About

Thomas M. Nies

Thomas M. Nies is the founder and CEO of Cincom Systems, Inc. Since its founding in 1968, Cincom has matured into one of the largest international, independent software companies in the world. Cincom’s client base spans communications, financial services, education, government, manufacturing, retail, healthcare and insurance.

The longest-actively serving CEO in the computer industry, Mr. Nies was recognized by President Ronald Reagan in 1984 as “the epitome of the entrepreneurial spirit of American business.” In 1992, British Prime Minister Edward Heath honored Mr. Nies for Cincom’s role in bringing the software industry to England. In 1995, he was profiled by the Smithsonian Institute as one of the “pioneers of the software industry,” alongside other industry giants such as Bill Gates (Microsoft) and Larry Ellison (Oracle).

In 2004, Ernst & Young inducted Mr. Nies into its Entrepreneur of the Year Hall of Fame.

In 2005, along with the CEO of Adobe, Mr. Nies won the International Stevie Award for Best Executive in the International Business Awards, “the business world’s own Oscars,” according to the New York Post.

In 2006, Nies was named as one of the Top Ten IT Visionaries by START-IT magazine and was invited to speak at the United Nations on the topic of  maximizing the topic of maximizing technology investments through simplification.

In 2007-2008, Cincom and Mr. Nies were the focus of a Harvard Business School Case Study.

In 2008 Cincom’s 4oth Anniversary was recognized in New York Times. Mr. Nies thanked Cincom’s customers and employees for “40 years of impossible dreaming in the software industry” on large screens in Times Square in New York and Las Vegas.

In 2010, Nies launched this entrepreneurial leadership Web site to provide ideas, inspirations, insights and information to help tomorrow’s entrepreneurial leader

In 2011, Nies became a featured columnist for Smart Business Cincinnati magazine. His stories and advice to entrepreneurs appears in each issue of the magazine.

And in 2012, Nies received the Carl H. Lindner Award for Outstanding Business Achievement from the University of Cincinnati.