State appoints new chief information officer

PROVIDENCE – Department of Administration Director Michael DiBiase announced
that Bijay Kumar has been hired as the state’s chief information officer.

«I am pleased to announce that Bijay Kumar will be leading the state’s Information
Technology division,» said Director DiBiase. «Bijay brings more than 20 years of
leadership and project management experience from his previous roles and has a
strong track record in leading large-scale global initiatives. I know he will be a
great asset to our team at the Department of Administration.»

Kumar most recently served as the vice president of Information Technology at Hasbro
Inc., in Pawtucket, RI, where he has worked since 2011. At Hasbro, in addition to
his other responsibilities, he created a strategic sourcing program based on formal
vendor selection and governance, driving accountability across all services,
software and hardware vendors while maximizing cost efficiencies. At Hasbro, he
also led the development and management of the company’s global Information
Technology budget. As part of the corporate IT leadership team at Hasbro, Kumar was
instrumental in the success of several key technology transformational programs.

«I am very excited for the opportunity to work for the state during a time when
Information Technology is playing such an integral role in how we deliver government
services,» Kumar said. «I look forward to working with the team at the Department as
well as our internal and external partners and know there is a lot we can accomplish
together. First, we will focus on leadership, governance and organization. As a
priority, we will ensure we set IT governance right. Together, we will deliver
stable, sustainable, scalable and innovative solutions which meet requirements of
all our users.»

Kumar has worked in various industries including software, automotive, industrial,
retail, consumer products and goods, and media and entertainment. Prior to Hasbro,
Kumar held management positions at Staples, leading supply chain distribution and
replenishment teams and at JDA Software, leading global supply chain programs and
driving product roadmap and direction.

He has a master’s degree in engineering from the University of Florida and in
business administration from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern
University.