8/13/2018
By Peter High. Published on Forbes
When Ann Dozier joined Southern Wine & Spirits as an information technology executivein 2013, the company was already one of the largest private companies in the United States, with revenue in excess of $11 billion. Thanks to growth of the company, and the acquisition of another major wine and spirits distributor, Glazer’s, Forbes estimates that the company is approaching $18 billion in revenue. As such, it is the largest wine and spirit distributor in North America. To say that Dozier has had to manage through complex times is an understatement.
Dozier rose to the role of chief information officer in early 2015, and the deal with Glazer’s was announced about a year later. The acquisition provided an opportunity to rethink IT practices and technologies,l. As part of a broader digitization of the company, Dozier has modernized people practices, processes, and technologies. Chief among her digital priorities has been to ensure that customers and supplier-partners can interact with the company on their terms. Also, despite all of the growth and the changes to processes and technology, the experience for customers has been nearly seamless. Here is her story.
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Peter High: For those not familiar, could you tell us about Southern Glazer’s Wine and Spirits? Additionally, could you provide a brief description of your purview as Chief Information Officer of the organization?
Ann Dozier: Southern Glazer’s Wine and Spirits is North America’s largest wine and spirit distributor with over 21,500 employees, operating in 44 states as well as the District of Columbia, Canada, and the Caribbean. We currently have approximately 12.5 million square feet of warehouse space and 2,700 trucks in our fleet. Additionally, we have over five thousand brands, as we are the premier distributor for the majority of the beverages of choice in the alcohol industry.
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