Dream Come TrueRon 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 GuideJohn Keast AseraFormerly 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 MultiplexKhayat-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 CommunicationsTaylor 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 SystemFormerly 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 InvestmentsUnderhill joins Boston-based Pioneer Investment Management USA as CIO. Formerly CIO at First Financial in Wellesley, Mass., Underhill is responsible for enterprisewide technology. Related content brandpost Sponsored by Freshworks When your AI chatbots mess up AI ‘hallucinations’ present significant business risks, but new types of guardrails can keep them from doing serious damage By Paul Gillin Dec 08, 2023 4 mins Generative AI brandpost Sponsored by Dell New research: How IT leaders drive business benefits by accelerating device refresh strategies Security leaders have particular concerns that older devices are more vulnerable to increasingly sophisticated cyber attacks. By Laura McEwan Dec 08, 2023 3 mins Infrastructure Management case study Toyota transforms IT service desk with gen AI To help promote insourcing and quality control, Toyota Motor North America is leveraging generative AI for HR and IT service desk requests. By Thor Olavsrud Dec 08, 2023 7 mins Employee Experience Generative AI ICT Partners feature CSM certification: Costs, requirements, and all you need to know The Certified ScrumMaster (CSM) certification sets the standard for establishing Scrum theory, developing practical applications and rules, and leading teams and stakeholders through the development process. By Moira Alexander Dec 08, 2023 8 mins Certifications IT Skills Project Management Podcasts Videos Resources Events SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER From our editors straight to your inbox Get started by entering your email address below. Please enter a valid email address Subscribe