P&G, Unilever, Energizer Deliver Eye-Opening Industry Insights

CGT’s13^th Annual Business and Technology Leadership Conference once again united senior-level executives from P&G, Unilever, Kimberly-Clark, PepsiCo and many more at the Ritz Grande Lakes in Orlando, Fla. last month. There, they shared best practices and lessons learned for leveraging capabilities, infrastructure and talent to create value and succeed in this rapidly changing market, where technology is accepted as a part of everyday life and where consumers are constantly connected. Here is a recap of the event’s many highlights:

• In an engaging keynote presentation, Futurist and Trends Expert Jim Carroll shared his perspective on why right now is a great time to make bold decisions and do great things in business. “The concept of instant obsolescence is growing,” said Carroll. For example; 65 percent of kids in kindergarten and preschool will work in a job that doesn't exist today; half of what students learn in the science industry will be obsolete by the time they graduate; and some consumer electronics companies only have three to six months to sell a product before it becomes obsolete. “We have to pursue constant, relentless innovation to grow revenue where revenue didn’t exist before,” he affirmed.
• PepsiCo’s Senior Vice President, Customer Supply Chain and Logistics, John Phillips, shared thought-provoking findings of the Consumer Goods Forum’s Future Value Chain 2020 Initiative. The report identifies 12 global mega trends that will have tremendous impacts on consumer goods companies, including: Increased urbanization: By 2020, there will be 8 mega cities with more than 20 million people per city; shifting economic power: By 2017, China will overtake the United States as the largest economy; and increased impact of consumer technology adoption: By 2013, more than two billion mobile users will have made purchases via handsets.
• Attendees were motivated by Bill Garcia, Managing Partner, TableForce LLC, about the art of negotiation. An expert contract negotiator, Garcia shared effective planning and at-the-table techniques that can quickly impact your relationships with customers and suppliers. “Stop worrying about what’s on your sheet of paper and focus on the buyer’s sheet,” he advised. “Try, make a plan and raise the bar.”
• This year’s Dick Clark Supply Chain Award Winner, Kimberly-Clark Corporation, described its journey through a supply chain transformation despite the economic downturn and how the company emerged stronger with reduced inventories and increased customer service levels. “We’re cornerstoned around being able to deliver essentials; we’re offerings confidence to Depends users or moms who use Huggies,” says Julia Smith, vice president, R&E Supply Chain, Kimberly-Clark. “How could we fail them by not having those products on the shelf?” To read more about Kimberly-Clark’s supply chain transformation, read the Business & Technology Leadership Awards coverage.
• The consumer goods industry has come to an understanding that we need data, but more importantly, we need to know what we want to do with it. Some leaders have this figured out. CGT Executive Editor Kara Romanow hosted panel on downstream data uses with industry giants Procter & Gamble (P&G), Unilever and Kimberly Clark. “You will never have 100-percent forecast accuracy because you will never have perfect data,” said Jake Barr, Global Director – Supply Chain Operations, P&G. “But there are techniques that can get you close and fill in the holes. The ability to use smart logic to bridge the gaps is critical.”
• During one of the event’s most popular presentations, Energizer’s Vice President and CIO Randy Benz debated the question: Does the advent of cloud computing and consumerization mean the end of enterprise IT as we know it? He offered tips and tactics for embracing these changes in the way that technology will be delivered in the future. “The pace of change of technology that we use within our organizations compared to what people are using in the personal lives is incredibly slow,” said Benz. “Today, if you're going to attract and keep users, you're going to have to keep it simple," said Benz, citing the Google home page as an example.

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