The Bold Moves of Ginni Rometty

There are many intelligent people out there, what separate leaders and shakers is they are willing to take the risks and execute plans which they believe will make their company better.  This has been the trait that defines Ginni Rometty.  It helped her become the CEO of IBM in January 2012. What cannot escape notice is that she is also the first female head of this venerable institution. As the former CEO and current chairman Samuel J. Palmasino noted it had nothing to with her being a woman.

Ms. Rometty pushed for the purchase of behemoth consulting firm PricewaterhouseCoopers in 2002 which cost $3.5 billion. There were widespread concerns that the two companies did not culturally fit. The more independent style of PricewaterhouseCoopers was so different from the more regimented approach of IBM. The fear was that the consultants would eventually go away in droves and just leave the shell of a company.

Ms. Rometty proved these fears wrong by working closely with the consultants and having them come on board. This was a defining moment in her career. Yet this was not her only achievement.  For over a decade she has been at the helm of the giant services business of IBM and has been an influence in its development.  This business has played an integral role in IBM’s offering services and solutions and not only products in terms of hardware and software.

Prior to her position as CEO, Ms. Rometty headed IBM Sales, Marketing and Strategy.  As the overall sales leader she was responsible for the more than 170 international markets that IBM operates in. In 2010 performance was in excess of $99 billion.  She created IBM’s Growth Markets organization that is expected to provide around 30% of the company’s revenue by 2015.

Ms. Rometty graduated with a B.S. degree in computer science and electrical engineering from Northwestern University with high honors.  She has been in Fortune magazine’s “50 Most Powerful Women in Business” list for the past 7 years.

Those who have great ideas and are willing to take the risk often wind up on top.