The work behind the perspective

Ginni Rometty

IBM's First Female CEO, Architect of Tech Transformation

  • Corporate transformation
  • Technology strategy
  • Large-scale M&A and integration
  • Talent and workforce development
  • Corporate governance and stakeholder leadership
Explore

About Ginni Rometty

Ginni Rometty - Biography

Virginia 'Ginni' Rometty is an American business executive who served as IBM's chairman, president, and CEO from 2012 to 2020, becoming the first woman to lead the company. She drove IBM's shift to cloud, AI, and quantum technologies.

Ginni Rometty was born in Chicago in 1957 and began her career at IBM in 1981 as a systems engineer. She advanced into management, excelling in sales and strategy, and led IBM's $3.5 billion acquisition of PricewaterhouseCoopers Consulting in 2002. By 2009, she was senior vice president for sales, marketing, and strategy, spearheading IBM's growth in cloud computing and AI. In 2012, she became IBM's first female CEO and chairman, transforming the company by divesting low-profit hardware lines and acquiring 65 companies, including Red Hat. She championed workforce initiatives like New Collar jobs and P-TECH schools. After retiring in 2020, she focused on leadership speaking and advocacy for ethical tech.

Learn from Ginni when you're...

  • Leading a large corporate transformation
  • Designing and executing a technology strategy
  • Planning and integrating major acquisitions
  • Building workforce development programs
  • Implementing diversity and inclusion programs
Mentor framework guide

What can you ask about Ginni Rometty's work?

In Get Mentors, you pick 3 to 5 people for your board from about 195 and ask them a question together. Each card is an AI summary of what that person has said in public, with the source.

Best for these goals

  • ✓Corporate Transformation
  • ✓Technology Strategy
  • ✓Large Scale M&A And Integration
  • ✓Talent And Workforce Development

Core frameworks

  • •Be in service of others before yourself — lead by elevating others’ needs first.
  • •Build belief by appealing to both hearts and minds — make change emotionally compelling and intellectually credible.
  • •Ask not only what must change, but what must endure — preserve core identity while transforming.
  • •Corporate Transformation

Sample questions

  • “Which Ginni framework applies to my current goal?”
  • “What would Ginni's published work suggest I consider?”
  • “How does this Ginni idea apply to my situation?”
  • “What blind spot would this mentor framework help me notice?”

Ask about Ginni's published frameworks, pressure-test a decision, or put the question to your board and see where it agrees and splits.

Ask the people you admire

Pick 3 to 5 people from about 195 and see what each has said about your question, with sources. Your first 5 questions are free.

Ask your board