MANILA, Philippines - IBM yesterday announced the appointment of Mariels Almeda Winhoffer as president and country general manager for IBM Philippines, the first Filipina to hold the highest post in the American giant technology firm.

She succeeds James Velasquez who has been appointed Director, Maintenance and Technical Support, IBM Global Technology Services IBM ASEAN. The appointment will take effect immediately.  

Born and raised in Manila, Alemda Winhoffer started her career in IBM 26 years ago most recently serving as Client Advocacy Executive for IBM Corp., where she reported directly to the chairman and provided support for global client engagements.