The IBM board of directors today elected W. James McNerney, Jr., to the board. McNerney, 60, is chairman of the board, president and chief executive officer of The Boeing Company.

Samuel J. Palmisano, IBM chairman, president and chief executive officer, said: "We are very pleased that Jim McNerney will be joining the IBM board of directors. Jim has decades of experience running complex, global enterprises, and his knowledge and insights will make a significant contribution to IBM."

McNerney, who assumed his current leadership posts at The Boeing Company in July 2005, oversees the strategic direction of the world's largest aerospace company.

Previously, McNerney was chairman of the board and chief executive officer of 3M. He also had served in several top executive positions at the General Electric Company, including as president and CEO of GE Aircraft Engines and GE Lighting, president of GE Asia-Pacific, and president of GE Information Services. Prior to joining GE, McNerney worked at Procter & Gamble and McKinsey & Co., Inc.

McNerney is also a director of Procter & Gamble, and he serves as a trustee of Northwestern University and The Field Museum of Chicago. He is a member of The Business Roundtable and a former chair of The Business Council, the US-China Business Council, and the American Society of Corporate Executives. McNerney is a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and an honorary fellow of the Royal Aeronautical Society.

Mr. McNerney received his B.A. degree from Yale University and an M.B.A. degree from Harvard University.

With the election of Mr. McNerney, the IBM board now has 13 members.