Northwestern University alumna and trustee Ginni Rometty ʼ79, ʼ15 H led an iconic company during a period of innovation and reinvention. In her new book, Good Power, she recounts her groundbreaking path from a challenging childhood to becoming CEO of IBM and one of the world's most influential leaders.

Join Rometty's conversation with Northwestern President Michael H. Schillabout her personal journey, lessons in authentic leadership, and the future of technology. She also will share how "good power" can transform businesses and individuals.

This event is complimentary, but registration is requested. You can submit questions for the Q&A session via the registration form.

Ginni Rometty '79, '15 H
Former Chairman and CEO of IBM, Co-Chair at OneTen, and Author of Good Power

Ginni Rometty was the ninth Chairman, President, and CEO of IBM. Under her leadership, the 100-year-old company reinvented 50 percent of its portfolio, built a $25 billion hybrid cloud business, and established leadership in AI and quantum computing. Rometty also drove record results in diversity and inclusion and supported the explosive growth of an innovative high school program to prepare the workforce of the future in over twenty-eight countries.

Through her work with the Business Roundtable, Rometty helped redefine the purpose of the corporation. She has been named Fortune's No. 1 Most Powerful Woman three years in a row, is a member of the National Academy of Engineering, and has been honored with the designation of Officier in the French Légion d'Honneur. Today, Rometty serves on multiple boards and co-chairs OneTen, a coalition committed to upskill, hire, and promote one million Black Americans by 2030 into family-sustaining jobs and careers. She is also the author of the book Good Power: Leading Positive Change in Our Lives, Work, and World (Harvard Business Review Press, March 2023), a moving combination of memoir, leadership lessons, and big ideas.

Rometty graduated with high honors from the McCormick School of Engineering in 1979 with a bachelor's degree in computer science and electrical engineering. She joined the Northwestern University Board of Trustees in 2010 and currently serves as vice chair. Northwestern conferred an honorary doctorate to Rometty in 2015, when she delivered the main address at the University's 157th commencement ceremony.

Register Now