Speakers

• Linda Betz
  Dir., IT Policy & Info. Security IBM Corporation
  
  

  Linda Betz has been with IBM for 23 years. She currently is the Director of IT Policy and Information Security in the Office of the CIO. In this capacity, Betz and her team are responsible for setting the company's internal security strategy, leading security initiatives that protect IBM's IT infrastructure and driving the infrastructure to be more autonomic. Additionally, Betz owns IBM's IT Security Corporate Instructions and Standards and is responsible for their annual review. Her team works with Business Units to set the security direction of the enterprise and ensures compliance. Betz is responsible for leading the corporate Privacy Center of Expertise, assisting business units with privacy questions and issues, and improving process and tools around privacy. Betz is also the business owner in the CIO for Disaster Recovery and Business Continuity, advocating the strategy and changes needed in this area for IBM.

  Among Betz's previous assignments, she helped draft the strategy for IBM's security products and was the Security Initiative Manager for IBM's Systems and Technology Group and the product owner for RACF (Resource Access Control Facility). She also has held various management jobs in product development and internal IS application development.

  Betz is a member of the Board for WEPAN (Women in Engineering Programs and Advocates Network), whose mission focuses on bringing women into engineering programs in higher education. She also is a mentor for Women Unlimited, an independent organization that grows women's leadership skills.

  She has a B.S. degree in Computer Science and Mathematics from SUNY Albany and an M.S. in Computer Science from Marist College. She has a Master's Certificate from George Washington University in Project Management and is a certified Project Management Professional.

• Ward Chapin
  CIO Vancouver Organizing Committee for the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games
  
  

  For an optimist, Ward Chapin spends a lot of time these days thinking about what can go wrong. It's not surprising: as VANOC's Chief Information Officer, he is leading the team that will implement and manage all the technology and systems critical for staging the Vancouver 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games. Chapin's scope of responsibility is as diverse as the technology and the systems he oversees, spanning day-to-day office requirements for 1,200 staff to systems that manage the accreditation, communication, security and transportation functions for all Games' participants. The coordination of timing and scoring systems for all competitive events is another of his key areas, as is working with broadcasters to meet their technical requirements. In addition, Chapin and his team are liaising closely with immigration and security officials to ensure a foolproof interface between their respective information systems.

  A longtime executive with HSBC Bank, Chapin built a progressive career with the financial services company in Canada and abroad. Prior to joining VANOC, he was responsible for Information Technology Operations for the HSBC Investment Bank in London, England. He also spent more than three years in Paris as Director of IT Operations, assisting with the integration of HSBC's acquisition of CCF Bank, a federation of 11 banks. During his tenure with HSBC Bank Canada, Chapin served as Vice President, Technical and Corporate Services, and also held various IT-related roles in information systems auditing, systems development and IT operations.

  Chapin began his career in audit while at Montreal Trust, moving on to operational and information systems positions for CitiBank, Toronto Dominion Bank and Bank of BC. As one of the first experts in automated teller machines, he quickly became a popular figure on the North American IT speakers' circuit.

  After several years in Europe, Chapin is pleased to be back home and considers his opportunity to work for Canada's Games a privilege. He also hopes that, through technology, one of the many legacies of the 2010 Winter Games will be improved accessibility for people with a disability.

  Raised in Montreal, where he learned to speak French, Chapin graduated from McGill University with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Industrial Relations. He and his wife now live in Vancouver. When he's not imagining possible technical glitches, Chapin can likely be found pursuing his passion for sports in the stands, on the golf course, or on a ski hill. Enthusiastic travelers, he and his wife are committed to one day visiting Budapest and Venice, the last two places on their top 20 list of travel destinations.

• Charles Kirk
  CIO Celestica Inc.
  
  

  As Celestica’s Chief Information Officer, Charles Kirk is responsible for the organization’s global information technology strategy and infrastructure. He oversees Celestica’s strategic investments in streamlined IT tools and processes that drive business value and competitive advantage for Celestica's customers.

  Before joining Celestica, Kirk held the position of Senior Vice President and Chief Information Officer at GeoLogistics Corporation, where he was responsible for the company’s global IT systems and strategy. Prior to that, he was Senior Vice President, Information Technology at C&S Wholesale Grocers. He also previously held the positions of General Manager, Enterprise Customer Management at General Motors Corporation and Senior Vice President and Chief Information Officer at Fruit of the Loom. Prior to that, Mr. Kirk spent 14 years at Federal Express Corporation in a number of senior positions, including Vice President, International Systems.

  Kirk holds a Master of Business Administration degree from the University of Florida and a Bachelor of Arts degree from Cornell University.

• Greg Lake
  VP & Program Mgr. of Project One Celestica Inc.
  
  

  Greg Lake has overall responsibility for the success of Celestica's Project One global initiative. He represents the team, ensures ongoing alignment with the business, and is responsible for the delivery of all associated benefits. He has management responsibility over the eight teams which make up Project One, leading the Project Management Office directly. He is accountable to the Project Sponsor and CFO, and reports to the Project One Steering Committee which is comprised of Celestica's senior-most executives.

