2007 Digest Number 1
NEXT MEETING:
TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 6, 2007 - 3:30 p.m.
The College of Physicians of Philadelphia, 19 S. 22nd Street, Philadelphia
Agenda:
3:30 PM “e-Crimes – Electronic Crime, Risk Management, and the Corporate Exposure” – Ralph Presciutti, Principal, Technology Leadership, Tatum, LLC
5:00 PM Cocktails, Networking
6:00 PM “IT and Business Alignment” – Michael L. Browne, President and CEO, and Akhil Tripathi, Senior Vice President and CIO, Harleysville Insurance
7:15 PM Dinner
Evening Speakers:
Michael L. Browne, President and CEO, and
Akhil Tripathi, Senior Vice President and CIO,
Harleysville Insurance
“IT and Business Alignment”
The Alignment of business and IT goals remains an on-going challenge for many organizations. It is critical for senior business executives and IT leaders to embrace a common strategic vision. A recent survey from the IT Governance Institute found that while 56% of the IT departments understand and support their business users needs “to a large extent”, 44% are in need of improvement.
At Harleysville Insurance, the alignment of business and IT is sustained through two processes. First, the CIO is a direct report to the CEO and is a member of the Senior Leadership Team which sets the strategic direction of the company. Secondly, an IT Governance Board has been created to review projects above a certain threshold. The meetings are focused on furthering the business strategy, not on service levels or other operational issues. At the governance board meetings, the business executives present the need for the technology investment and the expected business value. This eliminates the perception that the proposal is an IT project without a champion. The IT Governance Board also presents a final opportunity to hear from other parts of the organization concerning any potential impact to them. What are the key issues to overcome? How do you keep up company morale in times of major change?
About Our Speakers:
Michael L. Browne is the President and Chief Executive Officer of Harleysville Insurance, a $1.2 billion network of 12 property/casualty insurance companies operating in 32 states. He was elected chief executive officer in 2004, and president in 2005. He served as non-executive chairman of the board from 2003 until he was named chief executive officer. He has been a director of Harleysville Group Inc. since it went public in 1986, and was elected to the board of Harleysville Mutual Insurance Company in 2003.
Akhil Tripathi is Senior Vice President and Chief Information Officer. In this position, he directs the company’s ongoing information technology strategy, integration and development efforts. He is responsible for all automated systems, including corporate management information systems, agency interface systems, policy processing systems and emerging technologies. He also oversees related technology services, which include Harleysville’s call center, agency service center, processing and workflow operations.
Workshop Presentation:
"e-Crime – Electronic Crime, Risk Management
and the Corporate Exposure
Ralph D. Presciutti brings over 30 years experience in technology design and implementations as well as strategic design. His roles have included CIO, Director, CEO across several vertical markets including manufacturing and distribution, retail, education, legal, local and federal government. Ralph’s range of
responsibilities have included IT/Business Alignment, Systems Architecture, Business Continuance, ERP implementations, Mergers and Acquisitions, System Integrations, Infrastructure Design, Advanced
Training Programs, Vendor Contract Negotiations and SLAs, Project Management, Staff Development and Program Management. His education, experience and insight give him the wisdom to provide
strategic direction while choosing the correct technical options that provide for the agility companies need to seize competitive advantage.
Today we live in a rapidly changing economy where customer service, rapid innovation and the ability to implement business strategies are requirements to success. Information technology has become a critical partner in the creation of business strategies and when mapped to the business processes and applications, provides a road map for business growth. The ability to apply information technology effectively requires a challenging blend of business knowledge and technology awareness. It is these skills that Ralph brings to an organization.
While it is somewhat unique to remain at the cutting edge of technology for so many years, it is his entire experience in all disciplines—strategy, technology, management, and education that makes his qualifications truly unique when compared to others. In today’s economy, it is important to have a keen awareness of the importance of integrating technology into a business plan to accomplish defined goals efficiently and effectively. Ralph understands the latest technologies and knows how to lead organizations in support of their business plans. Knowing what technologies best reduce the total cost of ownership (TCO) of IT and still provide for the requirements of the strategic business plan is key to making IT function as part of the business process. Ralph participates on Tatum’s Business Alignment, Retail and Outsourcing segment teams and is the segment leader for Tatum’s eCrimes and Risk Management program in the greater Philadelphia area where he is engaged with area businesses who have adopted the eCrimes program.
How to Register for the Meeting:
The fee for cocktails and dinner is $75.00 for guests, $60.00 for academic members, members in transition, RLF members and retired members. Corporate members' dinner fees were included with the 2007 membership dues. Appropriate business attire is required.
MAKE CHECKS PAYABLE TO SIM PHILADELPHIA and send to Patricia A. Brown, Philadelphia SIM Administrator, 240 Center Point Lane, Lansdale, PA 19446.
Telephone reservations will be accepted up to the close of business on Friday, February 2, 2007 at 610-584-8546 or e-mail your reservation to . Please make your reservations promptly so that we may have an accurate count.
* Please advise if you have any special dietary restrictions or requests.
FOR YOUR CALENDAR:
2007 MEETING DATES and EVENTS
Regular Chapter Meetings:
February 6, April 10, Wednesday, June 6, October 2, and December 4, 2007
CIO Roundtables:
April 18 and October 24, 2007(By invitation only to our CIO Members)
CIO Forum and Executive IT Summit:
May 2-3, 2007 (By invitation to Philadelphia Area Chapter SIM members in good standing by the conference organizers)
Breakfast Meeting:
March 21, 2007 – Update on “Wireless Philadelphia” – Pennsylvania Convention Center
Golf Outing:
Date TBD
MEMBER NEWS:
The Chapter Welcomes Our New Members
Bill Hazel, Director, Network Services
Arkema
Jim Pickens, VP Info. Technology
MedQuist
Vishal Agrawal, Chief Architect
Keystone Mercy Health Plan
Ken Krieger, CIO
The Judge Group
Leona Thomas
(transferred from the Portland Chapter)
Steve Kent, Business Applications Manager
Subaru of America
Daisy Pfiffner, Business Applications Manager
Subaru of America
OF INTEREST TO OUR MEMBERS
The chapter welcomes and needs its volunteers. Specifically, the Communications and Programs Teams are looking for assistance. If you are interested in volunteering, contact Pat Brown at , or call 610-584-8546.
