CarterBaldwin Recruits CIO for CCRM Fertility

January 25, 2022 – The chief information officer is considered one of the most strategic roles in any organization. Still, head hunting within the function remains challenging, as skilled C-suite IT professionals are among the toughest to find. Recently, CarterBaldwin Executive Search assisted in the recruitment of Wade Lowder as chief information officer for Denver-based fertility service CCRM Fertility (CCRM). Jennifer Sobocinski led the assignment along with Ted Wieber. A seasoned senior healthcare technology executive, Mr. Lowder will lead the CCRM information technology team through an expectation of significant growth, determining IT strategy and scale. Mr. Lowder joins CCRM from InnovAge, where he was senior vice president of technology and managed the IT strategies, administration and expansion as the company doubled in size. Prior to that, he was with Kaiser Permanente as director of mergers, acquisitions and organization change management, and at Prologis, as VP infrastructure and operations.

Founded in 1987 by Dr. William Schoolcraft, CCRM Fertility quickly achieved international recognition for clinical excellence and advanced research in the field of reproductive medicine and established itself as a global pioneer in fertility science, research and treatment. CCRM offers patient care and access to a network of physicians, a full suite of fertility services, innovative technology, and cutting-edge labs.

Headquartered in Atlanta, CarterBaldwin provides executive search services in the healthcare, technology, non-profit, consumer services, industrial and media/telecom sectors. Its clients include name-brand institutions, such as KPMG, ADP, Teradata, First Data, Duke University, Pepperdine University, New York Life, Fleet Pride and Berkshire Hathaway. The firm is listed among a variety of rankings published by Hunt Scanlon Media, including its Top 50, Private Equity Power 100, and Top 40 Higher Education Search Firms.

Range of Clients

Ms. Sobocinski is a founding partner of CarterBaldwin and works across all industries with a deep concentration in the industrial and technology industries. She specializes in executing CEO, C-level officer, and VP-level searches for public and private clients. Most of her clients range from privately-held/emerging enterprises to Fortune 1,000 companies in the manufacturing, industrial and technology sectors. She has also partnered with numerous boards of directors of privately-held (often family-owned) businesses across the country to recruit their first outside executive leaders, ranging from the CEO to the necessary supporting leadership team.

Mr. Wieber has significant international experience working within corporations, governments and universities. He brings a vast knowledge base to both the corporate and non-profit practices within CarterBaldwin. As a consultant, Mr. Wieber partners closely on CarterBaldwin’s C-suite and VP-level roles, for both mission-driven searches as well as the firm’s diverse client base.

CIO Recruiting

Over the past year, a number of organizations have turned to executive search firms to help them find top flight CIOs. Here are a few of the top assignments tracked by Hunt Scanlon Media:

Chapel Hill Solutions recently assisted in the recruitment of Mark Lauteren as the new chief information officer of Jackson Hospital in Montgomery, AL. Previously, Mr. Lauteren served as CIO for El Centro Regional Medical Center, where he led all aspects of information services and telecom to help the organization achieve their mission. Before that, he was CIO for Astria Health, where he was responsible for the leadership and management of the information services, clinical engineering, IT security/cybersecurity, project management office and telecommunications.

Irvine, CA-based search firm McDermott + Bull recently placed Drew Manning as the new chief information officer of KeyPoint Credit Union. The assignment was led by president Brandon Biegenzahn, vice president Michelle Davis, and senior executive recruiter Courtney Dorrel. “Drew is passionate about building alignment between the business units and the technology department,” said Brad Canfield, president and CEO of KeyPoint. “With our focus on building a leading-edge digital experience, his knowledge and experience will help KeyPoint grow and better service our members.”

Acertitude assisted in the placement of Julie Rafferty as chief information officer for private equity-backed Turkey Hill, the fourth largest-selling premium ice cream brand. Co-founder and managing partner Rick DeRose and principal Jessica Tvelia led the assignment. The search was completed in just 76 days. Ms. Rafferty brings a demonstrated track record working for diverse, global fast-moving consumer goods organizations. Most recently, she served as the chief information officer of Pinnacle Foods.