Jenks Offers Creativity

Over the nearly two decades that Bill Jenks has been a CIO, he has worked for diverse employers, from Northrup Grumman to the Chicago Mercantile Exchange to international advertising and media company Publicis Groupe (Paris). According to Jenks, that unique background will help him look at Seattle-based Safeco's ($6.3 billion in revenue) technology challenges and opportunities with a fresh point of view as the carrier's CIO. "I don't look at it maybe the way somebody would if they had spent their whole life in insurance," he says. "I think I bring a certain creativity to the situation."

Jenks, who replaces former CIO Yom Senegor, has been hired to lead enhancements to Safeco's logistics capabilities and technology infrastructure in order to drive lower-cost delivery of auto, home and small-business insurance products, according to the company. Currently, he says, "I'm involved in an extensive assessment of where we are, looking at our application portfolio, looking at our technology frameworks, looking at our people and our processes." --A.O.

Anthony O'Donnell has covered technology in the insurance industry since 2000, when he joined the editorial staff of Insurance & Technology. As an editor and reporter for I&T and the InformationWeek Financial Services of TechWeb he has written on all areas of information ... View Full Bio