ITSMA Names CIO Panelists for 2006 Marketing Leadership Forum: Solutions from the Outside In

CIO Executive Council Members from Chevron Phillips Chemical, West Corporation, and Datapath, Inc. will discuss best practices for marketing technology solutions to CIOs

LEXINGTON, Massachusetts—April 12, 2006—ITSMA, a membership community that helps companies market and sell technology services and solutions, today announced that Larry Frazier, CIO of Chevron Philips Chemical, Jeff O’Hare, senior vice president of enterprise information technology of West Corporation, and Babak Aghevli, CIO of Datapath, Inc. will participate in a CIO panel discussion at ITSMA’s Marketing Leadership Forum on April 25-26 in San Francisco. Mark Hall, CIO of CXO Media and general manager of the CIO Executive Council, will moderate the discussion of CIO Executive Council members.

“In conjunction with the CIO Executive Council, we have invited panelists who will resonate with technology marketing leaders,” said Dave Munn, president and CEO of ITSMA. “Attendees can expect to gain a deeper understanding of how to improve the relationship between buyers and sellers of technology solutions so that they can better meet customer needs.”

About the Panelists

At CXO Media, Mark Hall is responsible for the company’s overall technology vision and strategy, including information systems, application development, and online programs. He also serves as general manager of the CIO Executive Council, a professional, member-driven association with more than 260 member CIOs. The organization is focused on giving CIOs a united voice on technology matters. Prior to taking on his current positions, Hall served as vice president of global IS at IDC, where he was in charge of IDC’s global technology infrastructure.

Larry Frazier was named CIO of Chevron Phillips Chemical in 2000 after serving as technology integration and exploitation manager for Phillips Petroleum Company. He joined Phillips in 1981 as a senior systems analyst and has held various management positions, including director of operations analysis and control, manager of computing architecture and strategies, and audit manager.

Jeff O’Hare, senior vice president of enterprise information technology at West Corporation, is responsible for providing technology vision and leadership. He leads the development and implementation of technology-based solutions that strategically enable West Corporation by leveraging agility, adaptability, enterprise focus, operational execution, and service excellence. Prior to joining West Corporation, O'Hare was SVP, enterprise technology, operations and services at Cendant Corporation, a $20B Fortune 500 company.

At Datapath, Babak Aghevli is responsible for directing IT initiatives that increase operational efficiency and support the company's growth. He is also responsible for the company's facilities operations. Aghevli brings more than 25 years of experience in information technology, program management, and software development to his responsibilities at DataPath. Prior to joining DataPath, Aghevli was vice president and chief information officer at Candle Corp.

In addition to the CIO panel, this year’s two-day forum will feature presentations from senior solutions executives who will share their experience in driving solutions success. Speakers include:

• Stephanie Anderson, Vice President of Services Solutions Sales, Avaya
• Marge Breya, Senior Vice President & Chief Marketing Officer, BEA
• Marci Meaux, Vice President, Portfolio Management, Cisco Systems
• Malcolm Frank, Senior Vice President, Marketing and Strategy, Cognizant
• Lem Lasher, Vice President & Chief Innovation Officer, CSC
• Scott Anderson, Director, Enterprise Brand Communications, Hewlett-Packard
• Tom Inman, Vice President, Marketing, Information Management Solutions, IBM

These speakers will focus on a range of solutions-specific topics including:

• Collaborating with customers
• Influencing market influencers
• Transforming sales
• Managing strategic partnerships
• Changing corporate culture

ITSMA’s Marketing Leadership Forum is an annual event designed to help solutions marketers construct a solutions business that meet the needs of customers, employees, partners, and the company as a whole.

For more information, a detailed agenda, and to register online, please visit: http://www.itsma.com/leadershipforum.

About IDG’s CIO Executive Council

The CIO Executive Council, first launched in April 2004 with operations in the United States, gives CIOs a united voice on technology matters and enables them to act as trusted, unbiased resources to one another while strengthening their businesses and collectively advancing the CIO profession. Together, members impact key industries, academia, media, venture capitalists and policy makers to shape the future of Information Technology and its role in their businesses and our global economy. Learn more at http://cioexecutivecouncil.com.

About ITSMA
ITSMA specializes in helping companies market and sell services and solutions more effectively. As a membership organization, we work with the world's leading technology, communications, and professional services providers to generate increased demand, strengthen customer relationships, and improve brand differentiation. ITSMA members include business leaders such as Accenture, BT, Cisco, Hewlett-Packard, IBM, Microsoft, SAP, and Tata Consultancy Services, among others. Our comprehensive research, consulting, and training on topics including ITSMA Account-Based Marketing ^SM, Brand Positioning, and Solutions Development provide the insight and experience companies need to improve business results. ITSMA is based near Boston, and has offices in London and Tokyo. Learn more at www.itsma.com.