New CIOs at Norfolk Southern, Adobe and Olympic Steel

Norfolk Southern promoted a long-time employee to the CIO post yesterday.

Deborah Butler (pictured), the vice president of customer service, was named EVP of planning and CIO. She moves into her new role on June 1, 2007 and reports to CEO Wick Moorman. She replaces Kathryn McQuade as CIO. McQuade recently accepted the COO role at Canadian Pacific railroad.

Butler joined Norfolk Southern in 1978 as a customer account auditor. She worked in different roles in operations before being named assistant vice president of transportation customer services in 2000. Two years later she was made VP of customer service. Succeeding her in the VP of customer service role is Fredric Ehlers.

Adobe Systems hired a VeriSign executive as its new CIO. Gerri Martin-Flickinger served as VeriSign’s CIO before moving to Adobe. Martin-Flickinger reports to Mark Garrett, EVP and CFO. Before joining VeriSign as its CIO in 2005, Martin-Flickinger worked for Network Associates as its CIO. Stints with McAfee Associates and Chevron also appear on her resume. 

Esther Potash was appointed CIO of Olympic Steel. She’s worked for the Cleveland, Ohio-based company since 1998, most recently as its corporate director of strategic initiatives. Prior to Olympic Steel, she worked as a management consultant for 13 years and previously spent six years in the U.S. Navy serving as an analyst. She holds an MBA from Case Western’s Weatherhead School of Management and a BA from Miami University.