  Lake joined the company in 1988 and has held a variety of senior positions in Information Technology, Operations, and Engineering. Most recently, he held the position of Vice President IT Operations, responsible for global, regional, and site delivery of IT services. Prior roles include: General Manager Toronto Manufacturing; VP Customer Management, VP IT Europe; and VP IT Business Solutions.

  Lake holds a Bachelor of Engineering Science (Electrical) and a Bachelor of Science (Computer Science), from the University of Western Ontario, and is a registered Professional Engineer in the Province of Ontario.

• Robert Ouellette
  VP & CIO Alcan, Inc.
  
  

  Robert Ouellette joined a global Management Consulting firm in June 1987 and became a Partner in September 2001. As a Partner, he was dedicated to the Metals & Mining sector and responsible for the Natural Resources practice in Canada.

  During his consulting career he specialized in shaping and leading complex change programs to improve business performance across various business functions (Finance, Sales and Marketing, Procurement, Production, Process Control, and others). Ouellette gained international experience through leading global programs such as Shared Services and Post-Merger Integration effort.

  Since 2001, Ouellette had global relationship responsibility for Alcan where he led many key initiatives. He joined Alcan in March 2006 as Vice President of Corporate Information Technology where he brought experience in leveraging technology to optimize business performance. On January 26, 2007, he was appointed Chief Information Officer and expanded his responsibilities to include the strategic coordination of the company's Shared Services initiatives in the area of Finance, Human Resources and Information Technology.

  Born in Montreal, Ouellette is a graduate of Ecole Polytechnique de Montreal Engineering School at the University de Montreal. He is a member of the Quebec Order of Professional Engineers since 1987. He is also a member of the CIO Executive Board.

  In his spare time, he likes running (having completed nine marathons), biking and snowboarding.

• Atefeh Riazi
  CIO & Senior Partner, Worldwide IT Ogilvy & Mather Worldwide
  
  

  Atefeh (Atti) Riazi is Senior Partner and Chief Information Officer of Ogilvy and Mather Worldwide, a leading global Marketing and Communications agency with 497 offices in 125 countries supporting more than 2,300 clients. With over 14,000 employees worldwide working in over fifty languages, Ogilvy and Mather's client list includes a roster of blue chip brands that include American Express, BP, DuPont, Ford, GSK, Gillette, IBM, Kimberly-Clark, Kodak, Kraft, Mattel, Motorola, Nestle, Unilever, and YUM. In her role as CIO, Riazi's focus is in driving the technology strategy to create efficient business processes across the organization. Throughout her career, she has had a tremendous track record of innovation and successful large-scale deployments allowing for productivity gains and competitive advantage.

  Riazi oversees the global systems and infrastructure network supporting an integrated, cross-discipline organization providing marketing communications across all media. Under her leadership, Ogilvy and Mather has earned a place on InformationWeek's 500 list of innovative IT organizations and is viewed in the advertising sector as a leader in new and innovative technologies.

  Riazi is a graduate of Electrical Engineering with over 23 years experience managing large organizations, private and public, in the manufacturing, engineering, advertising and transportation sectors. Most recently, she was Vice President and CIO of Technology for MTA New York City Transit and was responsible for implementing the $1.5B MetroCard in New York City.

  Riazi has published many articles and studies. She speaks frequently on issues involving technology, organizations and the workplace. She has delivered keynote addresses and seminars globally and serves on the board of major financial and marketing organizations.

• Don Rippert
  CTO Accenture
  
  

  As Chief Technology Officer, Don Rippert is responsible for Accenture's technology vision and strategy. He has direct responsibility for Accenture Technology Labs (Accenture's R&D organization) as well as over 800 software architects working with Accenture clients in the field. Accenture Technology Labs is tasked with identifying and incubating emerging technologies and technology-related businesses with relevance to Accenture. Software architects under Rippert's responsibility focus on Service Oriented Architectures, Java, efficient legacy systems replacement and Enterprise Integration.

  Additionally, Rippert oversees the Accenture High Performance IT Program, which examines, through on-going research with CIOs around the world, the relationship between IT investments and high performance business. He is a frequent speaker at industry events and serves as an expert resource for corporate and government executives on technology issues and trends.

  Rippert is proud to have spent his entire, 26 year professional career working for Accenture. Before assuming the role of CTO of Accenture, Rippert was a Managing Partner in Accenture's Communications and High Technology (C&HT) Operating Group and ran C&HT's Global Solutions Group (GSG), which has global responsibility for product development, alliances, technology and marketing for C&HT. Prior to becoming the Managing Partner-GSG, Rippert held a number of positions within Accenture spanning the spectrum of roles, from client group partner to project manager to programmer.

