More than two years have passed since Rometty assumed the helm at IBM, and it’s been anything but smooth sailing. With ten consecutive quarters of revenue declines, IBM is sticking to its focus on boosting profit margins. Over 2014 the technology company shed its services, server and semiconductor units, translating into $7 billion of much-needed revenue. 

Next steps include a new partnership with Apple, optimizing IBM’s big data and analytics for iOS and expanded ties with SAP, running its applications on IBM’s platform. Continuing to overhaul the declining company, Rometty plans to spend $1.2 billion on IBM’s cloud computing business. She joined the company at 24 in 1981 as a systems engineer.

(Courtesy of Forbes.com)