Tom Sweet

Tom Sweet
Born	Thomas W. Sweet
Nationality	American
Occupation	Template:Hlist
Employer	3M (Board of Directors)
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 companies. Over a career spanning more than three decades in the technology and industrial sectors, Sweet became one of the most prominent finance leaders in the American technology industry, overseeing Dell's financial operations during a period of significant corporate transformation that included the company's landmark return to public markets. Following his retirement from Dell in 2023, Sweet transitioned into corporate governance, joining the 3M Company board of directors. In September 2025, Sweet was recognized by his alma mater, Western Michigan University's Haworth College of Business, with its Outstanding Alumni Achievement Award, acknowledging his extensive career in financial leadership.

Education

Tom Sweet attended Western Michigan University in Kalamazoo, Michigan, where he studied at the Haworth College of Business. The university later recognized Sweet as one of its most accomplished alumni in the business world. In September 2025, the Haworth College of Business selected Sweet as the recipient of its Outstanding Alumni Achievement Award, a distinction that highlighted his career accomplishments over more than three decades in the technology and industrial sectors. Western Michigan University's description of Sweet characterized him as "a seasoned financial executive with over three decades of experience in the technology and industrial sectors."

Career

Dell Technologies

Tom Sweet built the majority of his career at Dell Technologies, the multinational technology corporation founded by Michael Dell and headquartered in Round Rock, Texas. Sweet rose through the ranks of the company's finance organization to ultimately serve as its Chief Financial Officer, a role in which he was responsible for the company's overall financial strategy, reporting, treasury operations, and investor relations.

As CFO, Sweet played a central role in Dell's financial management during a period of considerable corporate change. Dell Technologies, formed through the 2016 merger of Dell Inc. and EMC Corporation in what was at the time the largest technology acquisition in history, required sophisticated financial stewardship as it integrated vast business units spanning personal computers, enterprise servers, storage solutions, and cloud infrastructure. Sweet's tenure as CFO encompassed the company's complex return to public trading on the New York Stock Exchange in December 2018, following several years as a privately held company after Michael Dell's 2013 leveraged buyout.

Throughout his time as CFO, Sweet served as a primary spokesperson for Dell Technologies on financial matters, regularly presenting at investor conferences and leading the company's quarterly earnings calls. He was tasked with communicating the company's financial performance and strategic direction to Wall Street analysts and institutional investors during a time when Dell was managing significant debt loads from its acquisitions while simultaneously investing in growth areas such as hybrid cloud computing and data analytics.

Retirement from Dell

On March 2, 2023, Reuters reported that Dell Technologies announced Sweet's planned retirement. According to the report, Sweet would retire by the end of Dell's fiscal second quarter. The announcement marked the end of a lengthy tenure at the company during which Sweet had become closely identified with Dell's financial operations and corporate strategy.

Post-Dell Career

3M Board of Directors

Following his retirement from Dell Technologies, Sweet moved into corporate board service. On November 7, 2023, the 3M Company announced that Sweet had been elected to its board of directors, effective November 6, 2023. The 3M press release identified Sweet as the "retired Chief Financial Officer (CFO), Dell Technologies," underscoring his financial expertise as a key qualification for the board appointment.

Sweet's appointment to the 3M board came during a period of significant transition for the diversified industrial conglomerate. 3M, known for products ranging from Post-it Notes to industrial adhesives and healthcare supplies, was at the time navigating multiple strategic challenges, including the planned spin-off of its healthcare business into a separate publicly traded company and ongoing litigation related to certain product lines. Sweet's experience managing large-scale corporate transformations and complex financial operations at Dell Technologies was viewed as directly relevant to 3M's needs during this period of change.

Recognition

In September 2025, Sweet received the Outstanding Alumni Achievement Award from the Haworth College of Business at Western Michigan University. The award recognized his career as a financial executive spanning more than thirty years in the technology and industrial sectors. The Haworth College of Business Outstanding Alumni Achievement Award is among the most significant honors bestowed by the college and is intended to recognize graduates who have achieved distinction in their professional careers.

Sweet's election to the 3M board of directors in November 2023 further reflected his standing within the American corporate community, as board appointments at major multinational companies are typically reserved for executives with demonstrated records of leadership at the highest levels of corporate management.