Arvind Krishna, CEO of IBM (IBM: NYSE)
Arvind Krishna, CEO of IBM (IBM: NYSE), has been instrumental in leading the company through significant transformation as it embraces a new era of digital technologies. With a career at the company spanning over three decades, he has played a crucial role in shaping the company’s focus on artificial intelligence (AI), cloud computing, quantum technologies and blockchain, all while maintaining its competitive edge in the fast-evolving tech landscape.
Krishna’s journey began in India, where he earned a BTech in Electrical Engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Kanpur and later completed a PhD in Electrical Engineering from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. He joined IBM in 1990 as a member of the Watson Research team and steadily rose through the ranks. By 2019, Krishna became the Senior Vice President of Cloud and Cognitive Software, where he spearheaded the development of IBM’s hybrid cloud business. This role also involved overseeing the company’s software and services offerings, driving innovation in emerging technologies such as AI, quantum computing and blockchain.
In 2020, Krishna was appointed CEO of IBM, where he has continued to guide the company’s strategic shift toward AI and hybrid cloud solutions. Under his leadership, IBM has pursued several high-profile initiatives, including the successful $34 billion acquisition of Red Hat, a move that helped solidify IBM’s position in the hybrid cloud market. Krishna has also been a vocal advocate for the role of AI in enhancing productivity, focusing on its potential to augment, rather than replace, human labor.
Krishna’s leadership is characterized by a strong commitment to both technological innovation and workforce development. He advocates for continuous learning and development at every stage of an employee’s career and has worked to make IBM a leader in employee empowerment and knowledge-sharing within the company. His vision has been recognized through multiple accolades, including the Excellence in Culture award for 2024. His efforts have contributed to several breakthroughs in wireless networking and cybersecurity, in which he played a pivotal role during his early years at IBM.
Beyond his work at IBM, Krishna serves on the boards of several prominent organizations, including the New York Federal Reserve Bank and Northrop Grumman. He has co-authored numerous patents and contributed extensively to technical journals.
As IBM continues to push the boundaries of AI, Krishna remains a key figure in the technology industry, driving forward innovations that aim to improve business processes and enhance the quality of life globally. His contributions to both IBM and the broader tech community position him as a leading figure in the ongoing digital transformation of industries worldwide.
