Rodney C. Adkins

Former Senior Vice-President, IBM

Rod Adkins is President of 3RAM Group LLC, a private company specialising in capital investments, business consulting and property management services. Rod previously served as IBM’s Senior Vice President of Corporate Strategy until retiring in 2014. He was responsible for leading continuous transformation across IBM and developing strategies that are linked to execution plans for a new era of computing, new markets and new clients.

Rod was previously IBM’s Senior Vice President of Systems and Technology Group, a position he held since 2009, and senior vice president of STG development and manufacturing, a position he held since 2007. In his over 30-year career with IBM, a multinational technology company, Rod held a number of other development and management roles, including general manager positions for the PC Company, UNIX Systems and Pervasive Computing.

Inducted into the National Academy of Engineering in 2005, Rod is also a member of the Executive Leadership Council, and the National Society of Black Engineers, which in 2001 awarded him the Golden Torch Award for Lifetime Achievement in Industry. In 2011, Black Enterprise magazine chose Rod as its Corporate Executive of the Year, and in 2002, Fortune magazine named Rod one of the 50 Most Powerful Black Executives in America.

In addition to UPS, Rod serves on the Board of Directors of Avnet, Inc., PayPal Holdings, Inc. and W.W. Grainger, Inc.

Rod joined the UPS Board of Directors in 2013, and serves on the Executive Committee, the Compensation and Human Capital Committee, and as Chairperson of the Risk Committee.

Rod holds a Bachelor of Arts degree with an emphasis in physics from Rollins College, Bachelor of Science and Master of Science degree in electrical engineering from Georgia Institute of Technology and an Honorary Doctor of Science Degree from the University of Maryland Baltimore County.