Randall Poppell, CIO of UniGroup (which runs United Van Lines, Mayflower Transit and other transportation companies), assumed the additional role of SVP in charge of strategic planning.  As such, Poppell will lead the company’s executive management team and board of directors in developing strategic objectives and implementing long-range strategic plans. Poppell has worked for the Fenton, Mo.-based company since 2001.  Previously, he was SVP and CIO at GenAmerica Financial.  He worked for that company for 10 years.

InterContinental Hotels Group announced yesterday that it had hired its first CIO.  Tom Conophy was appointed to the senior most IT position inside the hospitality company.  He will start his new job later this month.  Conophy, 45, will report directly to CEO Andrew Cosslett and will sit on InterContinental’s executive committee.  Conophy most recently worked for Starwood Hotels & Resorts where he served as EVP and CTO.  Prior to Starwood, he was SVP of strategic architecture at Sabre.  He’s also held senior technology management posts at Galileo International and Century Analysis.  The executive search firm Egon Zehnder placed Conophy with InterContinental.

Paul Gallagher joined WellPoint as SVP of enterprise operations.  He reports to Mark Boxer, EVP of technology and operations and CIO at the North Haven, Conn.-based health benefits company. (Boxer replaced Ron Ponder as CIO at the end of 2005.)  Gallagher is responsible for developing and implementing enterprise-wide strategies for increasing operational efficiency, lowering costs and improving customer service. (Don’t lowering costs and improving customer service cancel each other out?  I guess succeeding at both will be Gallagher’s challenge.)  Gallagher comes to WellPoint from AXA Financial, where he served as SVP of service delivery.  Prior to AXA Financial, he was president of Fidelity Service Company (the transfer agent for Fidelity’s retail business) and an EVP for Fidelity Brokerage Company.