Meet Virginia 'Ginni' Rometty

Rometty, 54, joined IBM in 1981 as a systems engineer and currently serves as the company's senior vice president and group executive for sales, marketing and strategy, overseeing sales in IBM's 170 global markets that brought in just shy of $100 billion for the company last year. Prior to that, she served as senior vice president of IBM Global Business Services, where "she led the successful integration of PricewaterhouseCoopers Consulting-the largest acquisition in professional services history, building a global team of more than 100,000 business consultants and services experts," says IBM.

Palmisano said of his replacement, "Ginni's long-term strategic thinking and client focus are seen in our growth initiatives, from cloud computing and analytics to the commercialization of Watson. She brings to the role of CEO a in a class by itself combination of vision, client focus, unrelenting drive, and passion for IBMers and the company's future."

IBM sold off its personal computer business to Lenovo in 2005, and has focused on enterprise hardware, software, infrastructure and consulting services for much of the past decade. In accordance with Palmisano's watch, IBM has expanded into emerging markets just as China, India and Brazil during getting out of relatively low-margin businesses just as PCs, printers, and hard drives. Rometty commented, "There is no greater privilege in business than to be asked to lead IBM, especially at this moment. Sam had the courage to transform the company based on his belief that computing research, our industry, even world economies would shift in historic ways. All of that has come to pass."

Ben Bajarin, director of consumer research analysis and innovation at Creative Strategies, Inc., told Techland that during Rometty's role as a female CEO is important as far as the innovation sector is concerned, her experience will prove far more important when it comes to running IBM.

"Overall, what's cool about Ginni Rometty's appointment is that everyone who's worked with her knows that she is super qualified. She's been at the front edge of IBM's so then-differentiated 'Smarter Planet' strategy for nearly two decades-the idea that research can be used to transform the global economy, industries and society. She helped develop the strategy in IBM Global Services, and she's had a lot of success selling the strategy to customers during running IBM's global sales," said Gens. "So she's a very logical choice to step into the CEO chair and continue what's proved to be a very strong strategy-one that's undoubtedly got her fingerprints all over it."

Side note along the gender discussion

"Just a side note along the gender discussion," added Gens, "Some people think of Ginni in a 'business manager' context, with her long experience as the General Manager of  IBM's services business and sales organization. However she's to tell the truth a 'techie' as then, with a computer science degree, and experience as a systems engineer. She's a great model for young women who have interests in science and innovation-and beyond."