Piatt steps down as IAC chairman

Bill Piatt, chairman of the Industry Advisory Council, is relinquishing his post because he has accepted a position at an organization that is not an IAC member. Venkatapathi Puvvada, the organization’s executive vice chairman, will take over, effective March 21, IAC announced today. He will complete the remainder of Piatt’s term, which ends June 30. Piatt will become chief information officer at the International Finance Corp., a component of the World Bank Group. As such, he will not be employed by an IAC member company. IAC bylaws require Executive Committee officers to be employees of member companies. The committee decided that Puvvada, chief technology officer and vice president of strategic programs at Unisys Federal, will assume the chairman’s role at the March IAC membership meeting. In a statement released by IAC, Piatt said, “It is with mixed feelings that I announce my resignation as IAC chair. It has been a great honor to serve as the leader of this exemplary organization. I am also extremely proud of what we have accomplished over the past year and excited about what lies ahead for IAC. However, the opportunity to join the World Bank’s International Finance Corp. and support their work building a vibrant private sector to alleviate poverty around the world is one I could not turn down.” In his statement, Puvvada expressed gratitude to Piatt for his contributions over the years and his leadership during the past eight months. “Bill’s visionary and inclusive leadership embodies the true spirit of IAC and has been a key factor in enabling IAC’s successful contributions over the last year,"  Puvvada said. "We wish him continued success as he moves on to this next stage of his career.” A committee is accepting nominations for Executive Committee positions that will be up for election to a 2007-2009 term, including that of the executive vice chairman, who will then become chairman in 2008. IAC is a member of the American Council for Technology.