Breaking the CIO Successor Paradox

It is interesting to note that a couple of the new CIOs this month were promoted from within.  These CIOs have broken what I refer to as “The CIO Successor Paradox” in The CIO Paradox, just published last month.

Despite the fact that most CIOs know that it is their executive responsibility to name and develop a successor, only a small percentage of companies typically honor that succession plan. The majority recruit their new CIOs from the outside.  Why does this matter? Well, IT strategy and implementation are long-term pursuits, and if every new CIO is building institutional (and architectural) knowledge from scratch, the IT organization will be forever changing directions. Each new CIO will have to do an archeological dig to sort out the past, and that revolving CIO door will keep spinning.

Congratulations to the CIOs (and their successors) who have broken the CIO successor paradox. On to the news.

Tenet Healthcare Corporation appointed Paul T. Browne as CIO to oversee the leadership and strategic direction of it’s IT systems. He will also continue to oversee the strategy and operations of the applied informatics department, a leadership role he has held since June 2012 when he was appointed SVP.  Browne succeeds Stephen F. Brown, who will retire in March 2013 after more than 35 years with the company.

Pamela C. Dyson was named Deputy CIO of the Securities and Exchange Commission and is responsible for modernizing the commission’s information technology systems. Dyson joined the SEC as an Assistant Director for Enterprise Operations and later promoted to CTO. Prior, Dyson was Deputy CIO for the U.S. International Trade Commission.

Michelle Garvey was named CIO at Ann, Inc., replacing Michael Sajor, who left the post in July. Ann, Inc. owns the Ann Taylor and LOFT brands which, together, have over 1,000 retail stores. Garvey previously was the CIO of The Warnaco Group for 8 years.

Weis Markets announced Shirl Stroeing as its CIO, replacing Mike Campanaro who has left the company. Stroeing has over 20 years of IT experience in the retail industry. She moves to Weis Market from Supervalu, Inc., where she was serving as operations support, service management and VP.

Jeff Wiggin was promoted from VP of IT to CIO at T-Mobile. Previously, Wiggin was VP of IT at Chico’s and Senior Director of IT at Home Depot.

Booz Allen Hamilton named Kevin Winter as CIO responsible for executing the firm’s IT infrastructure strategy, including migrating the company to the cloud, leveraging virtual and mobile technologies, and optimizing the performance and security of the company’s networks and systems. Prior to joining Booz Allen, Winter was the CISO for SRA International, Inc.

Ames Flynn has joined Rent-A-Center as CIO. Flynn has over 15 years of retail industry experience and has contributed to IT organizations at Lowe’s, Furniture Brands, and Michael’s.

Jerry Toscano was promoted to CIO and VP at BlueShield of Northeastern New York, a subsidiary of HealthNow New York. Toscano had been the interim CIO since March 2012.  Prior, Toscano was an executive with Citigroup in Rochester, and Director of IT for BlueCross BlueShield of Rochester.

Winn Dixie Stores, Inc., appointed Rick Coro as CIO, replacing Maura Hart. Coro previously served as SVP & CIO of Advance Auto Parts for 7 years.