Virginia Rometty is currently in charge of sales and marketing

IBM launched the first female president in 100 years of history of the company Tuesday.

Virginia "Ginni" Rometty, a veteran in the technology giant known for its conservative corporate culture, will take over as CEO of Sam Palmisano, IBM said.

Palmisano has been CEO for almost a decade and turned 60 this year. It will remain as chairman.

Rometty, 54, takes over on January 1, 2012. Currently he is in charge of the company sales and marketing headquartered in Armonk, New York.

after taking the reins of IBM, women are responsible for two of the largest companies in the world of technology. Last month, Meg Whitman was appointed CEO of Hewlett-Packard Whitman earlier had joined eBay as a young start-ups during the Internet bubble and led her to become a power auction on the Internet. She also ran for Governor of California unsuccessfully last year.

Although Whitman is a company growing in the chaos, will inherit a high Rometty IBM focuses on high-margin business technology services and software have helped to s' flourish.

make "a fabulous example" in promoting women cadres, said Jean Bozman, an analyst at IDC who has closely followed both companies for years.

Palmisano said in a statement that Rometty led some of the most important cases of IBM and has been instrumental in shaping the services division of IBM. He was responsible for $ 3.5 billion purchase of IBM's consulting business of PricewaterhouseCoopers in 2002, which is a key element of a strategy that IBM has a company widely copied. It is "more than a good operating environment," said Palmisano.
"She brings to the role of CEO of a unique combination of vision, customer focus, relentless drive and passion for IBM staff and the future of the company," said Palmisano. "I know that the Council agrees with me that Ginni is the ideal CEO to lead IBM in its second century. "