Virginia Marie "Ginni" Rometty (born July 29, 1957) is an American business executive who served as executive chairman of IBM after stepping down as CEO on April 1, 2020. She previously served as chairman, president and CEO of IBM, becoming the first woman to head the company. She retired from IBM on December 31, 2020, after a near-40 year career at IBM. Prior to becoming president and CEO in January 2012, she first joined IBM as a systems engineer in 1981 and subsequently headed global sales, marketing, and strategy. While general manager of IBM's global services division, in 2002 she helped negotiate IBM's purchase of

PricewaterhouseCoopers PricewaterhouseCoopers is an international professional services brand of firms, operating as partnerships under the PwC brand. It is the second-largest professional services network in the world and is considered one of the Big Four accounti ...

' IT consulting business, becoming known for her work integrating the two companies. As CEO, she focused IBM on analytics,

cloud computing Cloud computing is the on-demand availability of computer system resources, especially data storage ( cloud storage) and computing power, without direct active management by the user. Large clouds often have functions distributed over mu ...

, and cognitive computing systems. Rometty's tenure as IBM's CEO was marked by noteworthy awards, including by ''Bloomberg's'' 50 Most Influential People in the World, '' Fortune'' "50 Most Powerful Women in Business", ''

Time Time is the continued sequence of existence and events that occurs in an apparently irreversible succession from the past, through the present, into the future. It is a component quantity of various measurements used to sequence events, ...

''s 20 Most Important People in Tech and ''

Forbes ''Forbes'' () is an American business magazine owned by Integrated Whale Media Investments and the Forbes family. Published eight times a year, it features articles on finance, industry, investing, and marketing topics. ''Forbes'' also r ...

'' America's Top 50 Women In Tech. Her tenure was also met by fierce criticism relating to executive compensation bonuses, layoffs, outsourcing, and presiding over 24 consecutive quarters of revenue decline.

Early life and education

Ginni Rometty was born on July 29, 1957, in

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolitan areas include, Peoria and Rockf ...

, as Virginia Marie Nicosia. Growing up outside Chicago, she was the eldest of four children in an

Italian-American Italian Americans ( it, italoamericani or ''italo-americani'', ) are Americans who have full or partial Italian ancestry. The largest concentrations of Italian Americans are in the urban Northeast and industrial Midwestern metropolitan areas, ...

family. Her parents divorced and her father left when she was fifteen years old, and her mother subsequently took on multiple jobs to support the family while Rometty looked after the household in the evenings."Lunch with the FT: Ginni Rometty"
Gillian Tett, ''

Financial Times The ''Financial Times'' (''FT'') is a British daily newspaper printed in broadsheet and published digitally that focuses on business and economic current affairs. Based in London, England, the paper is owned by a Japanese holding company, Ni ...

'', February 6, 2015 She began attending

Northwestern University Northwestern University is a private research university in Evanston, Illinois. Founded in 1851, Northwestern is the oldest chartered university in Illinois and is ranked among the most prestigious academic institutions in the world. Charte ...

in Illinois in 1975 on a scholarship from General Motors, where she interned between her junior and senior years. Rometty was also a member of the Kappa Kappa Gamma sorority, eventually serving as its president. She graduated with high honors from the

Robert R. McCormick School of Engineering and Applied Science Established in 1909, the Robert R. McCormick School of Engineering and Applied Science is one of twelve constituent schools at Northwestern University. Most engineering classes are held in the Technological Institute (1942), which students commo ...

at Northwestern University in 1979, receiving a bachelor's degree in

computer science Computer science is the study of computation, automation, and information. Computer science spans theoretical disciplines (such as algorithms, theory of computation, information theory, and automation) to practical disciplines (includi ...

and electrical engineering. She has received honorary doctoral degrees from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (2014) and

(2015). She also received an honorary degree from North Carolina State University.

Career

1979–1990s: GM and IBM technical positions

After graduation in 1979, Rometty went to work for General Motors Institute in

Flint Flint, occasionally flintstone, is a sedimentary cryptocrystalline form of the mineral quartz, categorized as the variety of chert that occurs in chalk or marly limestone. Flint was widely used historically to make stone tools and sta ...

, where she was responsible for application and systems development. In 1981 she joined IBM as a systems analyst and systems engineer in Detroit. Initially working with clients in the insurance industry, she spent her first ten years at IBM in technical positions. ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...

