After becoming CIO of the Southern Company, a Fortune 500, $14 billion regional electrical utility in the Southeast, Rebecca Blalock asked CEOs of the operating companies what they thought IT did well and what it needed to improve. She was shocked to hear one of the CEOs ask why the IT organization needed 1,000 people to support desktops. Blalock says, "We have brilliant people who can run an electric system, but they knew very little about what it takes to support the IT infrastructure." Her two key goals for IT became evident from this discovery: (1) deliver the cost efficiencies to keep the company competitive and provide customers with low rates, and (2) educate business unit leaders about the benefits of working closely with IT.
To accomplish those goals, Blalock took steps like implementing money-saving process improvements, and devising a Technology Showcase and a governance model that took the IT organization from obscurity to front-line innovation driver. Join us for an interview with Rebecca Blalock, senior vice president and CIO of the Southern Company, as she talks about being a force for positive change in her IT organization.
Bio
As senior vice president and chief information officer of Southern Company, Rebecca Blalock directs information technology strategy and operations across the 120,000 square miles and 10 subsidiaries of Southern Company. Her responsibilities include about 1,000 IT employees and a $245 million budget. During her 25-year tenure with the company, she has held leadership positions in many departments, including economic development, and office of the CEO.
She works with many professional and community organizations, including the Georgia Aquarium IT Advisory Board, IT Association of the America's CIO Council, and the City of Atlanta IT Advisory Board. The Georgia CIO Leadership Council named her CIO of the Year for 2003.
Resources
Production Credits
Elizabeth Ferrarini, Producer
Dana Farver, Executive Producer, Communities Editor-in-Chief
Tom Parish, Audio Producer, Show Host
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