Who was the CEO of IBM from 2002 to 2012?

Sam Palmisano was IBM’s CEO from 2002 until early 2012.

Samuel J. “Sam” Palmisano joined IBM in 1973 and rose through sales, services and systems leadership roles. He became president and chief operating officer in October 2000, then succeeded Louis V. Gerstner Jr. as CEO in March 2002. He became IBM’s chairman on January 1, 2003.

During his tenure, Palmisano pushed IBM away from lower-margin hardware businesses and toward consulting, software, services and cloud-related computing. IBM acquired PricewaterhouseCoopers Consulting in 2002, sold its PC business to Lenovo in 2005, and expanded its software portfolio through numerous acquisitions.

Palmisano announced his retirement as president and CEO in October 2011. Ginni Rometty took over those roles on January 1, 2012, while Palmisano remained chairman until October 1, 2012. That transition explains why reference lists commonly give his CEO period as 2002–2012, even though his executive tenure ended at the start of that year. Lou Gerstner was his predecessor, not the answer.