managing the sales efforts of all professionals engaged in the selling of IBM products, financing, services, customer satisfaction, and management. He was also accountable for expense, revenue, profit, and other business objectives within the communication sector.

In 2005, Mr. Qualman was named Vice President of IBM’s Emerging Business Opportunities (EBO) Organization for Wireless Solution Americas Group. In this capacity, he had responsibility for Strategy, Solutions Development, Business Partners, Proof of Concepts Investments, managing the efforts of all professionals engaged in selling and deploying wireless, RFID, and asset monitoring solutions across the Americas.  

In 2006, Mr. Qualman was named Vice President of Sales for the telecommunications industry.  In this global sales role, he was responsible for executing IBM worldwide telecommunications industry sales, profit and revenue growth.

Mr. Qualman has held positions on the Atlanta Chamber of Commerce educations committee 2000 to 2007, Atlanta Wireless Technology Forum 2005 to 2007 and lead IBM’s Emerging Executive Leaders for ECCC-United Way campaign in 2005-2007. He is currently on the Industry Advisory Board of Florida International University and the Business Advisory Council for the College of Engineering at Florida Atlantic University. 

A Michigan native, Mr. Qualman moved to Boca Raton Florida in 1970, attended Palm Beach Community College, Florida Atlantic University and North Central College in Illinois. Rick has a degree in Business Administration, completed the Client Executive Program at Harvard University, and the IBM Premier program at Boston College. Mr. Qualman has been married to wife Kathy since 1984 and has a 16 year old son Robert.