December 2023’s comings and goings

It’s the new year, but we have one final order of business from 2023 to get through—namely, our “who’s in and who’s out” for the tech C-suite in December.

Chris Parkinson joined Signers National as CIO

Insurance company network Signers National hired Chris Parkinson as its new CIO on Dec. 14. Parkinson took over for Sal Abano, who’d been serving in that role alongside his duties as president. Parkinson will lead the company in its development of AI solutions, Signers said in a statement, as well as help his team “lead the next phase of technology and information advancements for Signers and its member companies.”Parkinson came to the company with 30 years of C-suite tech experience. He was most recently SVP of IT for AmTrust Financial Services, capping off a nine-year career with the company.

Jain Global picked up seven CIOs

Somebody let Snow White know that seven CIOs joined Bobby Jain’s hedge fund. The investment banker’s Jain Global has been staffing up in advance of its July debut. An internal document reviewed by Bloomberg indicated that the strategy CIOs will be responsible “for attracting and developing portfolio managers, determining risk limits and building out infrastructure.” Founder and CEO Jain will act as the firm’s top CIO.

Bark CTO Nari Sitaraman moves on

Dog product distribution company Bark will be whistling for a new CTO as the company’s current top tech officer, Nari Sitaraman, moves to another firm. Sitaraman, who has been with Bark for three years, will step down January 19, when he’s replaced by Eric Picard, the company’s current VP of product management. Sitaraman’s nine-year CTO career has included stints at The Shade Store and Crate and Barrel, following seven years at Williams-Sonoma.

After decades in public service, San Francisco CIO Linda Gerull retired

After more than six years at the position, and 40 years in public service overall, San Francisco CIO Linda Gerull has retired. Gerull said in a statement on LinkedIn that she was stepping down to help look after her new granddaughter. Michael Makstman, the city’s CISO, will serve as interim director of the Department of Technology until San Francisco finds Gerull’s replacement.