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CIO Profiles: Kevin Zaffaroni Of Acxiom
This tech chief learned the hard way never to hand over the “keys of the kingdom” to a software vendor.
Career Track
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Kevin Zaffaroni Sr. VP of IT, Acxiom |
How long at Acxiom: Fifteen years at this marketing technology and services company.
Career accomplishment I'm most proud of: Spending 2-1/2 years integrating three businesses across seven countries. It was a life-changing experience--professionally and personally. Learning the cultures, customs, and business rules in each country was incredible. You realize that what works in the U.S. might not work elsewhere.
Most important career influencer: My first manager when I was a line manager for IBM in Austin, Texas. He taught me the IT business, leadership fundamentals, and personal life lessons I still use today, almost 30 years later. He always stressed the importance of consistent, regular communication and how associates count on it. He's why I still hold Monday morning meetings every week.
Decision I wish I could do over: Turning all the keys of the kingdom over to one software vendor with the promise of integration that simply never occurred. As a result, I'm much more cautious now.
On The Job
IT budget: $338 million
Size of IT team: 1,200
Top initiatives:
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Vision
One thing I'm looking to do better: Better management tracking and control of all our assets--people, processes, and technologies. With over 22,000 servers and 1,200 people, that's a lot to keep track of!
Lesson learned from the recession: Value every client, but make sure you protect your own interests.
What the federal government's top technology priority should be: Automating every consumer touch point. There are some wonderful examples that have improved user experiences and reduced costs. From driver's license renewal to electronic submission of tax information to payment of property taxes, technology solutions exist to modernize processes, reduce costs, and improve accuracy.
Kids and tech careers: I'd definitely encourage kids to pursue a technology career. Everything happens through technology.
Personal
Degrees: Penn State University, BS in biology--I know that's a strange major, but the scientific process has been helpful over the years
Favorite sports: College football and golf
Tech vendor CEO I respect the most: Ginni Rometty of IBM--good business sense, but with a personal touch
Smartphone of choice: BlackBerry
PC of choice: Dell
If I weren't a CIO, I'd be ... a caddy--just think of the interesting people I could meet!
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