Q&A: N.E. Patriots CIO keeps IT moving up the field

Computerworld - Patricia Curley, 56, is CIO for The Kraft Group, owners of the New England Patriots, which captured the AFC Championship title yesterday and are bound for Super Bowl XLII on Feb. 3 in Glendale, Ariz. The Kraft Group also owns the New England Revolution soccer team, Gillette Stadium, where both teams play, and the Patriot Place shopping mall. The group also owns paper and box companies Rand-Whitney Group Inc., International Forest Products Corp. and Rand-Whitney Containerboard LLP.

While the Patriots celebrated their undefeated season after their win against the San Diego Chargers to take the American Football Conference championship, Curley talked to Computerworld about the challenges of working for such a multifacted organization.

When did you start working for the New England Patriots and how did you get the job? I started working here in 1999 as they were recruiting a director of information technology for The Kraft Group. I was referred by somebody.

Where did you work before that? Previously, I had been the director of information technology for a high-tech marketing company for three years and before that, for seven years, I was director of information technology and worldwide IT operations for a medical instrument manufacturing company, both in Massachusetts.

How difficult is it being the CIO of a sports team and being female? I've only ever been a female, so I can't answer that question fully. I don't encounter lots of female counterparts in other organizations, but there are lots of females in decision-making and roles of responsibility here.

I believe the job of the CIO is not terribly different from this kind of business [just as] there are not too many differences [in the role of CIO] at a manufacturing company or an investment company. There are many things in common regardless of the industry. And this role has all of those components.

In addition, there are elements or nuances of the sports and game day business that are certainly different from the manufacturing world, and I have experience in both the service sectors as well as the manufacturing world. I think it takes having had those experiences to consolidate all [that] in this role as CIO for the Krafts.

What does your job as CIO of The Kraft Group entail? I can tell you, thanks to the Krafts, it's the best job on the planet, and I don't know that there are many like it. I work with trying to set some standards and policy, infrastructure, security and applications for their manufacturing companies, as well as service companies, sports and entertainment, hospitality, its staffing and policy and procedure, and operations and good service level from the help desk, and security tools and Internet bandwidth and infrastructure.