Vertiv names Mike Giresi as global CIO to drive AI strategy
The company stated that Giresi would formally take up the CIO role in late June 2025, spearheading initiatives to support Vertiv's digital strategy and enhance execution, customer experience, and operational leverage.
Digital strategy and leadership
Giordano (Gio) Albertazzi, Vertiv's Chief Executive Officer, highlighted the centrality of digital and IT expertise to the company's strategic direction, particularly in responding to ongoing evolution within the broader industry.
"Strong digital and IT vision and execution are central to our strategy to continue to lead the industry and constantly augment the value we are delivering to our customers. Mike deeply understands the opportunities of a rapidly evolving AI, digital and IT space and has the experience, the executional focus and expertise to reinforce our competitive advantages," Albertazzi said.
The appointment is intended to bolster Vertiv's approach to digital transformation, placing renewed emphasis on AI adoption not just within existing services but as a foundational element for future growth areas, including digitised customer experiences and enhanced operational processes.
Giresi's experience
Giresi joins Vertiv from consumer electronics firm Molex, where he served as Chief Digital Officer. Over a career spanning more than three decades, Giresi has held a succession of senior IT and technology leadership positions, including Chief Digital & Technology Officer at Aramark, Chief Information Officer for Royal Caribbean Cruises, Ltd., CIO of fashion brand Tory Burch, CIO of Direct Brands, and CIO, SVP IT for Godiva Chocolatier.
His professional background delivers both breadth and depth in digital transformation and enterprise IT management. Giresi holds an Executive MBA from Saint Joseph's University – Erivan K. Haub School of Business and a BA in English and Information Systems from Seton Hall University.
Customer focus and technology strategy "I am excited to join Vertiv, helping the global teams to create accretive value through advancement of company digital strategy initiatives. By continuing to evolve and improve Vertiv customer experience, product development and manufacturing capabilities, we will take the next steps towards enabling accelerated adoption of AI and digitisation for hyperscale, enterprise and edge customers," Giresi said.
Under Giresi's remit, Vertiv aims to develop its AI ambitions further while supporting compliance and readiness in cybersecurity and product security across its global business.
Scope of the new role
In taking up the post, Giresi is expected to lead digital initiatives that will affect all facets of Vertiv's organisation, from internal productivity to the delivery of customer-facing services and platforms. Vertiv flags AI adoption as a strategic area where Giresi's expertise will be particularly leveraged, given his record in digital change management and IT execution.
The focus on digital productivity and cybersecurity is also linked to Vertiv's operations in supporting data centres, communication networks, and industrial facilities. The priorities include ensuring robust protections for customer and product data, as well as maintaining continuous optimisation of critical digital infrastructure.
Background on Vertiv
Vertiv serves markets in more than 130 countries, offering hardware, software, analytics, and services related to digital infrastructure for data centres and communications industries. The business supports both enterprise and edge use cases, aiming to facilitate the reliable operation of high-demand applications in digital environments.
Vertiv presents Giresi's appointment as a step towards reinforcing the company's digital leadership at a time when AI uptake and cybersecurity have become critical themes across sectors reliant on resilient and scalable digital operations.
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