Ingram Micro Names Abramo Chief Strategist

Ingram Micro Inc. elevated Chief Information Officer Guy Abramo to the new post of chief strategist Tuesday, a move designed to advance the Santa Ana company’s transformation from traditional wholesaling to new-style supply-chain management.

Ingram, the world’s leading computer-products distributor, is conducting more of its business electronically and is increasingly marketing technology as one of its services. That’s why it makes sense to unite the company’s marketing, information technology and strategic planning functions under a single manager, Abramo said.

“IT has the loudest voice ever in strategy for the company,” he said.

Reinforcing that point, the company also named Chris Dearing, a consultant with CMGI Solutions, as its chief technology officer, filling a position that had been vacant for at least two years.

Dearing will work under Abramo, who reports to Chief Executive Kent Foster.

The management announcements are the latest in a series of steps Ingram has taken to protect and expand its franchise as e-commerce changes the distribution business.

In recent months, Ingram has begun to switch customers from paying traditional mark-ups on products to a fee-for-service system.

The company also has spearheaded an effort to create a standard electronic language to ease business-to-business transactions and has shifted half of its U.S. work force into a new division, IM-Logistics, designed to handle back-end tasks for Internet stores.

Ingram’s make-over came out of necessity. A bitter price war shredded its profit margins last year. The company lost favor on Wall Street, where its shares fell from a high of $52 in September 1998 to $10 little more than a year later.

Although its profits fell and its revenues were soft in its most recent quarter, analysts have lauded the company’s incremental changes and long-term blueprint. On the heels of Tuesday’s announcements, Ingram shares gained 6 cents to close at $15.81 on the New York Stock Exchange.

Abramo, 39, has enjoyed a swift rise at Ingram. He joined the company’s marketing staff in 1998 after stints at Yankelovich Partners and KPMG Consulting. He was promoted to chief information officer in January.

He sounded both edgy and excited about the extent of his new responsibilities

“It’s a big job and one we can’t afford to screw up,” he said.