Wells Fargo & Company (NYSE:WFC) announced today that Senior Executive Vice President Kevin Rhein, who serves as chief information officer (CIO) and head of the Technology & Operations Group (TOG), and as a member of the company’s Operating Committee (OC), will retire at the end of March 2016 after more than 37 years with the company.
With Rhein’s retirement, TOG’s three main divisions will move under the responsibility of other members of the company’s Operating Committee, effective February 1, 2016.
Enterprise Information Technology, led by Scott Dillon, will report to CFO John Shrewsberry. This change will enhance coordination of Wells Fargo’s strategic initiatives, as the company’s Strategy Group also reports to Shrewsberry. In addition, Dillon will serve as the company’s new Chief Technology Officer.
Enterprise Data and Analytics, led by Chief Data Officer A. Charles Thomas, will report to Chief Administrative Officer Hope Hardison. This change will facilitate easier connectivity between the data and analytics function headed by Thomas and functions within the CAO’s organization that also use data insights and trends to anticipate and meet customers’ needs.
TOG Operations, led by Jerry Enos, will report to Senior EVP Avid Modjtabai. In addition to leading the company’s Consumer Lending Group, Modjtabai is leading a company-wide initiative to streamline and simplify operations across business lines.
“Kevin is an extraordinary leader who has provided leadership across multiple lines of business and functional areas throughout his career,” said CEO John Stumpf. “In 2011, he modeled Wells Fargo’s philosophy of developing its leadership pipeline by rotating top talent across lines of business and organizations when he moved from head of Wells Fargo’s Card Services and Consumer Lending group to take on his current role as CIO and head of TOG. Kevin has been a long-time advocate for team member engagement, culture, diversity and inclusion, mentoring, and well-being. Kevin exemplifies our values and culture in all that he does. He has inspired many of us, including me.”
As CIO and head of TOG, Rhein is responsible for core technology activities including computing services, connectivity services, application development, business continuity planning, and enterprise technology architecture. His operations responsibilities include check processing, statement processing, ATM operations, wires, fraud disputes, cash vaults, lockbox, accounting support for retail stores, deposit document retention and the Enterprise Patent Office. His data and analytics responsibilities include data governance, management and analytics.
“It has been a privilege to be part of such a remarkable company like Wells Fargo for nearly four decades,” Rhein said. “It has been a wonderful journey that my colleagues have made even more special. I’m so grateful for the opportunities I’ve been given throughout my career and for all the experiences and memories that I’ll take with me into my retirement.”