GINNI ROMETTY BY: Ayesha Majid Komal Khan Yaleeh Zara

INTRODUCTIONVirginia Marie "Ginni" Rometty born on July 29, 1957

is an American business executive. She is the current Chairwoman, President and CEO of IBM, and the first woman to head the company.Prior to becoming president and CEO in January 2012, she held the positions of Senior Vice President and Group Executive for Sales, Marketing, and Strategy at IBM. She joined IBM as a systems engineer in its Detroit office in 1981.Rometty graduated from the Robert R. McCormick School of Engineering and Applied Science at Northwestern University in 1979 with high honors, receiving a bachelor's degree in computer science and electrical engineering3

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http://www.centerforworklife.com/leadership-qualities-ginni-rometty/

CONT’DShe honed that into the reputation she still has as one of the most client-centric leaders in the IT industry. She spends many hours on the world meeting world wide with clients.She moved through multiple areas of the company, growing in leadership with each one. In 1991 she was in the consulting group, in 2002, as a Senior Vice President she championed acquiring Price Water House Coopers consulting.In 2006 she was awarded the Sloane Award, given by the Association of Management Consulting Firms for developing global delivery centers in China and India.She became senior VP of marketing and sales in 2009 getting the company into cloud computing

CONT’DHer name featured in Fortune magazine's "50 Most Powerful Women in Business" for 10 consecutive years; and in the number one position for the years 2012, 2013 and 2014.Her husband Mark is a principal investor in Bam Oil and is treasurer and secretary, and they both enjoy a healthy relationship. She is the first woman CEO to be named at IBMShe was awarded Sloane Award[2006],by the Association of Management Consulting FirmsRometty is serving on the Board of Trustees of her alma mater Northwestern University, And on the Board of Overseers of Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer CenterShe is on the board of The Deming Cup’s committee at Columbia Business School, known for operational excellence and had also served on the Board of Directors of AIG[06-09]

FACT FILE

1. She was raised by a single mom outside Chicago. Along with her three siblings.

2. She started at IBM in 1981 as a systems engineer. And has been there ever since, working in sales and management positions.

3. Her first big, influential role at IBM was overseeing the integration (and $3.5 billion purchase) of consulting firm PricewaterhouseCoopers Consulting. And she rocked it. Former IBM CEO Samuel J. Palmisano told The New York Times, “She did the deal, and she made it work.”

4. She was a Kappa Kappa Gamma sorority sister at Northwestern University. And became sorority president by her senior year.

5. She went to college on a scholarship from General Motors. She interned with GM while she was a junior and senior. Ginni eventually worked for the company for two years after graduating.

6. She doesn’t drink coffee. Ginni is a tea lady.

7. Her husband, Mark Anthony Rometty, has always been an equal partner in their marriage. Ginni has said of their partnership, "He has always done his fair share of everything.”

8. She is only the third woman in history to be offered a membership to the ultimate boys’ club: Augusta National. The other two members are former U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Darla Moore, partner of the private investment firm Rainwater, Inc.

9. Her signature look is a meticulously placed headband. She makes it work.

10. In 2015, it was reported that she will receive a salary of $1.6 million. And $3.6 million in bonuses.

She is truly an inspiration for many, especially in today’s era when globally women empowerment is being talked about, and her brief implicitly gives us a message that we should never stop dreaming, dreams do come true, and one always has to start from bottom, but by working with passion and doing ordinary work in extra-ordinary way, one always finds the way. She loves to wear pearls4

PERSONALITYRometty is a dedicated person, with a pleasant zeal to learn & perform, her desires to perform better and better and to do something extra are known in IBM since she joined as a System Engineer. Her intelligence is on the same level of her subordinates and is higherThis allows easy communication and increases her ability to portray her ideas on others.  Another trait Rometty exhibits is sociability.  When faced with the tough task of convincing a newly acquired consulting firm, Rometty’s personality and ability to seek out a pleasant relationship sealed the deal. George F. Colony, a chairman of research said, “Ginni Rometty combines performance and charisma.  She orchestrated a massive charm campaign to bring the PricewaterhouseCoopers people into the fold. That was the trial by fire for her.”  

CONT’D The last trait that Ms. Rometty exhibits is determination.   Throughout her years at I.B.M., Rometty has led many questioned changes in the way I.B.M. functions and markets itself. 

 An example was the coordinating of workers from a newly acquired consulting firm.  Many thought that the consultants, who preferred to operate independently, would leave the consulting firm rather than work under I.B.M.  

Rometty worked tirelessly and effectively to win over the consultants. 

Another obstacle Rometty has worked through has been the criticism of her hiring.  Many have questioned I.B.M.’s hiring of her as a socially progressive policy.

  Rometty has ignored these statements and remains focused toward her responsibilities.  

In my opinion, it is clear to see that regardless of her critics, Rometty has successfully lead change in her company.

WRITER’S REMARKS Unlike other female tech CEO's making headlines lately, Rometty is a much more low-key choice. HP's recent hire, Meg Whitman and former Yahoo leader Carol Bartz have both recently gotten attention just for being women CEO's. But unlike Rometty, no matter how competent (or really, spectacular) these women performed, other characteristics distracted critics. Many found Bartz too bitchy, even though she wasn't actually that bad at her job. And Whitman drew criticism for her arrogance and celebrity. "Her style is so arrogant it gags," Charles House, a longtime H.P. engineer who is chancellor of Cogswell Polytechnical College in Silicon Valley told The New York Times's David Streitfeld when Whitman rumors popped up.

