CIO —

Dream Come True

Ron Aderhold’s goal of becoming a chief information officer began to crystallize about 10 years ago. He was then at National City, where he helped create a business consulting group designed to unite business and technology folks. He recalls, "I just saw that marrying business and technology was a critical component to a business. And I think that I’m fairly unusual in that I ride the fence between being a business and IT person."

Aderhold’s IT know-how and keen business sense recently earned him the CIO title at Richfield, Ohio-based OEConnection, the new online parts and service venture by DaimlerChrysler, Ford, General Motors and Bell & Howell. A former director of e-business for Bell & Howell, Aderhold had helped launch OEConnection’s first product, CollisionLink, which automates parts and parts information ordering processes between the franchise auto dealers and wholesale parts customers.

"My biggest accomplishment [at Bell & Howell] was helping to make this a reality and taking it from a research and development state to a company," he says. Aderhold and his team are now working to develop the company’s second product, a parts locator, which customers can use to search for hard-to-find parts.

While he helped transform a concept into a company, he admits there’s still plenty of work to be done in building the startup. That, he says, is his personal challenge. "There are so many things that have to get done to start a business. I’m involved in product development, infrastructure, Web-hosting agreements, hiring staff, business relationships, contractual issues and legal issues," says Aderhold. After 10 years of dreaming, it’s a safe bet that not much will be stopping him.

Player’s Guide

John Keast Asera

Formerly CIO at Pacific Gas and Electric, Keast joins Silicon Valley-based Asera as executive vice president of operations and customer service. Keast will head Asera’s worldwide operations and customer service departments.

Rita Khayat-Toubia Western Multiplex

Khayat-Toubia comes to Sunnyvale, Calif.-based Western Multiplex as CIO. Formerly director of global information systems controlling for Hoechst Marion Roussell, Khayat-Toubia is responsible for project management, application development, infrastructure management, organizational development and process engineering.

Vincent T. Taylor L-3 Communications

Taylor has been named first-ever CIO of the New York City-based supplier of communications systems. Formerly director of information resource management at L-3 Communications, Taylor will oversee the company’s strategic IT efforts, including business and technical systems, e-commerce and telecommunications.

Lac Van Tran Methodist Health Care System

Formerly CIO at Children’s Hospital Boston, Tran joins Houston-based Methodist Health Care System as its new senior vice president and CIO. He will be responsible for expanding e-health development, soliciting and establishing business partnerships, and promoting standardization and common practices.

Carl Underhill Pioneer Investments

Underhill joins Boston-based Pioneer Investment Management USA as CIO. Formerly CIO at First Financial in Wellesley, Mass., Underhill is responsible for enterprisewide technology.