Our own John Carrow of UNISYS will be a featured speaker at “Emerging Technologies in the Enterprise” to be held at Drexel University on March 28-29. For more information, go to: www.phillyemergingtech.com.
Team Updates:
TMP: The SIM Transition Membership Program (TMP) was created to support SIM members through their search for employment. Members in transition (“Participants”) are defined as members who are currently not employed or who know they will not be employed within the next three months because their company is downsizing or closing. SIM TMP provides a focused process to help members in transition leverage the value of the SIM network and resources in their quest for a new challenge.
Going through career transition can be a very challenging and difficult process, but also one that can be very liberating. It can be a great opportunity for participants to take a fresh look at what they really want to be doing with their career, what activities they are good at doing, and what they really enjoy doing. Beyond simply providing a good source of job leads and advice, the SIM Transition Membership Program provides validation that career transition is a normal and common experience that all of us go through in the course of our careers.
Benefits:
An additional avenue for Participants to pursue new career opportunities
Provides Participants with an opportunity to learn about new fields of endeavor
Participants receive confirmation that this is a normal and expected part of professional life
Upon identification of a need, companies may forward job-opening descriptions to the TMP Program Chair or Philadelphia Chapter Administrator who will then circulate to the current Participants
Provides a mechanism for companies to obtain highly qualified professionals, sans recruiting fees, while minimizing risk by dealing with known individuals
Complies with the SIM "no solicitation" policy by having Participants contact recruiters and companies directly upon receiving job-opening descriptions voluntarily provided by the companies
If you know of an opportunity, please forward it to Pat Brown at (610-584-8546), to have these opportunities presented to the current members in transition.
The Chapter is sorry to report that the leader and long-time Chair of the TMP will be leaving SIM and the IT industry. Scott Drinnan has done an outstanding job in providing our chapter’s members in transition with a an invaluable service. Please send Scott your good wishes for his future when you see him at the February 6 meeting. Scott requested that this message be sent to our membership:
After doing much "soul searching" over the holiday break, I've decided tofocus my limited time and attention in my new career endeavor, HumanResources, and the related networking group (SHRM). Given this, I have decided to resign from the SIM Philadelphia Chapter. We are currentlyin the process of identifying a new chair for the TMP program. I am planning on attending the Feb 6 chapter meeting to say my final “farewell”. – Scott Drinnan
Programs: The Programs Committee is always looking for interesting topics for meeting presentations. If you have ideas, or have seen presentations, that you feel would be of interest to the SIM membership, please contact Yvonne Cook at or Pat Brown at .
Membership: SIM membership continues to grow with270 members coming into 2007. The SIM Membership team identifies and evaluates prospective members. We are currently focused on adding large and mid-cap CIO’s to our mix. The membership team is always looking for new CIO’s to reach out to, so please email Pat Brown at with anyone who you think would be a great addition to our group. Our recently added members include those listed in "The Chapter Welcomes Our New Members" section above. We look forward to a great year ahead.
WEB RESOURCES:
Keep current with SIM International by visiting www.simnet.org.
While there, visit the Philadelphia Chapter page at http://www.simnet.org/Content/NavigationMenu/Chapter-Philadelphia/Overview4/Overview.htm.
NOTES:
§ Solicitation - In order to ensure high standards and professionalism in our organization, we would appreciate that all members keep in mind our chapter’s strict policy of non-solicitation at SIM events and the prohibition of using the SIM membership list for commercial purposes. Violation of this policy may result in loss of the offending member’s membership. If you encounter a problem of this nature, please let us know so that the matter can be addressed and corrected.
§ If you know of a prospective SIM member and are not certain whether he/she meets our membership criteria, please contact our Membership Chair, Cari Kraft, at for guidance.
§ CHAPTER GUEST POLICY
The Philadelphia Chapter of SIM has endeavored to keep our membership balance of senior-level executives, practitioners, academics and consultants in line with the guidelines established by SIM International. In an effort to keep that balance and maintain a standard of conduct at meetings, the Board of Directors has approved the following policies regarding guests and a SIM Code of Conduct.
As the number of members within the Chapter expands along with the number of guests at meetings, the Board of Directors feels that a formal policy concerning guest attendance at Chapter functions will assist members in offering invitations and help guide proper behavior at Chapter functions. The goal is to ensure that attendees at our events reflect the balance of practitioners and non-practitioners in our bylaws and preserve SIM meeting etiquette.
Please note that this policy is not meant to reduce the number of guests attending meetings. We recognize that our meetings are one of the most valuable ways to attract new SIM members and encourage everyone to bring guests that meet the SIM practitioner criteria.
Who qualifies as a guest?
Members are permitted to invite colleagues to any SIM regular dinner meeting or breakfast meeting under the following guidelines:
· Guests meet the Chapter practitioner membership criteria.
· Practitioner members may bring a subordinate or another member of their company who has a particular interest in the topic being covered at a workshop or evening session.
· Members of other SIM chapters
In order to ensure that the 15% consulting cap we maintain in our membership makeup is reflected in our event attendance, members will not be permitted to bring consultants as guests unless prior approval is received from the Membership Chair.
If you have a question about your category of membership, contact the Chapter administrator (Pat Brown) at .
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