Ingram Micro Names IBM Executive to Post of President

Ingram Micro Inc. said Wednesday that it has hired a top-ranking IBM executive to fill its long-vacant position of president.

Samuel M. Inman III, who headed an International Business Machines Corp. subsidiary that sells low-priced personal computers, is expected to fill Ingram’s needs for a high-powered marketing director and day-to-day manager. As president and chief operating officer, Inman will oversee and manage the privately held company’s U.S. operations.

Ingram, the world’s largest distributor of computer products, is expanding rapidly, spokeswoman Kirsten Kappos said. “We’ve been growing at such a rate that we need to make sure things don’t get out of control,” she said.

Ingram’s sales in 63 countries last year were $2.7 billion, a 35% increase over revenue of $2 billion in 1991. For the first six months of this year, sales have shot up 50% to $1.8 billion from $1.2 billion for the same period a year earlier.

The company also needs a strong executive in Santa Ana, Kappos said, because its co-chairmen, Linwood A. Lacy Jr. and David Dukes, often are traveling to build international business and work on industry matters. The company had been searching for a president for two years.

Inman, who joined IBM in 1972, worked his way up to president of its national distribution division before being tapped last year to help form IBM Personal Computer Co., which sells low-cost computers. He was appointed president of the division in May.

IBM, meantime, chose one of its executives, Bruce L. Claflin, to succeed Inman.