February in the C-Suite, from NY to DOD

From city to federal government and in the private sector, hiring for tech leadership roles continued in February.

A new New York City CTO has pedigree

As if it weren’t enough to handle two major snowstorms last month, New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani also found time to name a new CTO, announcing Lisa Gelobter as the city’s new top tech official on February 10.

Gelobter has had a long and varied career in both the public and private sectors. In her three decades plus in the industry, she can claim experience from managing software company Macromedia, which was later acquired by Adobe, to managing digital video, products, and overall business operations for companies including NBCUniversal, Hulu, and BET.

In the last 10 years, Gelobter served in the Obama White House as chief digital service officer for the Department of Education, then founded tEQuitable, a company that aims to improve technological equity in the workplace.

In New York, she’ll focus on cybersecurity and data infrastructure, as well as overall tech concerns around access and equity.

“As CTO and Commissioner, my focus will be on using technology in service of the public good: improving delivery, strengthening accountability, and ensuring innovation reflects the needs of all New Yorkers,” Gelobter said in a statement.

Indeed snags a tech vet as CTO

Jim Giles, a longtime tech industry professional, is heading to Indeed to take on the CTO role.

The hire was announced on February 16. Giles will lead the global engineering team. Indeed CEO Hisayuki Idekoba said in a statement accompanying the announcement that Giles’s “forward-thinking approach to applying AI will help drive a step-change in our platform—ensuring our technology is built to simplify hiring and fuel Indeed’s long-term growth.”

Prior to Indeed, Giles spent nearly 12 years at Google, most recently as VP of engineering for Google Workspace projects. Before that, he worked for IBM for just over 14 years, ending his time at the company as a distinguished engineer.

Department of Defense turns to Air Force CISO to head up agency cybersecurity

On February 27, the Department of Defense said it had appointed a new department CISO and deputy CIO.

James “Aaron” Bishop will take on the duties at the agency, after serving as CISO for the Air Force since November 2021. His career includes decades in private companies in the defense space.

Bishop replaces Kate Arrington, whose career moves IT Brew has covered here and here.