Rhode Island Hires Hasbro Vice President Bijay Kumar as IT Chief

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Bijay Kumar (Photo courtesy: Providence Journal)
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PROVIDENCE, R.I.— Rhode Island has hired Bijay Kumar, a former vice president of Hasbro Inc., as its next chief of information technology, Associated Press reported.

The state Department of Administration announced that Bijay Kumar had been the Rhode Island-based toy and entertainment company’s vice president of information technology since 2011, according to AP.

In 2016, Kumar created a program that helped Hasbro track vendor selection and improve overall efficiency. As the state’s IT chief, he will oversee decisions about which systems should be upgraded or replaced and what the criteria should be for new systems.

Bijay Kumar

State spokesman Paul Grimaldi says he will be charged with improving government accountability and transparency, according to AP.

Rhode Island Department of Administration Director Michael DiBiase said:  “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 the 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.

Kumar has a bachelor’s degree in engineering from the University of Kerala in India, a Master’s degree in engineering from the University of Florida and a MBA from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University.

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