Virginia Rometty is a breath of fresh air in the male-dominated field of information technology. Rometty, who goes by the nickname of Ginny, defied the odds by becoming the first woman to chair and serve as CEO of IBM. In the early 2000s, Rometty significantly contributed to IBM’s success and growth. Her first big break was overseeing PricewaterhouseCoopers’ integration into IBM. In 2007, she devised a plan for the corporation’s growth in the next five years, taking the helm of the sales force.