𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝑰𝑻 𝑩𝒖𝒔𝒊𝒏𝒆𝒔𝒔 𝑷𝒂𝒓𝒕𝒏𝒆𝒓 𝑷𝒍𝒂𝒚𝒃𝒐𝒐𝒌

How Alina Chin built a BRM function from scratch, led 12 business units, and is navigating a BRM career transition

In this insightful and light-hearted episode of The IT Business Partner Playbook, I’m joined by Alina Chin, a seasoned Business Relationship Manager based in Canada, with a background in supply chain, customer relations, and building Virtual Relationship Management from the ground up.

Alina shares her BRM journey, the lessons she learned supporting a whopping 12 business units, and the challenges of navigating change after a sudden leadership shakeup.

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1️⃣ Building a BRM Function from the Ground Up

Alina walked us through how she established a VRM function from scratch—starting with informal conversations, building trust with senior leaders, and aligning IT with business units through structured engagement and cadence meetings.

2️⃣ Bridging the Business-IT Divide

From managing legacy issues to translating between business expectations and IT capabilities, Alina offered an honest look at the “marriage counseling” nature of the BRM role. She emphasized the need for empathy, communication, and a shared language.

3️⃣ Restructuring Realities and Career Transitions

Alina reflected on her experience when a reorg led to the departure of her biggest champion (the CIO). She shared how that impacted the BRM function and her decision to transition, offering relatable advice for others navigating uncertain moments in their careers.

4️⃣ Demonstrating Value with Tangible Outcomes

We talked about strategies to protect and promote the BRM role—through early stakeholder engagement, quarterly impact reports, and sharing success stories that tie directly to business outcomes.

5️⃣ Advice for Aspiring BRMs

Alina shared tips for those entering the BRM profession, including:

· Investing in frameworks from the BRM Institute

· Honing project management and soft skills

· Understanding the evolving expectations of the role

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Looking Ahead: Alina’s story reminds us that resilience, relationships, and relevance are the BRM’s best tools. If you’re building—or rebuilding—a BRM career, this episode is packed with wisdom, empathy, and practical takeaways.

Listen in, and if this resonates, reach out. Let’s build the BRM community together.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Meet Our New Latin American Host: Miguel Cockburn

We're thrilled to introduce Miguel Cockburn as the new host of our upcoming Spanish-language edition of The IT Business Partner Playbook - a platform designed to bring authentic, regional stories to life across Latin America.

In this special episode, I speak with Miguel about his 30+ year career journey, from engineer to regional IT director and BRM capability champion. His story is one of evolution, trust-building, and quiet leadership across multiple countries, cultures, and business functions.

Covered in this episode;

🔹 Miguel shares how he moved from being perceived as “just IT” to becoming a valued strategic partner.

🔹 He reflects on earning trust in a matrixed organisation – where he compensated authority, with deep business knowledge.

🔹 He explains why focusing on people, outcomes, and value matters more than job titles or budget lines.

🔹 And he tells us what inspired him to put so much effort into supporting the Spanish community – including hosting this podcast.

Miguel’s calm, relational, and humble leadership style is exactly what this role, and this region, needs more of. I’m really excited to see where takes this platform!

📣 If you're a BRM or IT business partner working in Latin America, we want to hear your story!

In your language, on your terms.

Let’s build a space where Business Partners across the region can learn from each other and feel truly seen.

Find Miguel Here:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/miguel-cockburn/

If interested in sharing your story in Spanish on the podcast, please reach out. Miguel and I would love to connect!

#BRM #LatinAmerica #SpanishPodcast

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Great BRMs aren't just strategic — they're trusted, human, and always present, even when the value is hard to measure.

Welcome to episode 17! In this heartfelt and insightful episode, I chat with Scott Hudson, an IT Business Partner in the US healthcare sector, about the real-world dynamics of partnership in a local hospital setting.

1️⃣ Evolving the Role - We discussed how Scott’s work is shifting from ticket-taker to trusted advisor, supported by a CIO who understands the value of BRM.

2️⃣ Building Trust at Every Level - From field engineers to directors, Scott shares how approachability and emotional maturity are the true indicators of impact.

3️⃣ Validation and Recognition - Why presence matters more than perfection, and how quiet success often speaks loudest.

4️⃣ Formalizing the Informal - Scott’s move toward structured value discussions and relationship-building rituals.

5️⃣ The Power of Personal Stories - A moving reflection on how authentic human connection, especially in hard times, can shape the way we show up at work.

Scott also opened up about the sometimes-isolating nature of the BRM role and the need for stronger peer connections, both inside and outside the organisation.

Listen or watch here (and don't forge to Follow/Subscribe, to avoid missing future episodes!);

Find our Guest, Scott Hudson, Here:

www.linkedin.com/in/scott-hudson-it

If you're navigating the evolving expectations of business partnering, or just looking for a fresh, honest voice in the BRM community, this episode should resonate with you.

Please let me know your thoughts in the comments, and feel free to reach out to me or Scott. And if you'd like to take part, get in touch! Not only are we helping the community, we're helping each other! I'm personally learning so much. But more importantly, by sharing and reflecting, our guests come away with fresh ideas they can take away and develop. Win Win Win!

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.