张艳于2000年9月加入IBM中国有限公司，担任资深知识产权法律顾问，并协助IBM公司在中国建立知识产权法律部。之后，其业务管理范围扩展到香港、韩国、印度。
张艳现任IBM亚太区知识产权法律总监，全面负责IBM在亚太地区（除日本之外）所有国家和地区与知识产权相关的事务，包括专利与商标的申请、审批、维持、管理、实施和维权事务；本土公司发明人发明创新的挖掘、评估、撰写和申请；专利、商标和版权侵权分析和处理；专利、商标、版权和技术秘密许可与转让的知识产权法律支持；对员工的知识产权培训与监督；与商务合同有关的知识产权条款的审查与谈判；与开放源代码和技术标准相关的知识产权问题的分析与解决；等等。
张艳曾就读于清华大学和中国科学院，分别获得工学学士和硕士学位。并就读于美国富兰克林皮尔斯法学院， 获得知识产权法律硕士学位。她拥有中国律师资格和专利代理人资格。
在加入IBM之前，张艳就职于国家知识产权局，6年从事专利审查工作，7年从事国际合作工作，并担任国家知识产权局国际合作司国际组织处副处长。
张艳现在是连续3年担任外商投资企业协会优质品牌保护副主席。之前，她连续3年任该委员会专利与创新委员会主席。
Zhang Yan became the Senior IP Law Counsel for IBM GCG and AP since Oct., 2011, based in Beijing.
Yan is now responsible for all of IBM’s intellectual property matters and issues in GCG and AP (excluding Japan). She manages the IP Law departments in China, India and Taiwan, as well as an IBM Virtual Law Firm in Korea. Her responsibilities include managing IBM patent and trademark portfolios in AP GMU countries and regions; provide advises on IP legal issues in customer contracts, negotiations, dispute resolution, etc.; conduct product clearance; support patents and trademark licenses and assignments, handle IP claims and litigations, provide standards participation IPR policy review and negotiations, etc.. They also actively participate in IP-related policies, legislation and practice-related lobbying. The IP administrative team in China also provides a full-scope administrative support to all IP Law locations in US, CA and EP countries.
Prior to joining IBM, Yan worked as a patent examiner for 6 years in the China Patent Office and then as a division director for international cooperation for another 7 years in the State Intellectual Property Office of China (SIPO).
Yan is qualified both as an Attorney at Law and Patent Attorney in China. She has been the Chairperson of QBPC Patent and Innovation Committee for year 2009, 2010, and 2011, and is the Vice Chair of QBPC for 2012, 2013 and 2014. QBPC is an industry association with over 200 foreign invested companies in China, focusing on China IP system and environment improvement and reform.
