Samuel J. Palmisano
Encyclopedia
Samuel J. Palmisano was president
and chief executive officer
of IBM
, which as of 2009 was the largest IT
company in the world and 45th largest company overall. He was elected chairman in October 2002, effective January 1, 2003, and has served as CEO since March 2002. Before he became CEO, Palmisano was president and chief operating officer
since 2000. Mr. Palmisano announced that he is stepping aside as CEO on October 25th, 2011. Ginni Rometty has been elected as the new CEO and President. Mr. Palmisano will continue to stay on after January 1st, 2012 as Chairman. http://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/26/technology/ibm-names-a-new-chief.html?hp
family in Baltimore, Maryland. His father owned a body shop
.
As an offensive lineman at Calvert Hall College High School
in Baltimore, Maryland he prepared earnestly, studying pregame scouting reports and seldom missed a blocking assignment. He was also a union musician
, and once played backup saxophone
for The Temptations
.
He holds a bachelor's degree
in history from Johns Hopkins University
where he was member of Beta Theta Pi
. He did well in football
(center
, offensive tackle, team co-captain
) there, and turned down an opportunity to try out with the Oakland Raiders
.
He met his wife, Gaier Notman, a 1969 alumna of Miss Porter's School
, at an IBM training school.
in 1998, during the period when IBM shifted its focus from pure technology to embrace outsourcing
and other services. He became senior vice president and group executive of Enterprise Systems in 1999 when the systems group drove IBM's move to adopt the Linux
operating system
.
Before leading IBM Global Services, Palmisano led the IBM strategic outsourcing business and before that he was president of an IBM subsidiary—Integrated Systems Solutions Corporation—which ultimately became IBM Global Services. As CEO of IBM, Palmisano has shifted many development and support positions to emerging markets.
He was elected to the board of ExxonMobil
in 2006. He is also the Honorary Chairman of National Engineers Week
2008.
In November 2008, Palmisano, during a speech at the Council on Foreign Relations
, outlined IBM's Smarter Planet
initiative.
While CEO of IBM in 2009, Samuel J. Palmisano earned a total compensation of $21,159,289, which included a base salary of $1,800,000, a cash bonus of $4,750,000, stocks granted of $13,517,401, no options, and other compensation of $1,091,888.
In 2010 Samuel J. Palmisano was awarded The Deming Cup
, an excellence award presented by the W. Edwards Deming Center for Quality, Productivity, and Competitiveness at Columbia Business School
, for his ability to drive IBM to new levels of operational excellence and for his role in creating and leading IBM's Global Services business unit.
Mr. Palmisano announced that he is stepping aside as CEO on October 25th, 2011. Ginni Rometty has been elected as the new CEO and President. Mr. Palmisano will continue to stay on after January 1st, 2012 as Chairman. http://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/26/technology/ibm-names-a-new-chief.html?hp
President
A president is a leader of an organization, company, trade union, university, or country.Etymologically, a president is one who presides, who sits in leadership...
and chief executive officer
Chief executive officer
A chief executive officer , managing director , Executive Director for non-profit organizations, or chief executive is the highest-ranking corporate officer or administrator in charge of total management of an organization...
of IBM
IBM
International Business Machines Corporation or IBM is an American multinational technology and consulting corporation headquartered in Armonk, New York, United States. IBM manufactures and sells computer hardware and software, and it offers infrastructure, hosting and consulting services in areas...
, which as of 2009 was the largest IT
Information technology
Information technology is the acquisition, processing, storage and dissemination of vocal, pictorial, textual and numerical information by a microelectronics-based combination of computing and telecommunications...
company in the world and 45th largest company overall. He was elected chairman in October 2002, effective January 1, 2003, and has served as CEO since March 2002. Before he became CEO, Palmisano was president and chief operating officer
Chief operating officer
A Chief Operating Officer or Director of Operations can be one of the highest-ranking executives in an organization and comprises part of the "C-Suite"...
since 2000. Mr. Palmisano announced that he is stepping aside as CEO on October 25th, 2011. Ginni Rometty has been elected as the new CEO and President. Mr. Palmisano will continue to stay on after January 1st, 2012 as Chairman. http://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/26/technology/ibm-names-a-new-chief.html?hp
Education and personal life
Palmisano grew up in a large Catholic middle classMiddle class
The middle class is any class of people in the middle of a societal hierarchy. In Weberian socio-economic terms, the middle class is the broad group of people in contemporary society who fall socio-economically between the working class and upper class....
family in Baltimore, Maryland. His father owned a body shop
Automobile repair shop
An automobile repair shop is a place where automobiles are repaired by auto mechanics and electricians.- Types :The automotive garage can be divided in so many category....
.
As an offensive lineman at Calvert Hall College High School
Calvert Hall College High School
Calvert Hall College High School is a Catholic college preparatory high school for boys located in Towson, Maryland, United States...
in Baltimore, Maryland he prepared earnestly, studying pregame scouting reports and seldom missed a blocking assignment. He was also a union musician
American Federation of Musicians
The American Federation of Musicians of the United States and Canada is a labor union of professional musicians in the United States and Canada...
, and once played backup saxophone
Saxophone
The saxophone is a conical-bore transposing musical instrument that is a member of the woodwind family. Saxophones are usually made of brass and played with a single-reed mouthpiece similar to that of the clarinet. The saxophone was invented by the Belgian instrument maker Adolphe Sax in 1846...
for The Temptations
The Temptations
The Temptations is an American vocal group having achieved fame as one of the most successful acts to record for Motown Records. The group's repertoire has included, at various times during its five-decade career, R&B, doo-wop, funk, disco, soul, and adult contemporary music.Formed in Detroit,...
