L. John Rankine

Recognized for advancing international standardization in information technology, Rankine received the Steinmetz Medal in 1997 for this achievement. A graduate of the University of Glasgow with the engineering qualifications of B.Sc. (Eng), M.I.E.E., C. Eng. (UK.), he later completed post-graduate studies in Atomic Physics at McGill University in Montreal, Canada. During his thirty-two year career with IBM, he rapidly advanced through a series of key executive positions in sales, marketing, and policy making, becoming IBM Director of Standards and Data Security, where he had worldwide responsibility for the company's strategy and policies in these areas.

He has served as chairman of the American National Standards Institute from 1984 to 1986. Rankine has also served as Vice President of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) and Chairman of its Standards Association and Board of Governors. He has been a member of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the New York Academy of Sciences, the Institution of Electrical Engineers (UK), and the United Kingdom Engineering Council.

He has served as Vice-Chairman of the Business and Industry Advisory Council to the O.E.C.D. and as a member of the Commission on Technology and Information Policy of the International Chamber of Commerce. In 1980, as a result of his leadership of many delegations to international organizations, Rankine was awarded the ANSI Astin-Polk Medal for promoting trade and understanding among nations. In 1997, he received the Steinmetz Medal for advancing international standardization in information technology.

He participated in special programs at Brookings Institution, Watson Scientific Computing Laboratory, Columbia University, M.I.T., and the Aspen Institute for Advanced Studies. Rankine has also been an active participant in key policy making dialogues at the U.S. Council on Foreign Relations, the Ditchley Foundation (UK), and the Ford Foundation, Bellagio, Italy.