MORRISVILLE – Mary Ma, the senior executive who helped Lenovo become one of the world’s largest tech firms and the No. 1 seller of personal computers, was remembered warmly by Lenovo’s chairman and CEO on Monday after learning that she had died at age 66.

Yang Yuanqing thanked Ma for her “tremendous contribution” to the company. She was an Independent Non-executive Director of  Lenovo, the company said in a statmeent.

Yang and the board were especially praiseworthy of Ma’s efforts to help Lenovo acquired IBM’s PC business in 2005 for close to $2 billion.

Also in 2005, Forbes magazine named her as one of the most powerful women in business.

“Ma [was] responsible for Lenovo’s finance, treasury and legal affairs. She received a bachelor’s degree from Capital Normal University in 1976, and with more than 27 years in financial and executive management, she is one of China’s highest-ranking female executives,” Forbes noted at the time.

“During the years in Lenovo, she has made tremendous contribution to Lenovo; in particular, she was instrumental in the acquisition of the IBM Personal Computer Division in 2004 and the subsequent integration and has also earned herself a prominent position in the capital market,” the Lenovo board said in a statement issued Monday. The deal closed in 2005.

“The board would like to express its sincere gratitude to Ms Ma for her dedication and past services to Lenovo,” Yang said.

An earlier post from WRAL TechWire today notes other achievements during her long career as an executive:

Former Lenovo executive Mary Ma dies at age 66

Ma worked at Lenovo for 17 years beginning in 1990. In that time the Chinab-born company originally known as Legend grew into a multi-national conglomerate and opened a second headquarters in Morrisville. The other is in Beijing.

Earlier this year, Ma was named as an independent non-executive director at the Hong Kong Stock Exchange.

“The board expresses its deepest condolences to Ms Ma’s family,” the exhcange said in a statement, according to the South China Morning Post.

A biography of Ma listed at the website of Unilever where she served as a non-executive director includes highlights of her long career.

History

  • 2019: Became a Non-Executive Director of Swire Pacific Limited
  • 2019: Became a Non-Executive Director of Schneider Electric SE
  • 2017: Became member of Unilever’s Compensation Committee
  • 2013: Became a Non-Executive Director of Unilever and member of Unilever’s Audit Committee and remained as a member until April 2017
  • 2013: Became a Non-Executive Director of the Securities and Futures Commission in Hong Kong
  • 2013: Became a Non-Executive Director of the Lenovo Board
  • 2012 – 2016: Non-Executive Director of Stelux Holdings International Limited
  • 2011: Became a Co-founder and Managing Partner of Boyu Capital
  • 2010 – 2014: Non-Executive Director Wumart Stores
  • 2009 – 2013: Member of the Listing Committee of The Stock Exchange of Hong Kong
  • 2007 – 2013: Non-Executive Vice Chairman of the Lenovo Board
  • 2004 – 2013: Independent Director of Standard Chartered Bank (Hong Kong) Limited
  • 2002 – 2007: Member of the Dean’s Council of the Kennedy School of Harvard University
  • 2000: Member of The Hong Kong Institute of Directors