She's a low profile person, as Lohr explains. "Ms. Rometty, 54, is well known within the technology industry, but not widely beyond," he explains. Nobody can speculate she got hired because of an aggressive demeanor, like Bartz, or because of her celebrity, like Whitman. Both of these women, as The Atlantic's Alexis Madrigal pointed out, weren't actually horrible at their jobs. But, the out of the box personalities and career moves drew criticism, which is unfortunate not just for these specific women, but for women in leadership roles. 

OBJECTIVESTransforming IBM into a viable model for the digital age. She has led spending programs for cloud computing etc. 1

Rometty predicts huge earnings in cognitive computing. The company values her vision pocketed a $4.5 million bonus for 2015.1

Shrinking the company "by design." She's been selling off low-margin or money-losing operations like its commodity Intel server business. 2

Refreshing her enormous, aging workforce. IBM has been laying off thousands of workers a year in those shrinking areas while hiring thousand in growth areas.2

1 http://www.forbes.com/profile/ginni-rometty/2 www.businessinsider.com/ibm-ceo-response-to-her-critics-2016-6

 

LEADERSHIP

 Challenge combines strategy, culture and communication. AsThey shifted resources, investment and talent.Her aim is that they keep moving with speed.Aligns the workforce by carving long-term strategic beliefs around which employees can jointly focus. She Knows That Actions Speak Louder Than Words. She doesn’t have to say her beliefs, she has to live them. One of the ways her actions have spoken louder than her words is when she declined her performance bonus from IBM. 3

3 http://www.centerforworklife.com/leadership-qualities-ginni-rometty/

LEADERSHIPIBM started Think Academy, an ambitious online education program.The early courses have focused on IBM’s growth initiatives including big data and cloud computing, There is a card of credit card-size, blue on one side with the IBM logo and a tag line, “Be essential.”The other side lists three “values” and nine “principles.” The values include “dedication to every client’s success,” “innovation that matters” and “trust and personal responsibility.” The principles are admonitions like “restlessly reinvent — our company and ourselves” and “unite to get it done now

CHARISMATIC LEADERVision and Articulation:  To dominate the next high-profit areas of computing. 1

Personal Risk: Invested her bonus in the company.2

Sensitivity to follower needs: “She’s extraordinarily confident and very warm at the same time,” says Ann Winblad, managing director of venture capital firm Hummer Winblad Venture Partners. “That’s very rare.”3

Unconventional Behaviour: Recalls Kelly, the head of IBM Research. “She was sending a signal to everybody in the room that you’re part of my team, and, you know, you’re all good at certain things.”4

1HTTP://WWW.BUSINESSINSIDER.COM/IBM-CEO-GINNI-ROMETTY-DOES-HAVE-A-VISION-2014-10 2 HTTP://

WWW.LATIMES.COM/BUSINESS/HILTZIK/LA-FI-MH-IBM-S-CEO-WRITES-A-NEW-CHAPTER-20160129-COLUMN.HTML

3,4,5,6,8,9HTTP://FORTUNE.COM/2014/09/18/GINNI-ROMETTY-IBM/

VARIOUS PERCEPTIONS“She has this unique ability to make you comfortable in the change while still being uncomfortable,” says John Kelly, senior vice president of IBM Research. “It’s really hard to describe.”6

“This is the time for Rometty to prove wrong the thesis that large enterprises have no chance of surviving through innovation.”—Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, senior associate dean, Yale School of Management.8

“About a year before the transition [from former CEO Palmisano], they brought Ginni out center stage,” says Winblad. “It was very clear she was emerging as the new leader of IBM, and it was interesting for me to witness the handoff and watch her just step forward.”

3,4,5,6,8http://fortune.com/2014/09/18/ginni-rometty-ibm

TRANSFORMING IBMIBM announced an agreement with huge Chinese internet provider Tencent to build a new cloud for Chinese businesses7

IBM also signed a huge partnership deal with Twitter Launched a new cloud service called Bluemix, which lets developers write and host apps in the cloud. This competes with services from Microsoft, Google, Salesforce.com, and includes access to WatsonExpanded its partnership with SAP where SAP will offer its software via IBM's cloudinternationally, a major win over competitor Amazon.Spending $3 billion to invent new kinds of microchips, possibly ones that don't use silicon.

7HTTP://WWW.BUSINESSINSIDER.COM/IBM-CEO-GINNI-ROMETTY-DOES-HAVE-A-VISION-2014-10

REASON WHY GINNI ROMETTY WILL FAIL

In 2011, IBM had $106.92 billion in revenue and $15.86 billion in net income. It finished 2015 with $81.74 billion in revenue and $13.36 billion in net income.9IBM Forgot Who They Were.  The “M” in IBM is for Machines. Now they are famous for providing services.10

Ginni needs to find a new vision instead of focusing on high margin services.IBM has too many layers of management hence its executives are out of touch.IBM’s Sales Culture is Poison.IBM’s Offshore Model will kill its Services Business.“They created a model which the street loved until it hated,” Says a Wallstreet Journalist.

10HTTP://WWW.NETNETWEB.COM/BLOG/TOP-10-REASONS-WHY-GINNI-ROMETTY-WILL-FAIL-IBM%E2%80%99S-NEW-CEO

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