Hamilton Ratshefola, IBM. Photo: Karolina Komendera

When Hamilton Ratshefola first joined IBM as a young, eager graduate, he learned all about technology and salesmanship.

He also learned crucial lessons that still guide his life today – ethics and integrity, and to eschew all forms of racism. Those principles saw him reject blatant expectations of bribery when he formed his own company, Cornastone. They also brought him back to IBM decades later, to repay it for the vital start it gave him and to further its commitment to opportunities-for-all as its country general manager.