Starwood Hotels hired a former JetBlue executive as its new CIO. Todd Thompson joined the White Plains, NY-based hospitality company yesterday. Thompson reports to Vasant Prabhu, Starwood’s executive vice president and CFO, and is a member of the company’s senior leadership team. Thompson left JetBlue over the summer, having joined the company in 2003. Also yesterday, JetBlue announced it named its CTO, Charles “Duffy” Mees, VP and CIO. The low-cost airline hired Mees in August 2006 to design and implement specific technology projects intended to make the company more efficient. In his new role, Mees is responsible for all IT projects and operations. Mees reports to JetBlue founder and CEO, David Neeleman. Notably, Thompson did not report to the CEO when he worked for JetBlue: He reported to the CFO, John Owen. Last May, Owen was put in charge of IT—over Thompson—as the company’s EVP of supply chain and information technology. Thompson left Jetblue sometime after Owen was named EVP of supply chain and IT. I can’t help but wonder if JetBlue realizes it made a mistake with the Owen-Thompson reporting structure and is trying to correct it by having Mees report to Neeleman. Anyone want to hazard a guess? Related content Interview CIO Karriem Shakoor on harnessing the power of data democratization The UL Solutions tech chief aims to empower business stakeholders and improve marketing and sales effectiveness through comprehensive data transformation. By Martha Heller Mar 22, 2023 5 mins Data Management IT Leadership Feature New US CIO appointments, March 2023 Congratulations to these 'movers and shakers' recently hired or promoted into a new chief information officer role. By Martha Heller Mar 08, 2023 22 mins CIO Careers IT Leadership Interview From CIO to CEO: XPO’s Mario Harik on leveling up Since joining XPO in 2011 as CIO, Mario Harik has worked alongside founder Brad Jacobs to create a $7.7 billion business that has technology innovation in its DNA. Now he’s running the show, thanks in part to a keen understanding of how IT can By Martha Heller Mar 01, 2023 7 mins CEO CIO IT Leadership Interview Bijoy Sagar on driving digital transformation at Bayer and beyond The chief IT and digital transformation officer discusses the €44 billion ($48 billion) global company’s growth and innovation strategy — and how CIOs can prep their orgs to succeed. By Martha Heller Feb 15, 2023 7 mins Digital Transformation IT Leadership 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