by Peter High, published on Forbes
10-5-15
Mondelez International is a $34 billion consumer packaged goods company that was formed in 2012 from what used to be Kraft Foods. Mark Dajani was Mondelez International’s first chief information officer. Though he continues to have this role, his responsibilities have grown to include process ownership (his current title is Chief Information and Process Officer) and Real Estate. He also has significant digital and innovation responsibilities. Ultimately, Dajani sees himself on a path to becoming Chief Change Officer, as embracing and facilitating change are at the heart of all that he does.
His augmentation of skills has in part been due to his ability to simplify IT. He does so by eliminating the bottom ten percent of technology each year. In so doing, he ensures that old, unsupported technology is not the norm, and that there are fewer instances of redundant solutions. This is a laudable goal no matter if one wishes to take on more responsibilities or not.
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Peter High: Take a moment to describe the business of Mondelez International?
Mark Dajani: We formally launched it in 2012, when we spun off the Kraft Foods Company. Our products are all over the world. We are the largest chocolate company in the world. We are the number one or number two position in every brand that we have, whether it is Oreo, Nabisco, Cadbury, Trident, etc. It is a phenomenal portfolio that people enjoy every day. We have over a hundred thousand employees in almost every nook and cranny of the world.
High: Can you talk a bit about your role as Chief Information and Process Officer?
Dajani: Something I just took on recently is the Real Estate portion for this company. People might wonder why a CIO might have Real Estate for the company. I asked for these additional responsibilities because I feel that our job is to provide computing experiences for our employees. I like to spend a lot of my time also in providing a better work experience for our employees. Real Estate and facilities have to be an integrated portion of what we do for our employees. I would like to bring Real Estate and technology together to help our employees be even more productive.
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