Thomson Reuters exec leaving for Fidelity

Mike Wilens, the chief strategy, technology and innovation officer at Thomson Reuters, is leaving to become head of asset management and chief investment officer at Fidelity Investments, according to an internal announcement from CEO Tom Glocer.

Glocer wrote, “Mike’s new position as Head of Asset Management for a company with $3.2 trillion in assets is both an exciting opportunity and a bold new direction in his career.  Those of you who have known Mike for any length of time know that he has always made step changes in his career every few years, moving from academic to venture capitalist to general manager to technologist – and now to Chief Investment Officer for a major financial institution.Â

“Mike’s broad experience base and special skill set have enabled him to make contributions at all levels and units of our company, but none of us is ever irreplaceable.   Over the last year, Mike helped build a remarkable technology and innovation organization within Thomson Reuters, putting in place a leadership team and structure that are best of breed.  Our company is well positioned to deliver the technology needed to be the leader in the information economy. I am confident that we will not miss a beat on technology integration, our data center and platform projects, and achieving strong returns on our technology investments.

“We are already well advanced in planning for this transition.  My guiding principle is not to rush to attempt to fill the position on a one-for-one basis, in part because of Mike’s uniqueness and in part because it may make sense to change the component parts of the role to better fit both the company and the individual’s needs. Our strong bench of talent will continue to serve the company’s technology needs while we look for a world-class Chief Technology Officer to backstop this team.

“Mike will be with us through mid-July.  An announcement on the revised structure for Mike’s organization will be made in the coming weeks.”