Ginni Rometty

Last month I was part of a long IBM tradition when my CEO portrait was unveiled at IBM’s headquarters. The evening was steeped in history and emotion. For the first time since COVID-19 I saw so many former colleagues and friends together in person, and it was a joy to be with so many people who helped shape my 40-year career. 
 
I have so much gratitude for having lived my professional life in a company steeped in values. A lot has changed at the company over those four decades, but this moment reminded me of what has endured – the team’s commitment to understanding what it means to live by your values:

- Dedication to Every Client’s Success:
IBMers understand that being in service of every client is not a transaction but an ethos.
- Innovation that Matters for our company and for the world:
IBMers love to learn but are also wiling to adopt good ideas no matter where they come from.   
- Trust and personal responsibility in all relationships:
IBMers always try to do the ‘right’ thing for all stakeholders.
 
Thank you to everyone who made the evening so special, and to all who make IBM such a special place today. 
 
My painting now hangs among those of my eight predecessors. I'm proud to be the first female chief among eight men, and excited to know that I certainly will not be the last.

Each Christmas when I was young, my Grandma Mary baked an impressive assortment of delicious cookies. Her thimble cookies were a family favorite, and to this day one of us makes her cookies, to remember and honor her. She told us her secret was – the Imperial margarine!

Happy holidays from my family to yours.

Grandma Mary’s Recipe for Thimble Cookies:

Ingredients:
• ½ cup Imperial Margarine only
• ¼ cup brown sugar
• 1 egg yolk
• ½ tsp vanilla flavoring
• ¼ tsp lemon flavoring
• 1 cup flour
• Finely chopped walnuts
• Candied cherries

Instructions:
• Mix margarine with brown sugar, then add egg yolk - mix
• Add vanilla and lemon - mix well + add flour by hand
• Shape into 1-inch balls
• Dip in slightly beaten egg white and roll in finely chopped nuts (walnuts)
• Place 1 inch apart on greased cookie sheet
• Put half cherry (red & green/candied cherries) on back and press down
• Bake at 325 – 10 to 15 minutes and watch them so they don’t burn!