TULSA, Okla. — AAON Inc. announced that its Board of Directors elected Xerxes Gazder as chief information officer of AAON Inc., effective July 18, 2022.  

Gazder comes to AAON with nearly 30 years of leadership experience in information systems across a wide range of industries, including manufacturing, financial services, insurance, healthcare, telecommunications, energy services, and logistics. He earned his Bachelor of Science degree in mathematics from Jadavpur University in India and his Master of Science degree in computer science from Illinois Institute of Technology.

"Please join me in welcoming Xerxes Gazder to the organization," Gary D. Fields, president and CEO, said. "Xerxes is a known business leader with an outstanding technology background. Of utmost importance is a keen understanding of leadership in this role and Xerxes’s track record for transforming and leading IT organizations is outstanding. We look forward to Xerxes leading our team to sustainable success while continuing to help transform our technology into world-class services for both internal and external customers.”

Leadership was notified in May 2022 that current VP of Information Technology/CIO Rony Gadiwalla would be stepping down to pursue other opportunities.  As leadership worked through the replacement search, Gadiwalla agreed to stay on board through August 12, 2022 to assist with the transition of leadership and allow ample time for the new structure to be put into place.  

"I’d like to thank Rony for his 17 years of service to AAON," added Fields. "Under his leadership, the IT department has contributed heavily to our success and ability to grow into a leader in the commercial/industrial HVAC space. I very much appreciate his personal contributions and what he has meant to this organization. While he will be missed, I wish him nothing but the best in his future endeavors.”