https://news.northwestern.edu/stories/2019/05/trustee-and-alumna-ginni-rometty-honored-with-edison-achievement-award/
Northwestern University trustee and alumna Virginia M. (Ginni) Rometty ’79, chairman, president and CEO of IBM, received a 2019 Edison Achievement Award and delivered the award’s keynote address April 4 in New York City.
The Edison Awards include 16 annual awards that honor excellence in new product design and technological innovation. The Edison Achievement Award recognizes one leader each year for making a significant and lasting contribution to the world of innovation. Past recipients include Steve Jobs and Elon Musk.
Rometty graduated from Northwestern’s McCormick School of Engineering in 1979 with a bachelor’s degree in computer science and electrical engineering and began her career with IBM as a systems engineer in 1981. She was later selected as CEO in 2012, becoming one of a few female CEOs of Fortune 500 companies. Under her leadership, IBM has become a leader in artificial intelligence, blockchain, cybersecurity and quantum technologies.