David Foster Takes CIO Helm at Colgate-Palmolive
David Foster has been named CIO of Colgate-Palmolive, replacing the retiring Mike Crowe.
Most recently VP of global application development, Foster joined the consumer goods company in 1996. He’s held a range of leadership roles that have resulted in new systems across planning and execution processes, according to a company LinkedIn post announcing the news, as well as new organizational capabilities.
Foster shared the news of his new role in his own post, adding, “I am fortunate to have an incredible organization and leadership team as we move into the new year, and I am looking forward to what we can do together in 2023 and beyond!”
Crowe, a 2021 CGT CIO of the Year, has spent more than three decades with the No. 30 publicly owned consumer goods company, where he was recruited from the healthcare software industry.
He was named CIO in 2013 and led the company’s IT transformation during the pandemic, including evolving their ways of working to result in significant productivity improvements.
In an interview with CGT, Crowe frequently cited the company’s culture as critical keys to his accomplishments, and pointed to the value of his teams’ contributions across the enterprise.
“Colgate’s culture has helped shape me into a caring leader who collaborates effectively with Colgate people all around the world and empowers my teams to continuously improve, experiment and think differently,” he said.
Colgate-Palmolive as a whole has spoken often about its intent to accelerate its digital transformation, with company leaders frequently referring to their improved collaboration capabilities as both indicators and drivers of future success.
Pat Verduin, chief technology officer of Colgate-Palmolive, also retired at the end of December, with Stephen Habif filling her shoes as part of a move announced last summer. She had been with the company for 15 years and led its global technology and design organization.
Formerly of L’Oreal and Unilever, Habif now leads the company’s global R&D org, including its team of scientists and engineers.
