Forrester Research, Inc. (Nasdaq: FORR) today announced that it has appointed George M. Orlov to the position of Chief Information Officer and Chief Technology Officer. Orlov joins Forrester after 27 years of technology experience, including executive IT leadership positions in Fortune 500 utilities companies, technology organizations, and as an independent technology consultant.

In his role at Forrester, Orlov will lead the technology organization and ensure that the company’s IT strategy is tied directly to its overall mission of helping business thrive on technology change. He will work closely with other members of Forrester’s executive management team and will report to George F. Colony, Forrester’s chairman of the board and chief executive officer.

“We are thrilled to add someone of George’s experience and insight to the Forrester team,” stated Colony. “With his appointment, we are taking a page from our own research and hiring a CIO and CTO who will act as a business partner and the senior technical member of the executive team to ensure that technology ideas are brought to bear on key strategic business matters. He will also serve as an effective advisor to CIO peers who are Forrester¿s world-class clients.”

Prior to joining Forrester, Orlov was the CIO and CTO for Callisma, a professional services firm focused on technology infrastructure, that was acquired by SBC Communications. Previously, he was VP/CIO at both Pacific Gas & Electric and ComEd (now Exelon). At both of these companies, he led teams responsible for large, complex, and mission-critical network, computing, application, and business process change environments. As such, he was responsible for the companies’ transitions resulting from restructuring in the energy industry. Orlov began his career in technical positions with SAIC and SPIRE, followed by 12 years as a management consultant.

“I look forward to working closely with Forrester’s executives to further accelerate the use of technology in the delivery of our research, community, consulting, and data products and services to our clients,” stated Orlov. “I am excited about the opportunity to meet with clients, to understand the business challenges they face, and to leverage Forrester’s extensive competencies in helping them optimize the use of technology to drive business value.”Orlov has been a featured keynote speaker at leading national technology conferences. He holds an M.S. in nuclear engineering and a B.A. in physics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge, Mass.

Orlov replaces Richard Belanger, who left the company in November.