SAN JOSE, USA: Next year, global IT giant International Business Machines Corp. (IBM) may get its first female or black CEO in its history of 99 years as the current CEO Sam Palmisano will probably step down in July 2011.

Observing that three of IBM’s last four chief executives have stepped down at 60, Bloomberg reported Palmisano would bid adieu to the company as he reaches sixty next July.

Among the last four CEOs of IBM, only one who could not stay till his sixty was John Akers, for he was forced out by IBM’s board before reaching that age, said the report.

“IBM’s tradition of CEOs stepping aside at 60 helps retain top executives,” Bloomberg quoted Val Rahmani, former general manager of an IBM security software business, as saying. She said Palmisano would probably retire next year.

Rahmani left IBM last year and is now CEO of the Atlanta-based security software firm Damballa Inc.

Palmisano has led the company for more than eight years. He joined IBM in 1973 and was elected senior vice president and group executive of the Personal Systems Group in 1997, before being promoted to senior vice president and group executive of IBM Global Services in 1998.

In 1999, he became senior vice president and group executive of Enterprise Systems when the systems group drove IBM's move to adopt the Linux operating system.

There are lots of speculations doing rounds about the successor of Palmisano.

One leading candidate for the position is Ginni Rometty, who has overseen IBM’s sales effort for more than a year. Before that, she headed global business services where she spearheaded the integration of PwC Consulting, the company’s second-largest acquisition and a key step in shifting its strategic focus to services.

Other candidates include Rod Adkins, who heads IBM’s hardware group and supply chain; and Mike Daniels, who has headed technology services at IBM for more than four years, among others.