IBM's 1st female CEO seen as excellent fit

She said Rometty was a key player in the company’s shift from hardware to "cloud" computing services in accordance with Palmisano, and was behind IBM’s $3.5 billion acquisition of PricewaterhouseCoopers Consulting.

Background in engineering

"She has a background in engineering, but she’s worked on the business side and been concerned with clients," Kanter said. "That’s a tremendous combination."

Toni Wolfman, executive-in-residence at Bentley University’s Center for Women and Business, said large research companies often lead the way on hiring women to executive positions, citing Xerox CEO Ursula Burns and recently appointed Hewlett-Packard CEO Meg Whitman.