  Rippert graduated from the University of Virginia in 1981. He resides in Northern Virginia with his family.

• Jim Robson
  SVP & CIO Great-West Life, Canada Life
  
  

  Jim Robson is Senior Vice President, Information Services and CIO for Great-West Life and Canada Life. He is responsible for I.S. account management, application development, system integration and software support activities in Winnipeg, Toronto and Regina.

  Robson's background includes experience as a senior manager with government, retail and insurance industries. His experience is in strategic systems planning, major system integration, project management, business systems analysis, systems life cycle methodologies, and business process redesign. His management experience includes significant responsibility for strategic and operational planning, human resource management, financial management, program management. Robson's systems experience includes Financial, Human Resource Management, Investment, Group Life and Health systems on mainframe, local area networks, client server and WEB environments. He is a graduate of the Business Administration and Computer Analysts Programmer programs from Red River College in Winnipeg.

• JP Savage
  SVP & CTO Scotiabank
  
  

  As Scotiabank's Chief Technology Officer, JP Savage is responsible for designing and operating a world-class, cost effective technology infrastructure that meets the current and future business needs of the Scotiabank. Savage has more than 25 years of information technology experience within the finance industry. Upon joining Scotiabank in 1998, he has held senior positions in the areas of application development, networking and systems and operations. Prior to joining Scotiabank, he was an Account Executive with IBM sales and marketing.

  Savage holds a Bachelor's degree in Computer Science from Concordia University, Montreal, and a Masters of Business Administration in International Finance from York University, Toronto.

• Karenann Terrell
  Corporate VP & CIO Baxter International, Inc.
  
  

  Karenann Terrell is Corporate Vice President and Chief Information Officer of Baxter International Inc., and has responsibility for the company's global information technology function supporting Baxter's businesses worldwide, including its sales, manufacturing, science and technology, and supply chain operations. Baxter International Inc., through its subsidiaries, assists healthcare professionals and their patients with treatment of complex medical conditions, including cancer, hemophilia, immune disorders, kidney disease and trauma. The company applies its expertise in medical devices, pharmaceuticals and biotechnology to make a meaningful difference in patients' lives.

  Terrell joined Baxter in April 2006 from DaimlerChrysler Corporation where she most recently served as Vice President and Chief Information Officer, Chrysler Group and Mercedes Benz North America. Prior to this, she spent 16 years at General Motors where she had responsibility for brand development and e-business management.

  Terrell is a member of the Board of Directors for Women in Technology International. She earned her Master's Degree in Electrical Engineering from Purdue University, and her Bachelor of Science degree in the same field from General Motors Institute.

• John Thorp
  Author of "The Information Paradox" President, The Thorp Network
  
  

  John Thorp is an internationally sought-after management consultant with close to 45 years' experience in the information management field. Author of "The Information Paradox", Thorp's focus is on helping organizations realize the benefits of IT-enabled change. Over the last five years, his work has extended beyond IT to the broader issues of Enterprise Value Management, and Strategic Governance. He is currently working with the IT Governance Institute (ITGI) to research, develop and promote Val IT, an open internationally accepted standard of best practices for optimising the value of IT-enabled change building on their existing COBIT framework.

• Hao Tien
  Director & CIO Toyota Canada, Inc.
  
  

  Hao Tien is the Director and Chief Information Officer of Toyota Canada. As CIO, he is currently responsible for all technology aspects of the Sales, Marketing and Distribution arm of Toyota, Lexus, and Industrial Equipment in Canada, and a network of 250+ dealers across Canada. In addition, he is the Director and Champion of the Enterprise Customer Focused program, branded CustomerOne. He is also responsible for the Strategic Planning group, establishing strategic direction and long term vision for Toyota Canada.

  Tien joined Toyota Canada in 1999, and also has had a variety of additional responsibilities within Toyota, including Corporate Planning, Business Innovation and Dealer Systems. Previously, he spent nine years with Canadian Pacific Railway in various IT management capacities. He has an Electrical Engineering degree from University of Waterloo, an MBA degree from the Richard Ivey School of Business, and is a registered Professional Engineer in Ontario.

• Robert Webb
  Corporate VP & CIO Equifax Inc.
  
  

  Robert Webb is Corporate VP and CIO for Equifax Inc., where he has global responsibility for systems strategy, enterprise planning systems and architecture, technology infrastructure, data center operations and applications development across multiple lines of business. Webb provides IT leadership across the enterprise and ensures that IT investments are aligned with corporate strategy, regulatory requirements and industry best practices.

  Previously, he held several leadership positions within General Electric, most recently as the Managing Director of GE Vendor Financial Services Canada. Webb has also worked in Europe, Greater China and Japan as a Management Consultant for Andersen Consulting (now Accenture) and Electronic Data Systems.

  He plays an active role in several premier technology associations, including the Georgia CIO Leadership Association. Webb is also dedicated to a number of service and civic groups, including United Way, March of Dimes and Habitat for Humanity.