CSC crosses the pond for new president and CEO

Computer Sciences Corp. has selected Mike Lawrie to be its next president and CEO, succeeding Michael Laphen, who last year announced his plan to retire as chairman, president and CEO.

Lawrie, who will join CSC no later than March 31, also has been appointed to the company’s board of directors, effective immediately, according to a Feb. 7 CSC announcement.

Since November 2006, he has been CEO of UK-based Misys plc, a global leader of IT solutions for the financial-services industry publicly traded on the London Stock Exchange.

Lawrie also served as the executive chairman of Allscripts-Misys Healthcare Solutions, Inc., a provider of electronic health-record solutions, where he was instrumental in the transformational merger of Misys’ Healthcare division with Allscripts, and its subsequent merger with healthcare IT-solutions provider Eclipsys.

His emphasis on innovative health care and improving patient care will help drive CSC’s strategic growth plan in the health-care IT market, the CSC announcement said.

Lawrie has extensive global experience in the IT and software industry, including 27 years at IBM Corp., where among other positions he served as senior vice president and group executive with responsibility for sales and distribution of IBM’s products and services worldwide.

The board of directors also announced that Rodney Chase, currently a director on the board, has been appointed non-executive chairman of the board, effective upon Lawrie’s start as president and CEO.

Chase has served as a member of the CSC board of directors since 2001. He is currently a non-executive chairman of Genel Energy LTD, an international oil and gas exploration company.

“We also would like to thank Mike Laphen for his contributions over his nearly 35 years of service to CSC, especially his past five years as chairman, president and CEO. On behalf of the board and everyone at CSC, we wish Mike all the best in his retirement,” said Irving Bailey II, lead director of CSC’s board of director, in the announcement.

CSC of Falls Church, Va., ranks No. 11 on Washington Technology’s 2011 Top 100 list of the largest federal government contractors.