Met Reorgs IT's Human Assets

Three IT executives at MetLife will have new responsibilities after a reorganization aimed at improving efficiency and leveraging the human assets of the company, says Daniel Cavanagh, executive vice president of operations and technology.

"With someone retiring," Cavanagh says, referring to the departure of Richard Small, vice president and CIO of MetLife Auto & Home, "you get a chance to look at the talent of the organization and you want to put people in positions where they can grow. The idea is to move people from IT into the business area and vice versa. That gives us a better working relationship."

Peggy Fechtmann, previously the CIO for Corporate Systems, will assumeresponsibility for Individual Business (IB) Operations as senior vice president. With Fechtmann's move to IB, Georgette Piligian, formerly head of e-business efforts for the Institutional IT organization, has been named CIO for Corporate Systems. She will also lead MetLife's enterprise-wide e-business program.

Also, Lawrence Blakeman will succeed Small as vice president/CIO of MetLife Auto & Home. Blakeman previously held the position of vice president and client-relations executive responsible for providing IT services for enterprise-wide financial systems.

"This is a win-win," Cavanagh says. "It is a win for the people, as it sharpens their focus, and it is a win for the organization."

But even with the re-organization, there are some downsides, admits Cavanagh. "You always lose a little bit of momentum when people take over positions that are new to them," he says. Also, deciding who to appoint was difficult. "If there was only one other person qualified to fill the slot, that is not a good thing. It was a tough choice, and that was a good thing."

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