JetBlue Moves its CFO into IT Oversight Position

Plus: La-Z-Boy Promotes CIO to Ops Post, and more CIO announcements 

Yesterday, JetBlue officially moved its EVP and CFO, John Owen, into a new position.  Owen is now executive vice president in charge of supply chain and information technology. The low-cost airline also promoted John Harvey, its SVP of corporate finance, into Owen’s previous position. JetBlue’s SVP and CIO, Todd Thompson, continues to report to Owen. Thompson was named CIO in March.

Also moving into a new position with his company is La-Z-Boy’s CIO, Otis Sawyer. Yesterday, the recliner-maker promoted Sawyer to senior vice president of corporate operations.  In his new position, he’s responsible for IT, transportation and logistics as well as fabric procurement, and he continues to report to La-Z-Boy CEO Kurt Darrow.  Sawyer was named CIO in August 2004 and has worked for the Monroe, Mich.-based company for 13 years in a variety of different positions, including as SVP of finance for its England Inc. subsidiary.

Michael Kingston joined Ann Taylor earlier this week as the women’s apparel retailer’s new CIO.  Kingston reports to Tony Romano, Ann Taylor’s EVP and chief supply chain officer.  He comes to the NYC-based company from Coach, where he led the luxury handbag maker’s supply chain and client management initiatives as VP of applications.  Prior to joining Coach in 2003, Kingston worked for another luxury goods company, LVMH, as its CIO. 

CIT Group hired Michael Baresich as its new EVP and CIO. Baresich joined the NYC-based financial services provider from Citigroup Asset Management where he was managing director and global CIO.  For more on Baresich, who founded a software company and served as its CEO, check out CIT’s press release.