ALLSTATE CREATES NEW ENTERPRISE-WIDE IT STRATEGY VP POSITION

In order to better coordinate technology within the enterprise, Allstate Insurance Co. has named Anthony Abbattista to the newly created position of vice president, enterprise technology strategy and planning.

The position "was created as part of a business strategy initiative that recognized the need for a highly coordinated technology capability within Allstate," says Abbattista, who most recently was a senior partner and managing director, global competency, at DiamondCluster International. "This position was chartered to drive technology strategy and results from an enterprise perspective, while recognizing and building on the unique needs of the individual business units."

Abbattista says his experience at DiamondCluster, as well as his earlier tenures at Andersen Consulting as an associate partner and at EDS as a systems engineer, will help him approach projects with both business and technology needs in mind. "My professional career has been built at the intersection of business and technology and has ultimately encouraged me to develop strong leadership, negotiation and people skills," he says.

With responsibilities that require overseeing the enterprise architecture, technology governance, IT methodology development and shared services -- such as HR and various financial applications -- across the entire enterprise, Abbattista will need to use those people skills, as he will interact with many groups. For instance, determining enterprise strategy to support the business "involves drawing upon various business-unit technology groups to participate in development and implementation of technology strategies that support our business strategies," he adds.

According to Abbattista, his short-term goals include "further developing the charter and structure of enterprise technology functions at Allstate, and discovering new opportunities to enhance the impact of Allstate's overall technology spend." He also hopes to "create an environment where various constituent groups are having the conversations that drive efficiency, collaboration and innovation," and, "as a shared service leader, beginning to deliver a portfolio of technology services that are in demand and provide exceptional value."

Over time, the completion of his short-term goals will allow for some longer-term objectives to be met, such as enhancing Northbrook, IL-based Allstate's reputation as an innovative IT shop and "creating an environment that will allow seamless integration of Allstate technology to business functions, regardless of organizational boundaries." An additional goal involves "evolving to a set of architecture and technology platforms that allows Allstate to rapidly assess and adapt emerging technologies," Abbattista reports.

Greg MacSweeney is editorial director of InformationWeek Financial Services, whose brands include Wall Street & Technology, Bank Systems & Technology, Advanced Trading, and Insurance & Technology. View Full Bio