CIO Announcements from New Age Electronics, Netgear and more

Sam Changizi was promoted from IT director to CIO at New Age Electronics yesterday. The promotion recognizes the leadership role Changizi has played in developing and executing an e-commerce strategy and in implementing ERP solutions for the Carson, Calif.-based provider of logistics, distribution and remanufacturing services. Changizi joined New Age in early 2005.

In the flurry of CIO announcements that hit the newswires last week, I failed to post a few so I’m reporting them today. 

Corporate Office Properties Trust created its first CIO position and hired Stephen Kutzer to fill it.  Kutzer reports to EVP and CFO Stephen E. Riffee. Kutzer joined the Columbia, Md.-based real estate investment trust from Washington, D.C.-based CarrAmerica Realty Corp., where he served as SVP of IT.  Prior to joining CarrAmerica in 2002, Kutzer held positions with KPMG Consulting, The World Health Organization and James Martin & Co.

Networking products provider Netgear hired a Lucent defector as its first CIO.  Tom Holt most recently served as Lucent’s vice president of IT strategy and planning. He also served as VP and CIO of Lucent Worldwide Services during his seven year tenure with the Murray Hill, N.J.-based company.  Lucent hired a new CIO in April to replace Ruth Bruch, who left the Murray Hill, N.J.-based company in February 2006 for a job with Kellogg. 

Orchard Supply Hardware recruited Martin (Marty) Hodgett, a senior partner in Accenture’s retail practice, to serve as the San Jose, Calif.-based home improvement retailer’s CIO.  Hodgett is living proof that you can transition from consulting to corporate CIO. Though I don’t know this for a fact, I’m sure Orchard Supply Hardware viewed Hodgett’s experience working with such retail luminaries as Best Buy, eBay and Starbucks while at Accenture as a major asset.