IBM President Jim Whitehurst Stepping Down Amid Leadership Team Shuffle

In a surprise move, IBM president Jim Whitehurst, who previously helmed Red Hat, is stepping down.

Arvind Krishna, IBM‘s chairman and CEO, confirmed the news in a blog. Moreover, he outlined numerous IBM leadership team changes effective immediately.

IBM’s Jim Whitehurst

IBM shares were down nearly 5% as of 12:30 p.m. ET on the news of Whitehurst stepping down.

IBM announced Whitehurst’s CEO appointment in January of last year. Before that, he was senior vice president at IBM, and Red Hat’s president and CEO. That was the same time Ginny Rometty, former IBM chairman, president and CEO, announced she was stepping down.

Instrumental in IBM and Red Hat Integration

Krishna said Whitehurst has played a pivotal role in the IBM and Red Hat integration. IBM completed its acquisition of Red Hat in July 2019.

Whitehurst was Red Hat’s president and CEO for more than 12 years.

IBM’s Arvind Krishna

“In the almost three years since the acquisition was announced, Jim has been instrumental in articulating IBM’s strategy, but also, in ensuring that IBM and Red Hat work well together, and that our technology platforms and innovations provide more value to our clients,” Krishna said.

Whitehurst will continue working as senior adviser to Krishna and the rest of the executive leadership team.

IBM hasn’t named a new president or announced a search for Whitehurst’s replacement.

More Leadership Changes

Other leadership changes include:

“Our hybrid cloud and AI strategy is strongly resonating with clients,” Krishna said. “I believe we are at a watershed moment in our journey. As the world begins to reopen, IBM has a unique opportunity to be positioned for a new and exciting era of growth, continue to accelerate the rate and pace of execution of our strategy, and strengthen our client-centric culture and our ability to provide technical expertise.”