'' writes that she "quickly moved up to a series of management jobs", where she worked with clients in insurance, banking, telecommunications, manufacturing and health care. She spent the 1990s working in sales, and by the late 1990s was helping clients such as

Prudential Financial, Inc. Prudential Financial, Inc. is an American Fortune Global 500 and Fortune 500 company whose subsidiaries provide insurance, retirement planning, investment management, and other products and services to both retail and institutional customers ...

with their internet features. She joined IBM's Consulting Group in 1991.

2000–2011: IBM management

While general manager of IBM's global services division, in 2002 she championed and helped negotiate the purchase of Monday, the consulting arm of professional services firm

for $3.5 billion. The acquisition was the "largest in professional services history" and launched IBM in the services business. While serving as senior vice president of IBM Global Business Services, Rometty then received her "big break" at IBM when she was given the task of integrating PricewaterhouseCoopers and its consultants with IBM."IBM's Rometty Kept on Rising"
Spencer E. Ante And Joann S. Lublin, ''

Wall Street Journal ''The Wall Street Journal'' is an American business-focused, international daily newspaper based in New York City, with international editions also available in Chinese and Japanese. The ''Journal'', along with its Asian editions, is published ...

'', October 27, 2011 In 2002 ''

'' named her to its 2002 Global Business Influential list. From 2005 until 2009 she was the senior vice president of Global Business Services at IBM, and she also became senior vice president of Enterprise Business Services-IBM Global Services in July 2005. Among other roles, she served as general manager of IBM Global Services, Americas, as well as general manager of IBM's Global Insurance and Financial Services Sector. She was also managing partner at IBM Business Consulting Services, Inc. and general of manager of Insurance Industry Group. Rometty received the Carl Sloane Award 2006 from the Association of Management Consulting Firms. Laid out by Rometty and other IBM executives, in 2007 IBM announced a five-year growth plan concerning revenue growth and capital allocation. Among other strategies, the "2015 Roadmap" outlined moving IBM away from the hardware industry to focus on businesses such as software and services. Rometty became senior vice president and group executive for sales, marketing, and strategy in 2009, focusing on the company's "fast-growing analytics unit". In January 2009, she was placed in charge of IBM's sales force, serving as senior vice president of global sales and distribution until 2010. During this time she pushed the development of IBM's growth-markets unit, which had been created in 2008 to focus on emerging markets such as

Brazil Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...

and

Vietnam Vietnam or Viet Nam ( vi, Việt Nam, ), officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam,., group="n" is a country in Southeast Asia, at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of and population of 96 million, making i ...

. From 2010 until 2012 she was an IBM senior vice president, and from 2010 until 2012, she was IBM's Group Executive of Sales, Marketing & Strategy. In 2011,

CNN CNN (Cable News Network) is a multinational cable news channel headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, U.S. Founded in 1980 by American media proprietor Ted Turner and Reese Schonfeld as a 24-hour cable news channel, and presently owned by ...

reported that she was "credited with spearheading IBM's growth strategy by getting the company into the

and analytics businesses. She was also at the helm of readying Watson, the ''

Jeopardy! ''Jeopardy!'' is an American game show created by Merv Griffin. The show is a quiz competition that reverses the traditional question-and-answer format of many quiz shows. Rather than being given questions, contestants are instead given gene ...

'' playing computer, for commercial use."

2012–2020: Leadership of IBM

On October 25, 2011, IBM announced that she was to be the company's next president and CEO, becoming the ninth chief executive in its history. Her role as IBM's first female chief received note in the press, with former CEO

Sam Palmisano Samuel J. "Sam" Palmisano (born July 29, 1951) is a former president and the eighth chief executive officer of IBM until January 2012. He also served as Chairman of the company until October 1, 2012. Palmisano was appointed president and chief ...

responding that her selection had "zero to do with progressive social policies". She became president and CEO on January 1, 2012, also taking on the additional role of IBM chairman on October 1, 2012 when Palmisano retired. With plans to take IBM out of unprofitable business lines and citing big data and analytics as IBM's "next big growth machine", in 2014 she brokered a partnership for

Apple An apple is an edible fruit produced by an apple tree (''Malus domestica''). Apple trees are cultivated worldwide and are the most widely grown species in the genus ''Malus''. The tree originated in Central Asia, where its wild ancestor, ' ...

to design applications for IBM's enterprise customers. Later that year she announced that IBM would partner with

SAP Sap is a fluid transported in xylem cells (vessel elements or tracheids) or phloem sieve tube elements of a plant. These cells transport water and nutrients throughout the plant. Sap is distinct from latex, resin, or cell sap; it is a separ ...

on cloud computing and with

Twitter Twitter is an online social media and social networking service owned and operated by American company Twitter, Inc., on which users post and interact with 280-character-long messages known as "tweets". Registered users can post, like, and ...

on data analytics, and in 2015 she also brokered a partnership with

Box A box (plural: boxes) is a container used for the storage or transportation of its contents. Most boxes have flat, parallel, rectangular sides. Boxes can be very small (like a matchbox) or very large (like a shipping box for furniture), and can ...

