Former IBM CEO Louis Gerstner, who revitalized ‘Big Blue,’ dead at 83

Former IBM CEO Louis Gerstner, who revitalized ‘Big Blue,’ dead at 83

Louis Gerstner, the former CEO and chairman of IBM, died on Saturday, aged 83.

IBM chairman and CEO Arvind Krishna announced Gerstner’s loss of life in an electronic mail despatched Sunday to workers, however didn’t present a reason for loss of life.

“Lou arrived at IBM at a moment when the company’s future was genuinely uncertain. His leadership during that period reshaped the company. Not by looking backward, but by focusing relentlessly on what our clients would need next,” Krishna said in his electronic mail.

Louis Gerstner, shown right here in 1993, led the company for 9 years. Reuters

Gerstner moved to IBM from being the CEO of RJR Nabisco in April 1993 after stints at American Express and the consultancy McKinsey, changing into the first outsider to run Big Blue, as IBM was called.

During the 9 years he led the pc large, he was widely credited with turning round a company that was dealing with potential chapter, pivoting the company to enterprise providers. He radically modified IBM’s tradition and focus while slashing bills, promoting property and repurchasing inventory.

Gerstner retired as CEO of IBM in 2002, with the inventory some 800% greater than when he had began, transferring to develop into the chairman of Carlyle Group until his retirement in 2008.

The creator of “Who Says Elephants Can’t Dance” and co-author of “Reinventing Education: Entrepreneurship in America’s Public Schools,” Gerstner was on the board of a number of corporations including Bristol-Myers, the New York Times, American Express, AT&T and Caterpillar.

IBM’s headquarters in Armonk, N.Y. Askar – inventory.adobe.com

Gerstner was passionate about public schooling in the US, launching an initiative at IBM to make use of company technology in faculties.

He established the Gerstner Philanthropies in 1989, which included the Gerstner Family Foundation, emphasizing help for biomedical research, environmental and schooling initiatives, and social providers serving New York City, Boston, and Palm Beach County, Florida.

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