October 13th, 2006
CIO Sessions: Virgin Entertainment's Robert Fort
As part of our CIO Session video series I talked with Virgin Entertainment Group CIO Robert Fort. He told me that risk-taking and innovation are at the heart of his company’s culture, driven from the top by company Chairman Richard Branson, who's forward and unique way of thinking permeates the business. Branson's management style is expressed in the company's flat organizational structure and willingness to take risks and fail. Fort's recent projects involved a switch from analog CD listening stations to digital kiosks in VirginMegastores where listeners can now browse the entire store inventory online and deploying a converged voice and data network, which saved his company $700,000 per year.
Dan Farber, editor-in-chief of CNET News.com, has more than 20 years of experience as an editor and journalist covering technology. See his full profile and disclosure of his industry affiliations.