."IBM, Ginni Rometty sign yet another Silicon Valley partner"
''Business Journals'', Caroline McMillan Portillo, June 24, 2015 Rometty had IBM spend $8.5 billion acquiring around 30 companies between 2012 and 2015, and by 2016 she had overseen the divestment of about $7 billion in commoditized assets such as chip manufacturing. In May 2017, ''Austin Business'' reported that Rometty had successfully shifted IBM away from "shrinking businesses such as computers and operating system software, and into higher-growth areas like artificial intelligence.""IBM CEO Rometty Proposes 'Watson's Law': AI In Everything"
Adrian Bridgewater, ''Forbes'', March 20, 2018"IBM grants CEO Ginni Rometty a record bonus after share surge"
''Financial Review'', February 7, 2017 On June 28, 2017, she was awarded the

KPMG KPMG International Limited (or simply KPMG) is a multinational professional services network, and one of the Big Four accounting organizations. Headquartered in Amstelveen, Netherlands, although incorporated in London, England, KPMG is a net ...

Inspire Greatness Award."KPMG Honors Stem Pioneer Ginni Rometty for Inspiring Next Generation of Women Leaders"
Cision, June 28, 2017 In January 2018, she announced IBM's first quarter of year-over-year revenue increase since 2012, with particular growth in areas such as data, blockchain, and the cloud."IBM Ends 22-Quarter Streak of Falling Revenue"
Steve Lohr, ''The New York Times'', January 18, 2018 By 2018, she stated that around half of IBM's 9,043 patents in 2017 were in AI, cloud computing, cybersecurity, blockchain and quantum computing. On January 30, 2020, it was announced that Rometty would be stepping down as IBM's CEO to be replaced by Arvind Krishna. She remained executive chairman until December 31, 2020, when she was replaced by Arvind Krishna.

Boards and committees

A director at IBM since 2012, Rometty has also been involved in IBM organizations such as its Women in Technology Council, Women's Executive Council, and Women's Leadership Council. A former director at APQC, she also served on the board of directors of

AIG American International Group, Inc. (AIG) is an American multinational finance and insurance corporation with operations in more than 80 countries and jurisdictions. , AIG companies employed 49,600 people.https://www.aig.com/content/dam/aig/amer ...

from 2006 until 2009.IBM's Rometty Breaks Ground as Company's First Female Leader
Bloomberg BusinessWeek, October 26, 2011. She remains on the board of overseers and board of managers for the

Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSK or MSKCC) is a cancer treatment and research institution in the borough of Manhattan in New York City, founded in 1884 as the New York Cancer Hospital. MSKCC is one of 52 National Cancer Institute– ...

, and since 2013"Council Members - Ginni Rometty"
Latin America Conservation Council, 2018 she has been a council member at the Latin America Conservation Council. Rometty serves on the Council on Foreign Relations and is also on the board of trustees of her '' alma mater'' Northwestern University, where she was commencement speaker for the graduating class of 2015. She was a member of the White House's Business Advisory Panel for much of 2017, before the panel dissolved itself that August. In November 2017, she co-chaired WEF Davos. She also serves as the co-chair of the Aspen Institute’s Cyber Group, a member of the advisory board of

Tsinghua University School of Economics and Management Tsinghua University School of Economics and Management (abbreviation: Tsinghua SEM; Chinese: 清华大学经济管理学院, ''qīng huá dà xué jīng jì guǎn lǐ xué yuàn ''), is the business school of Tsinghua University in Beijing, China. ...

, and a member of the Singapore Economic Development Board International Advisory Council. In May 2020, she was elected to the board of

JPMorgan Chase JPMorgan Chase & Co. is an American multinational investment bank and financial services holding company headquartered in New York City and incorporated in Delaware. As of 2022, JPMorgan Chase is the largest bank in the United States, the ...

