Corporate Vision June 2017

20 CORPORATE VISION / June 2017 , P&G (Procter &Gamble) is a top global consumer packaged goods company. As winner of theMost Influential IT Leader of 2017, in the Chemicals and Allied Products Category, we interviewed RosaMaria Cruz to discover more about the firm’s rich history and the vital role IT plays in their work. Delivering Game Changing, Technology-Driven Business Models P&G (Procter & Gamble) boasts a rich history of over 175 years, providing superior branded products and services that improve the lives of the world’s consumers daily. They specialise in a wide range of cleaning, personal care and hygienic products, with iconic brands such as Tide, Pampers, Crest and Olay. Their total brand portfolio includes 65+ global brands, serving almost 5 billion consumers around the world. Rosa begins the interview by enlightening us on her own role in the firm and her thoughts on P&G winning the prestigious Most Influential IT Leader of 2017 award in the Chemicals and Allied Products Category. “I am part of the global business services business unit, where we provide more than 170 employee and business services, including Information Technology (IT) services, finance, facilities, purchasing, and employee services as well as business building solutions. Currently, I hold an IT executive position, driving disruptive innovation as part of our IT- Next Generation Services (NGS) unit, delivering exponential results at exponential speed.” “It is both an unquestionable privilege and significant responsibility to win the Most Influential IT Leader of 2017 award in the Chemicals and Allied Products Category. In my tenure with P&G, I have been rewarded with numerous rich experiences ranging from IT category leadership across seven different P&G business units, accountability for multimillion IT strategic programs investment. I have also enjoyed international experiences around the globe, starting in my native Mexico and all the way to P&G’s corporate headquarters in Ohio, where I have been leading IT strategic contributions for the past 12 years. “Being now distinguished as Most Influential IT Leader of 2017 in the Chemicals and Allied Products Category, brings all these accomplishments in perspective. Additionally, it is a clear recognition not only for me personally, but for the impact P&G IT is having in the industry, specifically as it relates to driving breakthrough IT innovation that transforms the way business is conducted and creates sustainable value for our P&G business now and in the future. Rosa goes on to elaborate on these thoughts, telling us what this award means for her and P&G. “It is truly an acknowledgement of the value we bring to the broader business. P&G is a very innovative company, and GBS IT has been at the forefront of innovation in recent years in areas such as analytics, information security, virtualisation and overall being considered one of the most progressive shared services organisations in the world. In particular, where NGS are concerned, we proactively seek out external capability to fully contribute to the identification and generation of the next S-curve of shared services, thus driving exponential growth in an open ecosystem where external partnerships are imperative for our long-term success. P&G role in the IT field is an important one. At P&G, IT is where business, technology and innovation come together to create competitive advantage Rosa explains, a point which she goes on to explain before adding her views on the crucial role innovation plays in the firm’s work. “We truly own end-to-end all aspects of the IT spectrum. From planning, design and implementation of enterprise technology systems and platforms, to the successful execution of IT projects in support of P&G’s business strategies, and the corresponding operational excellence of managing global operations of this magnitude, 24/7, in real time across the globe, in a secure and reliable way. We drive acquisition/divestiture systems redesign, and bring new business-building capabilities powered by technology to serve our P&G Categories and deliver relevant value, becoming a source of strategic advantage. “Innovation is at the core of everything we do. In terms of NGS, innovation is our lifeblood. We only work on selected portfolio initiatives which represent our biggest challenges, and when solved, will deliver compelling shareholder value. We consciously operate different than the balance of P&G. We are an organisation at the edge, using an iterative and agile operating model, focused on identifying exponential technologies (such as Artificial Intelligence, Robotic Process Automation, Internet of things (IoT) and cognitive technologies) that will drive disruption vs. current approach. “Freedom to fail, small teams approach and using human capital on demand via our open partner ecosystem are some of the strategies we use to boost innovation and maximise end results. It is definitively an exciting place to contribute, collaborating with brilliant minds both inside and outside our P&G 1704CV33