Steven A. Mills

Overview

Steve Mills was appointed Senior Vice President and Group Executive, IBM Software, in July 2000. In this capacity, he is responsible for shaping IBM's overall software strategy and directing IBM's $14 billion software business. Today, IBM's industry-leading middleware products power the e-business infrastructures of virtually every mid- to large-size company in the world and IBM holds the number one or two position in marketshare in all major software markets in which it competes according to industry analysts. Today, Mr. Mills is leading the next phase of IBM's software strategy through which IBM is delivering industry-specific middleware solutions to customers in 12 key industries. This includes the development and marketing of new industry-specific offerings as well as aligning IBM's software salesforce (the world's largest direct sales and support team with more than 13,000 people) along technical and industry lines. And Mr. Mills is leading a series of programs for Independent Software Vendors (ISVs) to help them deliver industry-vertical applications running on IBM's middleware. Mr. Mills has played a leading role in the growth of IBM Software Group since its inception in 1995. He was General Manager of IBM Software Group Strategy and Solutions, responsible for IBM's strategy for middleware and software solutions for e-business, as well as managing business units for Business Intelligence Solutions, Pervasive Computing, e-Commerce Solutions and Solution Technologies. He joined IBM in 1974 as a sales trainee in New York City and was a marketing representative until 1980. In 1981, he joined the business planning staff of the Data Processing Division and became manager of that function a year later. In 1984, he was named Administrative Assistant to the IBM Vice President and Assistant Group Executive of Plans and Controls in the Information Systems Group. He became Director of Planning in the Information Systems and Communications Group in 1985. In 1986, he was one of the executives responsible for starting IBM's Publishing Systems Business Unit. He became Director of Financial Planning at Corporate Headquarters in 1988. He joined the Programming Systems line of business in 1989 as Programming Systems Director of Operations. He was named Assistant General Manager, Finance and Planning, for that organization in December 1990, and in December 1992 became General Manager of the division's Santa Teresa Laboratory. In 1993 he became General Manager of IBM's Software Solutions Division.