Virginia Rometty has been appointed president and CEO of IBM, effective from 1 January 2012.
Rometty, who is currently IBM senior vice-president and group executive for sales, marketing and strategy, will also become a member of the board of directors.
She takes over from Samuel Palmisano, who became CEO in 2002 and chairman of the board in 2003. He will stay on as IBM chairman.
“Ginni Rometty has successfully led several of IBM’s most important businesses over the past decade — from the formation of IBM global business services to the build-out of our growth markets unit,” said Palmisano. “But she is more than a superb operational executive. With every leadership role, she has strengthened our ability to integrate IBM’s capabilities for our clients.
“She brings to the role of CEO a unique combination of vision, client focus, unrelenting drive, and passion for IBMers and the company’s future. I know the board agrees with me that Ginni is the ideal CEO to lead IBM into its second century.”
“Today, IBM’s strategies and business model are correct,” said Rometty. “Our ability to execute and deliver consistent results for clients and shareholders is strong. This is due to Sam’s leadership, his discipline, and his unshakable belief in the ability of IBM and IBMers to lead into the future. Sam taught us, above all, that we must never stop reinventing IBM.”
As global sales leader for IBM, Rometty, who is 54, has been accountable for revenue, profit, and client satisfaction in the 170 global markets in which IBM does business. She is responsible for IBM’s worldwide results, which exceeded US$99bn in 2010, and for leading IBM’s global strategy, marketing and communications functions.
Previously, she was senior vice-president of IBM global business services. In that role, she led the integration of PricewaterhouseCoopers Consulting, building a global team of more than 100,000 business consultants and services experts. She has also served as general manager of IBM global services, Americas, and of IBM’s global insurance and financial services sector.
She joined IBM in 1981 as a systems engineer.
Article courtesy of Businessandleadership.com
