IBM's appointment of Arvind Krishna sees him join the elite group of Indian CEOs, a prestigious club he now shares with other significant business leaders.

IBM designates Arvind Krishna as its new CEO, set to assume leadership role from Virginia Rometty, commencing operations on April 6th.

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2025 September 22 . 1:05 AM

2 min read

Indian executive Arvind Krishna becomes member of CEO club following his appointment at IBM

IBM's appointment of Arvind Krishna sees him join the elite group of Indian CEOs, a prestigious club he now shares with other significant business leaders.

IBM Announces Arvind Krishna as New CEO

In a significant move, IBM has announced that Arvind Krishna will be its new CEO, effective from April 2020. Krishna, an Indian-origin technology executive, joined IBM in 1990 and has risen through the ranks to become a Senior Vice President at the company.

Arvind Krishna's operational leadership has been highlighted as his ability to win today while building the business of tomorrow. His role in developing IBM's key technologies such as artificial intelligence, cloud, quantum computing, and blockchain, as well as his contributions to the acquisition of Red Hat, have been significant factors in his election as CEO.

The growth in the cloud market under Krishna's leadership was a significant factor in his election as CEO of IBM. Virginia Rometty, the former CEO of IBM, believes that Krishna will lead IBM into the cloud and cognitive era. Rometty, who has been appointed as the Executive Chairman of the Board, will retire by the end of the year.

James Whitehurst has been elected as IBM Senior Vice President and CEO of Red Hat. He will work alongside Krishna, who has also been appointed as the IBM president. Rometty expressed confidence in Krishna as the right CEO for the coming era of IBM, and Virginia Rometty, the previous CEO of IBM, expressed her support for Krishna, stating that he will continue to build on IBM's strong foundation.

Krishna graduated from IIT-Kanpur and holds a Ph.D. in electrical engineering from the University of Illinois. He started at IBM as a research staff member and advanced through leadership roles in cloud and cognitive software divisions before becoming CEO. Krishna expressed excitement and gratitude about being elected as the next CEO of IBM, stating that he is looking forward to leading IBM into the future.

With Krishna's election as CEO, he joins the club of Indian-origin executives leading global companies, including Satya Nadella (Microsoft CEO), Sundar Pichai (Google and Alphabet CEO), and Shantanu Narayen (Adobe CEO). Krishna's operational leadership abilities were crucial in IBM's acquisition of Red Hat and growth in the cloud market, contributing heavily to his election as CEO.

As Krishna takes on his new role, he will be tasked with leading IBM into the next phase of its evolution, focusing on cloud, cognitive, and AI technologies. With his extensive experience in these areas, Krishna is well-positioned to guide IBM into the future.