Tom Sweet

Tom Sweet
Born	Thomas W. Sweet
Nationality	American
Occupation	Business executive
Employer	Dell Technologies (retired)
Known for	Chief Financial Officer of Dell Technologies
Education	Western Michigan University
Awards	Haworth College of Business Outstanding Alumni Achievement Award (2025)

Thomas "Tom" Sweet is an American business executive who served as the Chief Financial Officer (CFO) of Dell Technologies, one of the world's largest technology infrastructure companies. Over a career spanning more than three decades in the technology and industrial sectors, Sweet became one of the most prominent financial leaders in the American technology industry, overseeing Dell's financial operations during a period of significant corporate transformation — including the company's landmark merger with EMC Corporation and its subsequent return to public markets. Following his retirement from Dell Technologies in 2023, Sweet transitioned into corporate board service, joining the 3M Company Board of Directors later that year. His career at Dell Technologies encompassed senior financial leadership roles that positioned him at the center of major strategic decisions affecting the global technology marketplace. Sweet is an alumnus of Western Michigan University's Haworth College of Business, which recognized him in 2025 with its Outstanding Alumni Achievement Award for his accomplishments in the financial and technology sectors.

Education

Tom Sweet attended Western Michigan University in Kalamazoo, Michigan, where he studied at the institution's Haworth College of Business. Western Michigan University, a public research university founded in 1903, is known for its business programs and has produced numerous leaders in the corporate world. Sweet's education at the Haworth College of Business provided the foundation for his subsequent career in corporate finance and executive leadership within the technology sector. The university later acknowledged Sweet's professional accomplishments by selecting him as a recipient of its Outstanding Alumni Achievement Award in 2025, an honor reserved for graduates who have demonstrated exceptional achievement in their respective fields.

Career

Dell Technologies

Tom Sweet built the core of his professional career at Dell Technologies, where he rose through the ranks of the company's financial organization over the course of more than three decades. During his tenure, Sweet accumulated extensive experience in the technology and industrial sectors, developing expertise in corporate finance, strategic planning, and financial operations at a global scale.

Sweet ultimately served as the Chief Financial Officer of Dell Technologies, a position that placed him at the helm of the financial operations of one of the world's largest technology companies. Dell Technologies, headquartered in Round Rock, Texas, is a multinational technology corporation that designs, sells, repairs, and supports computers and related products and services. As CFO, Sweet was responsible for overseeing the company's financial strategy, reporting, treasury operations, tax planning, and investor relations during a period marked by significant corporate activity.

The role of CFO at Dell Technologies was particularly consequential during the years in which the company underwent a series of transformative corporate transactions. Dell's 2016 acquisition of EMC Corporation in a deal valued at approximately $67 billion was, at the time, the largest technology merger in history. The subsequent process of integrating the two companies, managing the combined entity's complex capital structure, and ultimately returning Dell Technologies to public trading on the New York Stock Exchange in December 2018 required sustained financial leadership. Sweet's position as CFO placed him centrally within these efforts.

Retirement from Dell Technologies

In March 2023, Dell Technologies announced that Tom Sweet would retire from his position as Chief Financial Officer. According to a report by Reuters, the company disclosed that Sweet's retirement would take effect by the end of Dell's fiscal second quarter of that year. The announcement marked the conclusion of a long tenure at the company, during which Sweet had served in progressively senior financial leadership roles before assuming the CFO position. His retirement came at a time when Dell Technologies was navigating the evolving landscape of the technology industry, including shifts in enterprise computing, the growth of cloud services, and emerging opportunities in artificial intelligence infrastructure.

The transition of the CFO role was a significant moment for Dell Technologies, given Sweet's deep institutional knowledge and his involvement in major corporate milestones during his years with the company. His departure prompted the company to undertake a succession process for one of its most critical executive positions.

3M Board of Directors

Following his retirement from Dell Technologies, Tom Sweet was elected to the 3M Company's Board of Directors, effective November 6, 2023. The election was announced by 3M's News Center, which described Sweet as the "retired Chief Financial Officer (CFO), Dell Technologies." 3M, a diversified multinational conglomerate headquartered in Saint Paul, Minnesota, operates across a broad range of industries including consumer goods, health care, safety, and industrial products. Sweet's appointment to the 3M board reflected his experience as a senior financial executive in a major technology corporation, bringing financial acumen and strategic perspective to the board's oversight responsibilities.

Board service at a company of 3M's scale and complexity — with operations spanning more than 70 countries and a product portfolio that includes tens of thousands of items — requires directors with substantial experience in corporate governance, financial management, and strategic decision-making. Sweet's decades of experience at Dell Technologies, including his role in overseeing the financial dimensions of one of the technology industry's most significant corporate transformations, positioned him to contribute in these areas.

The appointment to 3M's board came during a period of transition for the conglomerate, which was in the process of undertaking significant corporate restructuring, including the planned spinoff of its health care business. Sweet's financial expertise and experience with complex corporate transactions were relevant to the board's work during this period.

Recognition

In September 2025, Western Michigan University's Haworth College of Business honored Tom Sweet with its Outstanding Alumni Achievement Award. The university described Sweet as "a seasoned financial executive with over three decades of experience in the technology and industrial sectors." The Outstanding Alumni Achievement Award is among the most prominent honors bestowed by the Haworth College of Business and is designed to recognize graduates who have achieved distinction in their professional careers and have made contributions to their industries and communities.

Sweet's selection for the award reflected his career trajectory from a Western Michigan University business student to the chief financial officer of one of the world's largest technology companies, and subsequently to a director on the board of a major multinational conglomerate. The recognition by his alma mater placed Sweet among a group of distinguished alumni of the Haworth College of Business who have risen to leadership positions in the corporate world.

His election to the 3M Board of Directors in 2023 itself constituted a form of professional recognition, as board positions at Fortune 500 companies are typically reserved for individuals whose records of executive achievement and corporate governance experience make them suitable for the fiduciary and strategic oversight responsibilities that board membership entails.

Personal Life

Tom Sweet has maintained a relatively private personal life throughout his career. Publicly available information about Sweet is largely confined to his professional activities at Dell Technologies and his subsequent board service at 3M. His connection to Western Michigan University and the state of Michigan has remained a notable element of his public profile, as evidenced by the university's decision to honor him with its alumni achievement award decades after his time as a student there.