Sam Palmisano served as Chairman & CEO of IBM for a verified duration of 9 years 10 months (3,593 days), from Mar 1, 2002 until Jan 1, 2012. During this tenure, Sam Palmisano guided IBM across major corporate milestones before retiring from the chief executive role.
Executive Succession & Corporate Facts
- Predecessor
- Lou Gerstner (Chairman & CEO)
- Successor
- Ginni Rometty (President & CEO)
- Database Tenure Rank
- #43 Longest-Serving CEO in Database (View Full Rankings →)
- Company Founded
- Jun 16, 1911 (Armonk, New York)
- Known Aliases
- Samuel J. Palmisano
Tenure Milestones & Transition Timeline
Samuel J. Palmisano Takes Office as Chief Executive Officer of IBM
Palmisano succeeded Lou Gerstner as CEO, emphasizing global integration, software middleware, and divestment of commodity hardware.
IBM Sells ThinkPad Personal Computer Business to Lenovo for $1.75 Billion
In a historic move, Palmisano divested IBM's iconic PC division to Chinese computer maker Lenovo, exiting low-margin hardware manufacturing.
IBM Supercomputer Watson Defeats Human Champions on Jeopardy!
Under Palmisano, IBM researchers showcased Watson's natural language processing, defeating legendary Jeopardy! champions Ken Jennings and Brad Rutter.
Palmisano Announces Retirement as IBM CEO; Ginni Rometty Elected Successor
IBM announced Palmisano would step down on January 1, 2012, with sales head Ginni Rometty elected as the first female CEO in IBM history.
Sam Palmisano Concludes 10-Year CEO Tenure at IBM
Palmisano stepped down as CEO on January 1, 2012, having achieved IBM's long-term EPS Roadmap targets and record earnings per share.
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