Career Close-up is a new video interview series where we chat to senior employees in Ireland’s leading multinationals about their career journeys. This week, we talk to Michelle Menchin Rizzo, Partner at IBM Global Strategic Partnerships.
Welcome to episode six of our new Career Close-up series. In partnership with IDA Ireland, we sit down with senior figures from some of Ireland’s most innovative international companies, to get a sense of their exciting career trajectories.
In our sixth instalment, SiliconRepublic.com editor, Jenny Darmody, chats with Michelle Menchin Rizzo, partner at IBM Global Strategic Partnerships, whose background in journalism and public affairs has served her well in her 25 years at IBM.
Today, Rizzo works within IBM Consulting as a partner, working with the company’s strategic partners. “With all of the exciting things happening in technology, whether it’s AI, AI adoption, quantum computing, it really does take an ecosystem, a network of partners, to really deliver the value, the capabilities that those technologies bring.”
As a pioneer in machine learning and AI, IBM is at the heart of these new trends, says Rizzo. “It’s very exciting because there are so many ways you can leverage and apply that capability today to drive value and to optimise. And then along with that, it’s new ways of working, it’s new ways of teaming. It’s driving change across multiple industries, and it’s really exciting to, as I said, to co-create with all of these different organisations and make it real, because it really is all about adoption and we’re ready. It’s happening.”
Throughout her career, Rizzo learned not only to embrace change but to actually enjoy it. “When you have that mindset, that’s transformation, if you are flexible and looking for new ways to work, looking for new partners to team with, it serves you well. I think that’s true in many areas, but particularly from a career perspective, both personally and professionally, and in terms of the work we do.”
With two adult children who remain a priority, Rizzo believes teamwork is one of the keys to having a decent work-life balance. “Having a network, whether at home or at work, you know, you can rely on your team to make sure that you are managing your goals, your objectives, your responsibilities and serving both your family and your clients and your teams well. It takes a team.”
As for advice for those starting out? “Trust your instincts,” she says. “Trust your capability. Whatever stage of your career you’re in, you bring value, you have a unique perspective, you bring skills. That’s why you’re in the role. That’s why you’re in the organisation. I would tell my younger self to do more of that, really trust your instincts and what you have to offer and run with it. Get things done, drive to completion, and then think about what’s next.”
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