Ginni Rometty Net Worth, Current Position, Holdings, Family & More
Virginia Marie, popular as Ginni Rometty is a successful business executive and entrepreneur. She became famous as the first female CEO of IBM, where she spent more than 40 years.
Her tenure as IBM CEO was filled with ups and downs, having faced with harsh criticism regarding executive pay bonuses, layoffs, outsourcing, and overseeing 24 consecutive quarters of revenue drop.
Despite lows and highs, Ginni Rometty’s career journey has been awe-inspiring for youngsters. Let us discover some interesting facts about Ginni Rometty, and her personal and professional life, including her net worth, salary, current position, holdings, etc.
Fast Facts About Ginni Rometty
| Full Name | Virginia Marie Nicosia |
| Current Position | Co-chairperson of OneTen, Ex-CEO of IBM |
| Birth Date | July 29, 1957 |
| Birth Place | Chicago, United States |
| Education | North Carolina State University |
| Husband | Mark Anthony Rometty |
| Children | No Kids |
| Estimated Net Worth | $30.3 Million |
Early Life and Education
Virginia Marie Nicosia (Ginni Rometty’s birth name) was born on July 29, 1957, in Chicago, Illinois. She grew up in an Italian-American family near Chicago and was the oldest of four siblings.
Her father abandoned the family when she was fifteen years old, and her mother worked multiple jobs to support the family.
She got a scholarship from General Motors to study at Northwestern University in Illinois in 1975, where she also did an internship between her third and fourth years.
She earned a bachelor’s degree in computer science and electrical engineering from the Robert R. McCormick School of Engineering and Applied Science at Northwestern University in 1979 with high honors.
She was awarded honorary doctorates from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (2014) and Northwestern University (2015). She also got an honorary degree from North Carolina State University.
Ginni Rometty Career Journey & Current Position
Ginni Rometty’s career journey with IBM will continue to be a source of inspiration for generations to come. Starting as a system engineer and becoming the CEO of the world’s best IT company is no less than a milestone. Let’s take a look at the career journey of Ginni Rometty so far.
Joining IBM
Ginni Rometty started working at IBM in 1981 as a systems engineer, helping customers with their technology issues. She took on different roles in the company over time, such as sales, marketing, and strategic planning. She showed great skills and leadership qualities that helped her climb up the ladder at IBM.
Senior Vice President of IBM Global Business Services
Rometty became the Senior Vice President of IBM Global Business Services in 2002, where she handled the integration of PricewaterhouseCoopers Consulting after IBM bought the company. This deal made it one of the biggest consulting firms in the world, and Rometty’s effective leadership of the integration process proved her abilities as a competent and talented leader.
IBM’s First Female CEO
Ginni Rometty replaced Samuel J. Palmisano as IBM CEO and president in October 2011, becoming the first female leader of the tech giant in its century-long history. Rometty took over the role on January 1, 2012, and later that year, she also took the position of the company’s Chairman.
Transformation and Strategic Imperatives
During Rometty’s tenure as IBM CEO, the company went through a major change. She moved IBM’s attention from its old hardware and software products to new technologies like cloud computing, artificial intelligence (with the creation of IBM Watson), and cybersecurity. These fields, which Rometty called “strategic imperatives,” were the main sources of IBM’s progress and innovation during her time as CEO.
Red Hat Acquisition
Under Rometty’s leadership, IBM announced the acquisition of Red Hat, a company that makes open-source software, for $34 billion in 2018. This was the biggest deal ever made by IBM and showed a major plan to improve the company’s place in the fast-growing cloud computing market.
Retirement
Rometty announced to step down from her position as CEO in January 2020, starting from April 2020. She handed over the role to Arvind Krishna, the company’s Senior Vice President of Cloud and Cognitive Software. Rometty remained as IBM’s Executive Chairman until she retired at the end of 2020.
Ginni Rometty’s Current Position
Rometty stepped down from IBM in 2020 and now holds positions on various boards. She is also a co-chairperson of OneTen, an initiative that aims to train, employ, and advance one million Black people by 2030 in jobs and careers that offer a decent living.
Awards, Recognitions, and Honors
During and after her tenure as the CEO of IBM, Ginni Rometty has been felicitated with several top industry awards that include
- 50 Most Influential People in the World in 2012.
- Fortune’s “50 Most Powerful Women in Business”
- Forbes magazine’s “World’s 100 Most Powerful People” in 2014
- Forbes list of The World’s 100 Most Powerful Women in 2016.
- Edison Achievement Award in 2019.
Ginni Rometty Family and Personal Details
Talking about her personal life, Ginni Rometty married Mark Anthony Rometty in 1979. Ginni Rometty’s husband works as a private equity investor. They have no kids. The couple lives in their houses in New York and Bonita Springs, Florida. She enjoys watching Broadway shows and scuba diving in her spare time. She joined the Augusta National Golf Club as the third woman in 2014, following Condoleezza Rice’s lead.
Ginni Rometty’s Salary and Earnings
During her tenure with IBM, Ginni Rometty was one of the highest-paid CEOs among the tech sector and the S&P 500 firms, even though the company did not do well during her tenure.
The salary of Ginni Rometty was around $33 million annually as the head of IBM, and she also had high-ranking roles in the past years that probably increased her wealth.
Ginni Rometty’s Net Worth in 2024
Virginia M Rometty has an estimated net worth of $30.3 Million as of 2024. She has more than 30,574 units of IBM stock valued at over $4,465,529 and she sold IBM stock worth over $5,682,387 in the past 13 years. Moreover, she earns $20,160,900 as the Executive Chairman of the Board at International Business Machines.
Current Holdings of Ginni Rometty
| Name | Equities | Holding Percentage | Valuation |
| JPMorgan Chase & Co. (JPM) (Banks) | 9,136 | 0.0003% | $1,324,903 |
Ginni Rometty’s Social Media Handles
Besides being a successful business executive, Ginni Rometty is also a social media influencer and loves to connect with her followers. She often shares success mantras with her fans around the world. Here’s a complete detail of the social media handles of Ginni Rometty:
| @GinniRometty | |
| @GinniRometty | |
| @ginnirometty |
Interesting Facts About Ginni Rometty
- Ginni Rometty was the first in her family to attend a university.
- She obtained an engineering degree from Northwestern.
- Ginni Rometty is the first woman to lead IBM as CEO.
- Rometty is said to be a theatre enthusiast, especially on Broadway.
- Her hobbies are scuba diving and golf.
- Ginni Rometty’s book “Good Power: Leading Positive Change in Our Lives, Work, and World” is among the best-selling in the US.
- In 2016, Ginni Rometty sent a letter to Donald Trump, who was then the president-elect.
FAQs
Who was the First Woman CEO of IBM?
The first woman CEO of IBM was Ginni Rometty, who served from 2012 to 2020. She was also the first woman to head the company.
Who is the Retired CEO of IBM?
The retired CEO of IBM is Ginni Rometty, who stepped down as CEO on April 1, 2020, and as executive chairman on December 31, 2020. She had a nearly-year career at IBM.
What is Ginni Rometty Doing Now?
Ginni Rometty is currently co-chairing OneTen. She also joined the board of JPMorgan Chase & Co. in May 2020.
How much is the CEO of IBM Worth?
The CEO of IBM is Arvind Krishna, who took over from Ginni Rometty in April 2020. He has an estimated net worth of at least $41.9 million dollars as of 2024.
