Arvind Krishna Succeeds Ginni Rometty as IBM CEO, Indian IT Honchos Hail the New Development

US tech giant IBM has just announced that the company’s board of directors has elected Arvind Krishna as the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the company and a member of the Board of Directors, effective 6 April 2020. The decision has been made after current CEO Ginni Rometty decided to step down.

Virginia Rometty, IBM Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer, will continue as Executive Chairman of the Board and serve through the end of the year, when she will retire after almost 40 years with the company. Virginia Rometty, 62, became Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer of IBM in 2012.

"Arvind is the right CEO for the next era at IBM," said Rometty. "He is a brilliant technologist who has played a significant role in developing our key technologies such as artificial intelligence, cloud, quantum computing and blockchain. He is also a superb operational leader, able to win today while building the business of tomorrow.  Arvind has grown IBM's Cloud and Cognitive Software business and led the largest acquisition in the company's history. Through his multiple experiences running businesses in IBM, Arvind has built an outstanding track record of bold transformations and proven business results, and is an authentic, values-driven leader.  He is well-positioned to lead IBM and its clients into the cloud and cognitive era."

Krishna, 57, is currently IBM Senior Vice President for Cloud and Cognitive Software, where he leads the IBM business unit that provides the cloud and data platform on which IBM's clients build the future. “"I am thrilled and humbled to be elected as the next Chief Executive Officer of IBM, and appreciate the confidence that Ginni and the Board have placed in me," said Krishna.

"IBM has such talented people and technology that we can bring together to help our clients solve their toughest problems.  I am looking forward to working with IBMers, Red Hatters and clients around the world at this unique time of fast-paced change in the IT industry.  We have great opportunities ahead to help our clients advance the transformation of their business while also remaining the global leader in the trusted stewardship of technology.  Jim will be a great partner in the next step of this journey,” he added.

The latest development has also brought in a lot of appreciation from several Indian IT honchos. “What a stunning endorsement of the managerial capabilities of Indian-origin managers. Satya, Sundar, Shantanu & Arvind running four US tech giants. This places a responsibility on Indian managers to demonstrate that they can take Indian companies to the top as well,” tweeted Anand Mahindra, Chairman Mahindra Group. On a lighter note, he added that the next time the White House organizes a conclave of Tech Industry titans, they’ll have to ensure the snacks are Samosas and not Hamburgers.

CP Gurnani, MD and CEO of Tech Mahindra too expressed his joy about this move. “Arvind taught me two mantras and gave a new acronym to M&M - Migration & Modernisation. Thank you Arvind. Today, you made every Indian's heart swell with pride,” he tweeted.

Furthermore, Amitabh Kant, CEO of Niti Aayog also tweeted his congratulations. “Delighted to see a brilliant Indian taking over as CEO of IBM. Arvind Krishna is a visionary, a leader who has led IBM’s newer technologies like artificial intelligence, cloud and quantum computing,” he said.

Krishna, who joined IBM in 1990, as an undergraduate degree from the Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur, and a PhD. in electrical engineering from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.