Harriet Green: Career, Thomas Cook, IBM and Current Work

Introduction

Harriet Green OBE is a British business executive known for leading major companies across electronics, travel and technology. She became widely recognised as CEO of Thomas Cook Group and later served as Chair and CEO of IBM Asia Pacific.

Her professional journey began in the electronics industry. She later became chief executive of Premier Farnell before joining Thomas Cook in 2012 during a difficult financial period for the travel company. After leaving Thomas Cook, she moved into technology leadership at IBM.

As of August 2026, Green is no longer running a large multinational company. Her work now includes mentoring, business coaching, board responsibilities, education projects and community leadership. She has also accepted the role of Chair at Dereham Meeting Point in Norfolk.

Readers interested in similar business leadership stories may find her career especially interesting because she has worked successfully across several very different industries.

Harriet Green Quick Facts

Fact	Detail
Full name	Harriet Green
Professional name	Harriet Green OBE
Date of birth	12 December 1961
Birthplace	Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, England
Profession	Business executive, mentor and board leader
Education	Medieval History, King’s College London
Graduation year	1983
Premier Farnell role	CEO, 2006–2012
Thomas Cook role	CEO, 2012–2014
IBM role	Watson IoT and related leadership positions
IBM Asia Pacific	Chair and CEO, 2018–2020
Honour	OBE for services to electronics
Current focus	Mentoring, coaching, boards and social-impact work
Current community position	Chair of Dereham Meeting Point
Education initiative	Academies for Youth with Potential

Who Is Harriet Green?

Harriet Green is a senior British corporate leader whose career has covered electronics, tourism, artificial intelligence, digital technology and international management.

She first built her reputation in the electronics sector. Her name later became much more familiar to the wider public when she joined Thomas Cook Group as chief executive.

Her appointment came at a time when the travel company faced serious financial challenges. She became closely associated with the company’s turnaround strategy and efforts to modernise the business.

Her later career at IBM introduced another major change. Instead of travel, she worked with technology, connected devices and artificial intelligence before taking charge of IBM’s Asia-Pacific operations.

This wide range of leadership roles is one of the main reasons she remains a notable figure in British business.

Early Life and Education

Harriet Green was born on 12 December 1961 in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire.

She grew up in the Cotswolds and attended Westwood’s Grammar School in Northleach.

Green later studied Medieval History at King’s College London. She completed her university studies in 1983.

Her degree was not directly connected with electronics, travel or technology, which makes her later professional path particularly unusual.

Rather than following an academic career in history, she moved into business and developed experience in sales, management and international operations.

King’s College London later recognised her among notable former students.

Starting a Career in Electronics

Green spent much of her early career in electronics.

She worked across Europe, Asia and the United States, giving her international business experience long before she became a well-known chief executive.

Her official career history states that she became Managing Director of Macro Group at the age of 29.

In 1994, she moved into a senior position at Arrow Europe as Vice President of Marketing.

She continued to rise within Arrow Electronics and later served as president of the company’s Asia-Pacific operations from 2002 to 2006.

These positions gave her experience in international markets, technology distribution and regional management.

Premier Farnell

In 2006, Green became CEO of Premier Farnell.

Premier Farnell was an international electronics distribution company serving engineers, manufacturers and technology customers.

She remained in the chief executive position until 2012.

Her years in electronics brought formal recognition in 2010 when she received an OBE for services to the electronics industry.

The Premier Farnell role was important because it established her as an experienced public-company leader before she entered the travel sector.

Harriet Green and Thomas Cook

Green became CEO of Thomas Cook Group in July 2012.

It was one of the most important and most closely watched appointments of her career.

Thomas Cook was facing heavy financial pressure when she arrived. Green later told a UK parliamentary committee that the company had around £1.6 billion of debt and had suffered several profit warnings.

Her task was not simply to manage daily operations.

She was brought in to help restructure and modernise the company.

Her strategy included reducing costs, selling non-core assets, improving digital services and changing the way Thomas Cook attracted and served customers.