Industry reception

Rometty's tenure as IBM CEO has been marked by prestigious rankings, including by ''Bloomberg'', who named her among the 50 Most Influential People in the World in 2012. 50 Most Influential list of ''

Bloomberg Markets ''Bloomberg Markets'' is a magazine published six times a year by Bloomberg L.P. as part of Bloomberg News. Aimed at global financial professionals, ''Bloomberg Markets'' publishes articles on the people and issues related to global financial ma ...

'' magazine in September 2012 She was also named to the ''Time'' 100 list in 2012, and in 2014 Rometty was featured in the

PBS The Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) is an American public broadcaster and non-commercial, free-to-air television network based in Arlington, Virginia. PBS is a publicly funded nonprofit organization and the most prominent provider of educat ...

documentary ''The Boomer List''. Since 2005"Virginia M. Rometty Profile"
''Bloomberg'' she has been listed among '' Fortune's'' "50 Most Powerful Women in Business", ranking in the top 10 since 2010. After ranking No. 7 in 2011, she ranked No. 1 from 2012 until 2014, No. 3 in 2015, No. 4 in 2016, and No. 7 in 2017."Ginni Rometty - Most Powerful Women"
, ''Fortune'', 2017 She was named to ''

'' magazine's "World's 100 Most Powerful People" in 2014,''

'' magazine's "World's 100 Most Powerful People" in 2014. and she also ranked No. 11 on the 2016 ''Forbes'' list of

The World's 100 Most Powerful Women Since 2004, the American business magazine ''Forbes'' compiled an annual list of the 100 most powerful women in the world. It is edited by notable ''Forbes'' journalists, including Moira Forbes, and is based on visibility and economic impact. F ...

. The following year she ranked No. 10. She was named the sixth most important person in tech by ''

'' magazine in March 2018."The 20 Most Influential People in Tech Right Now"
''Time'', May 8, 2017 Rometty's tenure as CEO has met with criticism as well, and by 2016 she had been named among the worst CEOs by publications including the ''

Motley Fool The Motley Fool is a private financial and investing advice company based in Alexandria, Virginia. It was founded in July 1993 by co-chairmen and brothers David Gardner and Tom Gardner, and Erik Rydholm, who has since left the company. The compa ...

'', ''Forbes'', the ''

'', and ''24/7 Wallstreet''. She was criticized by investors for 22 consecutive quarters of revenue decline between 2012 and the summer of 2017,"IBM 's sales grew for the first time in 5 years"
Danielle Wiener-Bronner, CNN, January 18, 2018 and by IBM employees for accepting pay bonuses during times of layoffs
Anthony Noto, '' Austin Business Journal'', May 19, 2017 and offshoring. In May 2019, Rometty received the

Edison Achievement Award Edison Awards is an American company that runs an annual competition honoring excellence in innovation in a broad range of categories. Company The Edison Awards were established by the American Marketing Association in 1987 and has been an in ...

for her commitment to innovation throughout her career.

Personal life

Virginia Nicosia married Mark Anthony Rometty, a private-equity investor, in 1979."Ginni Rometty: Reinventing Big Blue"
''

Barron's Barron's or Barrons may refer to: *Barron's Educational Series, a publisher of books, as well as college entrance exam preparation classes and materials, now an imprint of Kaplan Test Prep ** B.E.S. Publishing, the former owner of Barron's * ''Barr ...

'', Leslie P. Norton, May 31, 2014 With no children, the couple divides their time between New York and Bonita Springs, Florida. She goes to Broadway shows and participates in scuba diving as a hobby. In 2014, Rometty became the third female member of the

Augusta National Golf Club Augusta National Golf Club, sometimes referred to as Augusta or the National, is a golf club in Augusta, Georgia, United States. Unlike most private clubs which operate as non-profits, Augusta National is a for-profit corporation, and it does n ...

, following the lead of Condoleezza Rice.

References

External links

"Ginni Rometty - Chairman, President, and CEO"
IBM {{DEFAULTSORT:Rometty, Ginni 20th-century American businesspeople 21st-century American businesspeople 21st-century women engineers Peterson Institute for International Economics 1957 births American chairpersons of corporations American chief executives of Fortune 500 companies American computer businesspeople American electrical engineers American technology chief executives American women chief executives American women engineers IBM employees IBM people Living people Robert R. McCormick School of Engineering and Applied Science alumni Technology corporate directors Women corporate directors 20th-century American businesswomen 21st-century American businesswomen IBM Women