UNFI CIO Jack Clare on New Opportunities in Food Distribution

September 13, 2021

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About the Guest

Jack Clare

Chief Information Officer of UNFI

Jack Clare is the current Chief Information Officer of United Natural Foods Incorporated (UNFI) and former Chief Information and Strategy Officer of Dunkin'. With $24 billion in annual revenue, UNFI is the largest publicly traded grocery wholesaler distributor in the United States. Jack has served as CIO at UNFI since March of 2020, yet has a wealth of experience in the food and beverage and quick-serve restaurant industry. Prior to UNFI, Jack served as Senior Vice President and CIO for Dunkin’ for roughly two and a half years before being promoted to Chief Information and Strategy Officer where he served for five years.

Episode Overview

593: In this interview, Jack Clare, Chief Information Officer of United Natural Foods Incorporated (UNFI), focuses on the expansion of eCommerce channels and modernizing IT systems. Jack provides an overview of UNFI’s business and his role as CIO at the company. He explains how the pandemic accelerated UNFI’s digital transformation by expanding its eCommerce model and how Jack is managing the company’s modernization efforts and capability integration following the multiple historical acquisitions. Jack speaks on his experience being onboarded remotely and how he sees it as an opportunity for flexibility in recruiting greater talent. Finally, he discusses the evolution of the CIO role, future tech trends, and how partnering with technologically sophisticated distributors like Amazon presents learning opportunities for the company.

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