New IT Execs at Time Inc., Spark Networks and more

A bunch of announcements came in yesterday…

Michael Heschel, the former CIO of grocery story chain Kroger, joined wireless infrastructure solutions provider Altierre‘s advisory board. Heschel retired from Kroger in 2006.

Time Inc. promoted Mitch Klaif to SVP of IT. He most recently served as the company’s deputy CIO and VP of global magazine and digital technology. In that latter position, he led the division that managed the company’s magazine, production and digital technology operations. In his new position, Klaif reports to Time Inc.’s CFO Howard Averill. Klaif has worked for the company since 1997 when he joined as director of customer service and operations for information technology. Prior to Time Inc., he was president and CEO of Viam Communications Group, a privately-held startup. He began his career in 1976 with Dow Jones and worked for the information services company for 20 years.

Greg Franchina found the right chemistry with Spark Networks, the operator of the JDate, Americansingles.com and Relationships.com online personals services. Franchina joins the Beverly Hills, Calif.-based company as its new CIO on June 1, 2007 from advertising company Spot Runner, where he was VP and CIO. Prior to Spot Runner, he worked for WeddingChannel.com as its CIO and VP of opeprations. 

Hill International hired Michael Petrisko to serve as the construction consulting firm’s first VP and CIO. Petrisko most recently served as director of global IT operations for AECOM Technology Corp., a global architecture, engineering and construction company. Prior to AECOM Technology, he worked for one of the company’s subsidiaries, DMJM Harris, as its VP and CIO. Petrisko’s 20-years of IT experience includes an earlier job with Foster Wheeler Corp. as its director of technical services.

Gaming technology company GTech hired a long-time GE CIO as its new SVP and CTO. Charles Cautley, 42, most recently served as CIO of GE Capital Solutions. Prior to GE Capital, Cautley was, at different times, the global CIO of GE Vendor Financial Services, GE Equipment Services and GE Commercial Finance Fleet Services. He also served as the European CIO and director of information technology for GE Commercial Finance Fleet Services in Belgium. In his new role with GTech, Cautley reports to Jaymin Patel, the Providence, RI-based company’s president and COO. For more background

on Cautley, see the press release GTech issued.

On another topic, CIO.com is soliciting nominations for the coolest data center mods (that is, custom PC cases.) For more information, and to submit your mod, check out Chris Lindquist’s blog post.