Since 1932 Mars has been producing brands in the UK and employing nearly 4,000 at several sites in the UK. Its operations manufacture confectionery, food, petcare and drinks products,  brands including Mars, Snickers, Galaxy, Matersers, Pedigree, Whiskas, and Uncle Bens rice. Mars in the UK is part of Mars, Incorporated, a family owned company and one of the world’s leading branded manufacturers. When did you start your current role?June 2013 Have you completed an MBA?No Order the following sources of advice/information by value to you: Peer Group In-house Analyst Vendors Consultant Technology strategy and spending What is the major transformational IT project that has been recently completed, or is underway at your organisation?On joining the Mars business, I focused on developing a business technology strategy for the largest business Segment. The key areas of need identified were to roll out standard processes globally given a backdrop of differnt ERP solutions with varying configurations. At the same time, however, it was clear that there was a need to increase and accelerate the provision of Demand solutions particularly relative to Trade Promotion Management and embracing the potential of digital. What impact will it/does it have on the organisation?The action plan resulting from the strategy underpins the Segment plans for continued global growth both organically and through acquisition. In doing so it helps drive towards a simple, efficient and capable organisation IT operational spend compared to the revenue or company turnover as a percentage?1.7% What is the strategic aim of the CIO and IT operations for the next financial year?To accelerate the roll out of standard processes, to provide seamless access to actionable information.  to accelerate the deployment of growth solutions and to embrace the benefits of digital technology. Transformation achievements Would you describe the CIO role as a transformation leader in your organisation?The Mars Five Principles of Quality, Responsibility, Mutuality, Efficiency and Freedom are at the foundation of the culture and approach to business. Information Technology has a critical role to play in enabling associates to apply these principles every day in a business that has a fantastic track record of growth over multiple years and in an industry sector which is increasingly impacted by technology with the advent of digital. As a result the CIO must be a transformational leader and be able effective business change rapidly, creatively and in a manner that can be sustained.    Describe the transformations you have led / been involved in, how did they transform operations, customer experience or the organisation?My first 6 months at Mars has been about defining the transformation opportunities and beginning the associated activation. Prior to joining Mars, I have been involved in multiple transformation initiatives. Some of the most recent one include identifying opportunities for services developed for internal use into commercial offerings for customers in a B2B operation, dramatically reducing the days sales outstanding by overhauling processes and giving real time pictorial aspects of bottlenecks, and institutionalising a new approach to talent development in IT which was then adopted by other business areas following its success. Beyond technology, can you describe a business transformation programme that you own or contribute to?In the company in which I worked prior to Mars, I was a member of the Diversity council alongside a number of other Senior Executives including the Chief Executive and Chief Operating Officer. The Council's mission to was to help ensure that the company was building a strong team that reflected the geographic footprint of the customers’ organisations, and that brought an understanding of the cultures and languages of host countries. Maintaining customer intimacy was a strategic imperative , and a diverse team made up of both men and women empowered the company to build close relationships with clients. Progress during my time on the Council was significant, particularly with respect to women and local nationals in senior roles. My role as an NED at Kingston University also gives me an opportunity to contribute to the transformation agenda of a Higher Education establishment. What percentage of your applications / infrastructure is run from the Cloud?Approximately 5% How is the use by employees of their own technology, use of mobiles and social networking impacting operations, customer experiences or the organisation at present?These technologies result in higher levels of expectation of both customers and employees on accessibility, speed of response, ease of use and flexibility to change.  They also open up a new source of insights that require skills and technologies to analyse and use effectively, but have great potential to support business success. Do you have a plan in place for how to deal with shadow IT and BYOD. How do you influence and engage executives, place the right controls around employee choice and engage with the organisation on this issue?A BYOD policy was in place for tablets and mobiles when I joined Mars and this is working well. The potential to expand this further is to be considered. Shadow IT is gradually being brought into IT but at a time when there is confidence across the business that it can be done without negative impact to service levels or cost.  Demonstrating that IT can add value, reduce risk and, most importantly, to provide better talent development opportunities for individuals have helped realise this success. Where do you seek transformational inspiration from?As part of my on-going IT governance, I regularly conduct competitor analysis. In this context competitor means other companies who operate similar processes but not necessarily within the same business sector. My own network is one of the key enablers to complete this successfully both by direct networking but also through social media. Analysts, journalists and vendors are also very good sources of inspiration.   The Board of Directors, staff and stuidents at Kingston University are also an excellent source of inspiration. The CIO role in the business Who do they report to?President of Mars Group Services Does the CIO have a seat on the board?No How often do you meet with the CEO?Once in my first six months. Does your organisation have a digital leader and what is the difference in their responsibilities to yours?My responsibilities include Digital for all the Segments within Mars Incorporated. The IT department How many staff make up the IT team?(What is the split between in-house/outsourced staff)1200 permanent staff900 contractors Describe the CIO’s management team, do you have direct reports that develop the relationship and services between the business and IT?The mangement team is made up of Region IT Directors for Broadly Distributed Brands and CIOs of global businesses such as Royal Canin and Banfield. How many log-in accounts do you issue across you organisation?Approx 40,000 What is the primary technology platform?SAP