About
Dan Hayes
My name is Dan Hayes and I am Chief Information Officer for J.G. Wentworth. J.G. Wentworth, based in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania USA, is the nation’s largest purchaser of future payments, offering a lump sum of cash to individuals who hold assets in the form of structured settlements and annuities.
Prior to joining JGW, I was Chief Information Officer for Storeroom Solutions in Radnor, PA. Storeroom Solutions (SSI) is a leading integrated supplier of MRO parts and services in the food, pharmaceutical, and manufacturing industries. I was recruited to SSI from my position as Director of Consulting at Chariot Solutions, the pre-eminent Enterprise Java consultancy in the greater Philadelphia area. There I had the opportunity to work on and lead numerous enterprise projects for clients such as GSI Commerce, PJM, and Storeroom Solutions (who later hired me to be their CIO). I also had the opportunity to champion the SOA and Spring practices, meeting and working with some really smart folks along the way.
I wasn’t always a propeller head. Upon receiving my MBA from Columbia University in 1988, I launched a 10+ year career in the insurance industry, including 6+ years as an executive with Progressive Insurance. However, after co-founding Kemper Auto and Home Insurance with my long time associate and friend David Miller, I began to rapidly migrate toward the dark side that is technology. We founded Kemper A&H in 1997, just as things were heating up in the dot-com era. Originally organized as a direct marketing subsidiary of Kemper Insurance, we quickly embraced the internet as a primary means of attracting customers. We also invested heavily in technology for hitting remote rating servers, underwriting agencies, etc. Kemper A&H was the first auto insurer to offer real-time quote and bind capability over the web.
We sold our management interest in KAH in 2001 and I took the opportunity to focus on technology, specifically Java architecture and business rules engines. We used Blaze Advisor (now part of Fair Isaac) at KAH but I was also very familiar with ILOG JRules. Over the next three years I consulted and educated myself at a break neck pace. I was received an advanced degree in software engineering from Penn State Great Valley, became an integration partner with ILOG for JRules, and received certification as a J2EE Enterprise Architect from Sun Microsystems. I was hooked forever.
Now I’m settling in as a hands on senior technology executive, a sort of new breed of senior IT leadership. This type of leader blends a detailed understanding of the technology with strategic acumen and managerial experience.
This blog is dedicated to publishing my thoughts on various trends, concepts, and technologies important to understanding where things are headed. While technology is the focus, I will also add some thoughts on leadership, strategy, focus and other topics relevant to the hands on senior technology executive.
