Virginia Marie “Ginni” Rometty was born on July 29, 1957. She is an American business executive best known for serving as the chairman, president, and CEO of IBM — the first woman to ever lead the company. Before becoming CEO in January 2012, Rometty held several senior positions within IBM, including senior vice president and group executive for sales, marketing, and strategy. She began her career at IBM in 1981 as a systems engineer working in the Detroit office.
Rometty graduated with high honors in 1979 from the Robert R. McCormick School of Engineering and Applied Science at Northwestern University. She earned a bachelor’s degree in computer science and electrical engineering. During her time at Northwestern, she was a member of the Kappa Kappa Gamma sorority, eventually serving as its president.
Her professional trajectory at IBM is often cited as a case study in steady, merit-based leadership. Over the years, Rometty rose through the ranks by demonstrating strong strategic insight and a talent for leading large-scale organizational transformations. Her work included playing a central role in IBM’s acquisition of PricewaterhouseCoopers Consulting in 2002, a move that helped redefine IBM’s services arm.
On October 25, 2011, IBM officially announced that Rometty would become the company’s next CEO and president, succeeding Sam Palmisano, who remained as chairman at that time. With this appointment, Rometty became the first female CEO in the company’s century-long history. Commenting on her selection, Palmisano emphasized that her promotion was based on merit, stating, “Ginni got it because she deserved it… It’s got zero to do with progressive social policies.”
On September 26, 2012, IBM announced that Rometty would also take on the role of chairman, as Palmisano prepared to retire by the end of the year. Rometty officially assumed the role of chairman and CEO on October 1, 2012. Under her leadership, IBM pivoted its focus toward cloud computing, artificial intelligence, and cognitive systems, with major initiatives involving IBM Watson and hybrid cloud services becoming core components of the company’s long-term strategy.
One of the most defining aspects of Rometty’s tenure was her emphasis on “strategic imperatives,” a term used within IBM to describe high-growth areas such as analytics, cloud computing, security, and mobile technology. These efforts were part of her vision to reinvent IBM’s business model in the face of declining hardware revenues and increased competition from more agile tech companies.
On March 17, 2017, Rometty was among the U.S. business leaders who participated in a symposium at the White House during German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s official visit to Washington, D.C. At that time, she was also serving on President Donald Trump’s business advisory council, a group composed of influential CEOs across industries.
Rometty has received widespread recognition for her leadership. She has regularly been listed among the world’s most powerful women by Forbes, Fortune, and Bloomberg. Her leadership style has been described as decisive, visionary, and intellectually rigorous.
Ginni Rometty is married to Mark Anthony Rometty, a principal investor at the oil company Bam. The couple resides in the United States and does not have children.