CIO Partners Seeking New IT Leader for RaceTrac

September 26, 2025 – Chief information officers (CIOs) are increasingly in demand today due to the accelerating pace of digital transformation across industries. As organizations strive to harness emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence, cloud computing, cybersecurity frameworks, and data analytics, the CIO has become a critical figure in driving this change. Modern CIOs are no longer just IT gatekeepers—they are strategic leaders tasked with aligning technology initiatives with overall business goals.

In a business climate marked by rapid innovation and rising threats from cyberattacks, CIOs must ensure infrastructure resilience while enabling agility, scalability, and innovation. This evolving role, which now demands both technical acumen and executive-level strategic thinking, has led to a surge in demand for CIOs who can not only manage technology but also champion digital transformation at the enterprise level. RaceTrac recently retained CIO Partners to lead their search for the role of chief information officer.

With the retirement of John Lukas at the end of the year as vice president of information technology at RaceTrac Inc., the convenience-store retailer is creating a brand new CIO role to lead the company’s information technology team and partner with senior leadership on organization strategy. The CIO will guide the company into its next era of innovation, focused on enterprise-wide technology vision, cybersecurity, data strategy and AI adoption, a spokesperson for Atlanta-based RaceTrac told CSP.

“I’m truly humbled by the opportunity to assist RaceTrac with our technology transformation and most importantly working side by side with the best people in our industry,” Mr. Lukas said. “I’m confident that the transition will be smooth and our new IT leadership will bring fresh new experiences to RaceTrac that will support our growing needs.”

Established in 1934, RaceTrac operates a chain of gasoline service stations across the Southern United States. In 2023, Forbes ranked RaceTrac as the 18th largest private company in the United States with a yearly revenue of $19.72 billion.

Marietta, GA-based CIO Partners is focused on technology leadership searches across all industries and corporate sizes, from start-ups to Fortune 100 organizations. Founded in 2001, the firm specializes in and emphasizes that it understands the uniqueness of the top technology roles.

As president and managing partner of CIO Partners, Joe Gross leads the firm and is responsible for the strategic implementation and execution of recruitment best practices for the firm’s client partners. Under his stewardship, CIO Partners has been recognized by Forbes as the top executive search firm with a 100 percent niche in technology leadership engagements and ranked  by the Atlanta Business Chronicle as a Best Place to Work. Previously, Mr. Gross served as COO for the firm while managing, improving, and scaling all company operations.

With over 13 years of recruiting experience, Barry Cressley is executive director with the firm responsible for identifying IT leadership talent both locally and nationally. He built his reputation in the technology community by working with some of the top technologists in the Atlanta area, including .NET, Java, Scala at both the development and architect levels as well as a wide array of cloud-based projects ranging from DevOps to cloud architects (AWS, Azure, Google Cloud).

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:

Following a national search that included a highly competitive, diverse candidate pool, Harris Search Associates has recruited Darin Seiler as chief information officer of Northwest State Community College. Jeffrey Harris and Ed Christ led the assignment. Mr. Seiler has over 25 years of technology experience, driving data-informed decision-making and leading transformative IT initiatives. He most recently served as chief information officer at Adrian College where he oversaw all areas of administrative and academic technologies and led a team of seven full-time staff, and 13 part-time student workers. As CIO, Mr. Seiler spearheaded a multi-year project to migrate the campus to a new ERP cloud solution, including the student information system, admissions, billing, advancement, payroll/HR, business office, and data integrations.

Toronto-based executive search firm Massey Henry was recently retained by Prairie Payments Joint Venture (PPJV) to lead in its search for a new CIO. Reporting to the CEO, the CIO is responsible for overseeing technology architecture, infrastructure management, information systems, and information security – either delivered in-house or through third-party partners. In collaboration with the PPJV leadership team, this executive develops and maintains the technology strategy and roadmap, ensuring alignment with emerging technologies, industry standards, and corporate objectives. The search firm is looking for a seasoned technology executive with strong knowledge of the credit union ecosystem, payment systems, and broader Canadian financial services sector.

JM Search, a senior-level talent provider serving private equity investors, portfolio companies, and Fortune 1000s, recently helped to recruit Aurelian Sin as CIO of Subaru of America. Partners Bill Hogenauer and Ben Millrood led the assignment. “With more than 20 years of experience in IT leadership roles, Aurelian has developed successful IT strategies and roadmaps aligned with the business goals of each venture, making him the perfect fit for this position,” JM Search said. “Congratulations to Aurelian on his new role. We are excited for the continued success of Subaru and Aurelian.” Mr. Sin is a seasoned, IT and business executive noted for building high-performing teams and a talent for quickly understanding business needs to design and implement IT-based transformations. He has in-depth experience in ERP/SAP platforms, analytics, and cloud/SaaS technologies with hands-on operations and performance management experience. Mr. Sin has a track record of implementing global, enterprise-wide IT solutions across multiple industries/geographies and translating business needs into a comprehensive strategy.

Related: CIO Partners Recruits Portfolio President and CIO for AccelerEd

Contributed by Scott A. Scanlon, Editor-in-Chief and Dale M. Zupsansky, Executive Editor  – Hunt Scanlon Media