The CIO Hall of Fame: 20 IT Leaders of Accomplishment
Meet the 20 CIOs whose influence and accomplishments have earned them a plaque in CIO's Hall of Fame.
Delivering Innovation
Robert Carter
EVP and CIO, FedEx
“I’ve spent my career believing that the single most important and critical success factor in IT is getting to a position of trust with the business. This earns you a seat at the table, which allows IT to move to the strategic level of making any business better for customers and more competitive.”
As CTO and later CIO, revolutionized FedEx’s package tracking system by using wireless networking when it became enterprise ready in 1999.... Pioneered handhelds in the shipping business by deploying 40,000 Bluetooth-enabled PowerPads to FedEx couriers in 2002.... Early adopter of technologies allowing customers to track packages online and to see who signed for them.... After the company restructured its business units in 2000, Carter modernized FedEx TV, a satellite-based network that allowed top executives to communicate with employees.... Sits on FedEx five-member executive committee.... Six-time winner of a CIO 100 award.
After Hurricane Katrina left FedEx’s facility in New Orleans International Airport unusable, Carter’s IT department set up a temporary facility that allowed company workers to organize, scan and ship packages. According to news reports, FedEx returned 10,000 packages to senders.
Business-IT Aligner
Barbra Cooper
Group VP and CIO, Toyota Motor Sales USA Inc.
“My biggest challenge these days comes from my own staff who have tried to slow down my appetite for risk.”
Instilled high-level project management metrics and financial discipline in Toyota’s IT starting in 2003, leading to a multimillion-dollar return of IT project funds to the business.... Overhauled business-IT reporting relationships.... IT executives sit next to their business counterparts; IS staffers rotate through business units.... Revamped aged dealership communications and inventory system using the Web so vehicles can be seamlessly tracked.... Held CIO roles at MicroAge and Maricopa County, Ariz.... Served as VP of technology for American Express.... one of the first women in the IT function.... Recognized by Automotive News as one of the 100 leading women in the automotive industry in 2000, 2005 and 2007.
Cooper has been called “the queen of deviant technology” by former bosses and current staffers. Since she didn’t get her start inside IT, she’s not inhibited by taking risks with new technology.
E-Commerce Prophet
Rick Dalzell
SVP and CIO, Amazon.com
“Customer experience matters. You have to invest in the future, not just for the moment. You have to actually lay some foundations that will enable you to take care of the customer in the future. You’ve got to hire a great, world-class engineering team that’s far smarter than the CIO.”
Created legendary e-commerce engine and CRM system for gathering and analyzing customer and sales data so Amazon could predict customer shopping habits.... Implemented infrastructure that allows Amazon’s networks and data centers to be used by other companies, bringing in millions in revenue.... Spent formative years at Wal-Mart developing critical data warehousing systems alongside CIO Hall of Famers Bob Martin, Randy Mott and Kevin Turner.
Dalzell, who plans to retire at the end of the year, has a talent for identifying and getting rid of inefficiencies and excess IT spending. He reportedly slashed $1.4 billion out of inventory costs at Wal-Mart and reduced Amazon’s spending on IT from 11 cents for every $1 in sales in 2000 to 6 cents by 2003.
