PEORIA, Ill. -- Caterpillar Inc. has announced that John Heller, 57, has elected to retire following more than 38 years of service to the company. Heller has been a Caterpillar vice president since 2004, and is currently chief information officer and vice president with responsibility for the Global Information Services Division. Heller's retirement will be effective Feb. 1, 2012. His replacement will be named before the end of the year, Caterpillar said.

"Under the committed and passionate leadership of John, the role of information technology at Caterpillar has been elevated to one that applies information to how business decisions are made, rather than how information is moved around computer systems," said Ed Rapp, Caterpillar CFO and group president, with responsibility for corporate services. "John is a great example of the company's focus on building leaders with deep expertise, as he has been an information technology (IT) professional during a Caterpillar career that has included a wide range of positions with increasing responsibilities in the United States and Europe."

Heller graduated from Millikin University with a bachelor's degree in business administration and earned an MBA from the University of Illinois. He began his Caterpillar career in 1973, and held a number of IT positions with increasing responsibility at Caterpillar's Decatur, Ill., facility. In 1990, he was named a systems manager for Corporate Information Services in East Peoria, Ill. In 1993, Heller moved to Geneva, Switzerland, as an information systems manager. In 2001, he became a director of the Systems & Processes Division. In 2004, he was named a Caterpillar vice president with responsibility for the Systems & Processes Division.

"In addition to his business leadership, John has forged a reputation for treating employees throughout the organization with respect and dignity, and he leaves a legacy of forward-thinking, qualified IT professionals and leaders who will serve Caterpillar well moving forward," Rapp added.