During her period as chief executive, the company’s share price increased strongly from the very low levels seen during its earlier financial problems.

Her work helped make her one of the most visible female executives in British business at the time.

Why Did Harriet Green Leave Thomas Cook?

Green left Thomas Cook in November 2014.

Her departure came after roughly two and a half years as chief executive.

Peter Fankhauser, who had served as chief operating officer, became her successor.

The company initially presented the leadership change as part of a new stage in its turnaround.

However, later discussions showed that the situation was more complex.

When Green gave evidence to UK lawmakers after Thomas Cook collapsed in 2019, she explained that there had been differences over the pace and direction of the company’s transformation.

She believed more work remained to be done.

Thomas Cook eventually collapsed in September 2019, almost five years after Green had left.

This timeline is important because the final failure of the company did not happen during her leadership.

A parliamentary investigation later examined broader problems including debt, management decisions, accounting practices, auditors and the strategies followed over several years.

Career at IBM

After Thomas Cook, Green moved into the technology sector.

IBM appointed her to senior leadership positions connected with Watson and the Internet of Things.

By 2015, she was publicly identified as General Manager of Watson Internet of Things and Education.

Her responsibilities later expanded into other customer and technology-focused areas.

The Internet of Things, often called IoT, involves connecting machines, devices and sensors so they can collect and exchange information.

Green’s IBM role therefore placed her in a fast-growing area involving data, connected technology and artificial intelligence.

IBM Asia Pacific Leadership

In January 2018, Green became Chair and CEO of IBM Asia Pacific.

This was one of the most senior positions of her career.

Her work involved strategic leadership across a large group of markets in the Asia-Pacific region.

Her official professional profile states that she worked across 15 countries during this period.

She was based in Singapore and also became a member of the Singapore Economic Development Board.

Green remained in the IBM Asia Pacific leadership role until early 2020.

During this period, Fortune included her in its 2019 Most Powerful Women International ranking.

Her years at IBM added technology and artificial intelligence to an already varied career covering electronics and travel.

Board Experience

Green has also served on several major corporate and advisory boards.

Her official career record includes nine years on the board of BAE Systems.

She also spent eight years on the main board of Emerson Electric.

These positions gave her experience beyond the companies where she served as chief executive.

She has also worked with King’s College London Business School through its Advisory Council.

Her board experience has therefore covered defence, industrial technology, higher education and economic development.

What Is Harriet Green Doing Now?

As of August 2026, Green’s work is different from the large corporate CEO roles that made her famous.

She remains professionally active, but her focus now includes mentoring, coaching, boards, fundraising and social-impact projects.

Her current professional material says she works with leaders across Africa, Asia, Europe and the United States.

One of her newest confirmed positions came in August 2026 when she announced that she had accepted the role of Chair at Dereham Meeting Point.

Dereham Meeting Point is a community organisation in Norfolk.

Green has been involved in efforts to support the centre and raise funds for its future.

This role shows how her recent work has moved from global corporations toward a mix of international mentoring and local community involvement.

Academies for Youth with Potential

Education and mentoring are now important parts of Green’s public work.

An initiative she started in 2020 later developed into the Academies for Youth with Potential in Thailand.

The academy programme was established in 2022.

Its aim is to support young people by improving access to education, skills and personal development opportunities.

Green has said that she remains directly involved with the programme and visits Thailand as part of this work.

She is also an ambassador for Every Child Needs a Mentor.

That organisation focuses on improving access to good-quality mentoring for young people.

Her recent work therefore combines business experience with education and youth development.

Harriet Green’s Husband

Green has publicly discussed her marriage.

Her husband is Graham Clarkson.

In a personal article published on her official website in 2024, she wrote about their marriage and explained that they had married around two decades earlier in a registry-office ceremony.

She has also spoken publicly about renewing their vows with family and friends in Norfolk.

Only information that she has publicly shared is relevant here. More private family details are not necessary for understanding her professional life.

Harriet Green’s Awards and Recognition

Green has received several recognised honours during her career.

