| |DECEMBER 202319CIOReviewcorrelate various data, such as customer purchase patterns, adherence to service levels, and consumer preferences. This wealth of information offers valuable insights for our interactions with them. Additionally, it's vital to establish strong foundations, such as digitizing supply chain operations, implementing customer relationship management systems for formalized interactions, and utilizing digital marketing automation tools for personalized engagement.Additionally, employee experience initiatives indirectly enhance positive digital culture. For example, a one-stop HR service portal demonstrates how a positive internal experience impacts customer relationships. Ensuring consistency in delivering this experience across the company is vital.Being a leader, what are the leadership strategies that you leverage that help you guide and lead your team towards a successful execution of a project?In the realm of technology, it's crucial to redefine our role. Often, IT is seen as a support function, with other areas of the company viewed as internal customers. However, this approach can degrade IT to merely fulfilling orders and often leads to initiatives that don't significantly impact actual business outcomes. What I advocate for, and encourage my entire team to embrace, is the transformation of IT into strategic business partners, just like any other department in the company.To achieve this, we need to actively engage with the market, listen to our customers and consumers, and focus on understanding their needs. This approach empowers IT professionals to offer solutions that address these unmet needs, adding substantial value to the organization. Ultimately, this shift leads to a stronger corporate or brand image.With all the potential transformations and disruptions, how do you envision the future of the space?Data and analytics have been crucial for two decades, and with AI and machine learning, we can gain expertise in our respective fields. In the consumer goods industry, we can leverage deep knowledge of our customers and consumers to create meaningful and valuable experiences, fostering brand loyalty.Having a robust foundation is paramount as neglecting this will leave us vulnerable to chasing technology trends without the resilience needed for sustained evolution. Cybersecurity is one aspect, but the overall technology infrastructure must be solid to support reliable and stable business growth.We've also seen significant growth in cognitive AI and generative AI, making these trends here to stay. The advancements we've witnessed, such as digital twins, have the potential to revolutionize how we perform various tasks, enhancing productivity and creativity. These trends represent significant shifts in the market today.What piece of advice would you share with your fellow peers so that they can improve in the space?In the realm of customer and consumer engagement, it's important to start by understanding your customers. IT plays a vital role in this process, as it helps identify and support the best solutions and experiences for them. Establishing a strong foundational IT infrastructure is equally crucial, as it guarantees reliability, scalability, and cost efficiency, which are essential for smooth operations. What I advocate for, and encourage my entire team to embrace, is the transformation of IT into strategic business partners, just like any other department in the company
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