- Great American Business Leaders of the Twentieth Century
Louis V. Gerstner, Jr.
IBM
1993 - 2002
Computers & Electronics
b. 1942
| Education |  |
|---|---|
| Undergraduate | Dartmouth College |
| Graduate | MBA, Harvard University |
| Personal | |
|---|---|
| Born-Died | 1942 |
| Birthplace | New York (NY) |
| Race | White |
| Father | Executive, Low-/Mid-Level |
Under pressure to break-up IBM, Gerstner instead went against the tide of expectation and kept IBM in one piece. He went on to make IBM more competitive by announcing downsizing and a new vision for the company called network computing/e-business. During the period of restructuring from 1993-1998, Gerstner grew total shareholder returns at an annual rate of 47%, increasing IBM’s market valuation to $146 billion.