Mike Perera is currently the Vice President, z Systems Software, IBM Systems Unit, responsible for z Systems Software offering management, development & support including application runtimes, Enterprise DevOps and z Systems Management & Optimization. He previously held the position of Vice President, CICS, TPF and System z for IBM’s Application & Integration (AIM) Middleware Division, responsible for the AIM System z business, including product management and development for CICS, Transaction Processing Facility (TPF), Communications Server, CICS and Problem Determination Tools. Previously, Mike was Director, DB2 for z/OS, where he was responsible for product management, development, level 2/3 support and quality assurance of one of IBM’s flagship products. Prior to his leadership roles in z Systems, Mike was Director, Workload Optimized Systems, where he was responsible for operations supporting the growth of the integrated IBM hardware, software and services offerings business, predominantly focused on Smart Analytics Systems. In addition, Mike previously worked mergers & acquisitions for IBM, where he helped drive the acquisitions of Cognos, Princeton Softech and Solid Technologies. Prior to that role, he spent 3 1/2 years holding a variety of positions within IBM's WebSphere Software division focused on telecommunications solutions. Before joining IBM, Mike held project management, product management and consulting positions at various companies. He earned his MBA from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and an undergraduate degree in Applied Economics and Business Management from Cornell University. He is married with a 3 kids who all keep him quite busy outside of work; however, he still enjoys sport fishing, golf, gourmet cooking, wine and traveling when he has a free moment.