Her most important formal honour is the OBE she received in 2010 for services to electronics.

She was also included in the Women in Technology Hall of Fame in 2016.

Fast Company placed her among its Most Creative People in Business in 2017 during her technology career.

Fortune later included her in its 2019 Most Powerful Women International list.

Earlier recognition also included Veuve Clicquot Businesswoman of the Year in 2014 and National Business Awards Leader of the Year in 2013.

These awards reflect different periods of her career rather than one single role.

Is Harriet Green Writing a Memoir?

Yes. Green has publicly confirmed that she is working on a memoir.

In a June 2026 update, she said the project was moving closer to print.

At that stage, the book had not yet been confirmed as published.

For that reason, it is more accurate to describe it as an upcoming memoir rather than an already released book.

Her recent personal writing suggests that the memoir may include experiences from both her professional and personal life.

Why Her Career Stands Out

Green’s career is unusual because she has moved successfully between sectors that do not always have an obvious connection.

She studied Medieval History but built her early career in electronics.

She then became the chief executive of a major travel company before moving into artificial intelligence and enterprise technology at IBM.

Later, her priorities shifted again toward mentoring, education and community projects.

Her professional story shows that executive experience can sometimes transfer across industries when leadership, strategy and organisational change are central to the role.

Frequently Asked Questions

Who is Harriet Green?

Harriet Green OBE is a British business executive known for leading Premier Farnell, Thomas Cook Group and IBM Asia Pacific. She now works across mentoring, coaching, board leadership and social-impact projects.

How old is Harriet Green?

She was born on 12 December 1961. She is 64 years old as of August 2026.

Why is Harriet Green famous?

She became widely known after taking over as CEO of Thomas Cook Group in 2012. She later became Chair and CEO of IBM Asia Pacific.

What did Harriet Green do at Thomas Cook?

She served as chief executive from 2012 to 2014 and led a major programme focused on restructuring, digital development, cost reduction and financial recovery.

Why did Harriet Green leave Thomas Cook?

She left in November 2014. Thomas Cook presented the change as part of the next stage of its recovery, while Green later said there had been differences over the pace and direction of transformation.

Was Harriet Green responsible for Thomas Cook’s collapse?

Thomas Cook collapsed in 2019, almost five years after she left. A later parliamentary investigation examined several wider causes, including debt, management, auditing and accounting issues. It would therefore be inaccurate to describe the 2019 collapse as an event that happened under her leadership.

Did Harriet Green work for IBM?

Yes. She led Watson Internet of Things and other technology businesses before becoming Chair and CEO of IBM Asia Pacific in 2018.

When did Harriet Green leave IBM?

Her IBM Asia Pacific leadership role ended in early 2020.

What is Harriet Green doing now?

As of August 2026, she works in mentoring, business coaching, board activity and social-impact projects. She has also accepted the role of Chair at Dereham Meeting Point in Norfolk.

Where did Harriet Green study?

She studied Medieval History at King’s College London and completed her studies in 1983.

Who is Harriet Green’s husband?

Her husband is Graham Clarkson. Green has publicly written about their marriage on her official website.

Does Harriet Green have an OBE?

Yes. She received an OBE in 2010 for services to the electronics industry.

Is Harriet Green writing a book?

Yes. She confirmed in 2026 that she is working on a memoir. The latest verified information describes the book as moving toward publication rather than already being available.

Final Thoughts

Harriet Green has built a career across several major industries.

She spent her early professional years in electronics before becoming CEO of Premier Farnell. Her move to Thomas Cook placed her at the centre of one of Britain’s most closely watched corporate turnaround stories.

She then moved into technology at IBM, eventually leading the company’s Asia-Pacific business.

Her work today has a different focus. Instead of running a large multinational company, she is increasingly involved in mentoring, leadership development, education, social-impact programmes and community work.

For people searching her name today, the clearest answer is simple: Harriet Green is a former Thomas Cook and IBM executive who remains active in leadership, mentoring and community projects.