Thirty year IBM Corp veteran Ned Lautenbach, currently IBM’s worldwide head of sales and distribution and one of the inner sanctum executive committee, is to retire next month. Bill Etherington, general manager of sales for IBM’s Europe, Middle East and Africa sales region has been lined up to succeed him. Lauetenbach is only 54, but IBM chief executive Louis Gerstner’s recent decision to extend his contract for another five years effectively blocks his move to the top position at IBM. Thirty years at IBM gives him full retirement benefits. Gerstner appointed Lautenbach as senior vice-president for world marketing back in 1995 (CI No 2,579), a job which later turned into head of sales and services. In February 1997, IBM made its $23bn Global Services facilities management and systems integration business a separate IBM group under Lautenbach (CI No 3,125).
