Blog: Promotions at the CME and Citi

Jim Krause is retiring from the CME Group on June 30. Krause, who currently serves as managing director and CIO, has worked for the derivatives exchange for 23 years. He has been involved with every major technology initiative that the exchange has undertaken since 1985, including the design, development and implementation of the CME Globex electronic trading platform, the Clearing 21 clearing system, and the integration of the Chicago Board of Trade (CBOT) with the Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME.)

Deputy CIO Kevin Kometer will succeed Krause in the CIO role and will report to CME Group COO Bryan Durkin. Kometer, 43, has worked for the CME for 14 years. As deputy CIO and managing director, he was responsible for the development and quality management of the CME Group's trading systems for options and futures. He was also in charge of leading the effort to move CBOT products that were traded on the CBOT's electronic trading platform to the CME's electronic trading platform.

In February, the CME announced a number of promotions in its IT department, one of which was Kometer's appointment to the deputy CIO post.

Financial services giant Citi appointed Deborah Hopkins, 53, to a new position inside the company--chief innovation officer--on May 14. According to the press release announcing Hopkins' appointment, her new role brings together strategy, IT, and research and development "to drive cross-business, client-focused innovation across the company." She will be responsible for developing new ways to collaborate with external constituencies, such as venture capital firms, academic institutions and current and prospective clients. She will also be responsible for harnessing creativity across the company and for creating efficiencies across products and regions. Hopkins currently serves as managing director and senior advisor for Citi's Institutional Clients Group--a title she will retain in her new role. From 2003 to 2005, she was chief operations and technology officer and chief information security officer for Citi.

Joseph Robinson moved into the EVP and CIO role at Fifth Third Bancorp on May 8. He had been serving as director of the bank's central operations division. He has worked for Fifth Third since 2004. Prior to Fifth Third, Robinson was CIO of GE Insurance. In his new role, Robinson reports to Greg Carmichael, Fifth Third's EVP and COO. From 2004 to 2006, Carmichael served as EVP of information technology and operations. Raymond Dury most recently served as Fifth Third's CIO. He was appointed in November 2006, and according to a corporate PR person, he left earlier this year.

Satellite TV provider Dish Network hired Mike McClaskey earlier this month to be its CIO. McClaskey will manage an IT department with more than 900 staff (that number includes outside contractors.) He's also responsible for developing the US-based company's IT mission, strategic objectives and tactical plan. McClaskey most recently spent 12 years with Perot Systems. He was named CIO and senior leader for its infrastructure solutions group in 2002. Prior to that, he was group director for new business development in the global infrastructure solutions group. CarterBaldwin Executive Search recruited McClaskey for the position at Dish.

Allan Hackney joined John Hancock Financial Services as its SVP and CIO on April 30. According to the press release announcing Hackney's hire, he's "accountable for developing and executing strategies that increase productivity and efficiency, improve operating risk management and enhance the technical talent across the enterprise." Hackney joins John Hancock from AIG Consumer Finance Group where he was CIO. Prior to AIG, he was SVP of IT for Bank of America Commercial Finance. Previously, he worked for GE Capital for 17 years in the US and in Japan. He lead GE Capital's effort to ingrain Six Sigma in its IT function.

Bennett International Group, which does marketing for its transportation companies, hired Ken Ravenelle to serve as its CIO. Ravenelle comes to the US-based company from Samarion where he was SVP of software development and senior director of software technology. Prior to Samarion, he was EVP and COO of 2C Computing. He also previously worked for Motorola as senior director and vice president of internet technology and for Intel as senior director of strategic software technology and special advisor to the CEO.