.
He holds a bachelor's degree
Bachelor's degree
A bachelor's degree is usually an academic degree awarded for an undergraduate course or major that generally lasts for three or four years, but can range anywhere from two to six years depending on the region of the world...
in history from Johns Hopkins University
Johns Hopkins University
The Johns Hopkins University, commonly referred to as Johns Hopkins, JHU, or simply Hopkins, is a private research university based in Baltimore, Maryland, United States...
where he was member of Beta Theta Pi
Beta Theta Pi
Beta Theta Pi , often just called Beta, is a social collegiate fraternity that was founded in 1839 at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, USA, where it is part of the Miami Triad which includes Phi Delta Theta and Sigma Chi. It has over 138 active chapters and colonies in the United States and Canada...
. He did well in football
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
(center
Center (American football)
Center is a position in American football and Canadian football . The center is the innermost lineman of the offensive line on a football team's offense...
, offensive tackle, team co-captain
Captain (sports)
In team sports, a captain is a title given to a member of the team. The title is frequently honorary, but in some cases the captain may have significant responsibility for strategy and teamwork while the game is in progress on the field...
) there, and turned down an opportunity to try out with the Oakland Raiders
Oakland Raiders
The Oakland Raiders are a professional American football team based in Oakland, California. They currently play in the Western Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
.
He met his wife, Gaier Notman, a 1969 alumna of Miss Porter's School
Miss Porter's School
Miss Porter's School, sometimes simply referred to as Porter's or Farmington, is a private college preparatory school for girls located in Farmington, Connecticut.- History :...
, at an IBM training school.
Career
Palmisano joined IBM in 1973 as a salesman, and was elected senior vice president and group executive of the Personal Systems Group in 1997. He was then promoted to senior vice president and group executive of IBM Global ServicesIBM Global Services
IBM Global Services is the world's largest business and technology services provider. It has over 190,000 workers across more than 160 countries...
in 1998, during the period when IBM shifted its focus from pure technology to embrace outsourcing
Outsourcing
Outsourcing is the process of contracting a business function to someone else.-Overview:The term outsourcing is used inconsistently but usually involves the contracting out of a business function - commonly one previously performed in-house - to an external provider...
and other services. He became senior vice president and group executive of Enterprise Systems in 1999 when the systems group drove IBM's move to adopt the Linux
Linux
Linux is a Unix-like computer operating system assembled under the model of free and open source software development and distribution. The defining component of any Linux system is the Linux kernel, an operating system kernel first released October 5, 1991 by Linus Torvalds...
operating system
Operating system
An operating system is a set of programs that manage computer hardware resources and provide common services for application software. The operating system is the most important type of system software in a computer system...
.
Before leading IBM Global Services, Palmisano led the IBM strategic outsourcing business and before that he was president of an IBM subsidiary—Integrated Systems Solutions Corporation—which ultimately became IBM Global Services. As CEO of IBM, Palmisano has shifted many development and support positions to emerging markets.
He was elected to the board of ExxonMobil
ExxonMobil
Exxon Mobil Corporation or ExxonMobil, is an American multinational oil and gas corporation. It is a direct descendant of John D. Rockefeller's Standard Oil company, and was formed on November 30, 1999, by the merger of Exxon and Mobil. Its headquarters are in Irving, Texas...
in 2006. He is also the Honorary Chairman of National Engineers Week
National Engineers Week (U.S.)
In the United States, the third full week of February is National Engineers Week. It is observed by more than 70 engineering, education, and cultural societies, and more than 50 corporations and government agencies. The purpose of National Engineers Week is to call attention to the contributions to...
2008.
In November 2008, Palmisano, during a speech at the Council on Foreign Relations
Council on Foreign Relations
The Council on Foreign Relations is an American nonprofit nonpartisan membership organization, publisher, and think tank specializing in U.S. foreign policy and international affairs...
, outlined IBM's Smarter Planet
Smarter Planet
Smarter Planet is a corporate initiative of the information technology company IBM. The initiative seeks to highlight how forward-thinking leaders in business, government and civil society around the world are capturing the potential of smarter systems to achieve economic growth, near-term...
initiative.
While CEO of IBM in 2009, Samuel J. Palmisano earned a total compensation of $21,159,289, which included a base salary of $1,800,000, a cash bonus of $4,750,000, stocks granted of $13,517,401, no options, and other compensation of $1,091,888.
In 2010 Samuel J. Palmisano was awarded The Deming Cup
The Deming Cup
The Deming Cup is an annual prize presented by The W. Edwards Deming Center for Quality, Productivity, and Competitiveness at Columbia Business School....
, an excellence award presented by the W. Edwards Deming Center for Quality, Productivity, and Competitiveness at Columbia Business School
Columbia Business School
Columbia Business School is the business school of Columbia University in Manhattan, New York City. It was established in 1916 to provide business training and professional preparation for undergraduate and graduate Columbia University students...
, for his ability to drive IBM to new levels of operational excellence and for his role in creating and leading IBM's Global Services business unit.
Mr. Palmisano announced that he is stepping aside as CEO on October 25th, 2011. Ginni Rometty has been elected as the new CEO and President. Mr. Palmisano will continue to stay on after January 1st, 2012 as Chairman. http://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/26/technology/ibm-names-a-new-chief.html?hp