Catching up with Tony Bender, CIO, Alberto Culver Company

What keeps you up at night?

BENDER: The global economy is first and foremost on everybody's mind and keeping all of us on guard. Beyond the economy, consumer goods (CG) manufacturers need to focus on brand building and creating enterprise value for their shareholders.

We are currently navigating through a period of severe economic uncertainty that is unparalleled in our time. Continuing to deliver exceptional results during these times is quite challenging and requires a relentless focus on cost management.

One thing is for certain, beyond cost management, companies must build their brands through innovation. They must deliver compelling products that are not only differentiated to shoppers and consumers, but that have a value proposition for retailers. 

Manufacturers and retailers are under significant pressure to grow both the top and bottom line. Manufacturers who innovate by meeting real consumer needs will prosper along with their retail customers. 


How do manufacturers and retailers better collaborate?

BENDER: Now, more than ever, manufacturers need to be aligned with retailers on their joint business models creating a win-win relationship. Retailers focus on optimizing shelf space to achieve the highest gross margin return on investment for the space that they are allocating to manufacturers. To gain true insights into the relationship, manufacturers must really understand their businesses along with the retailer. Technology -- such as advanced analytics -- can help to provide insights from the myriad of data sources that are available from customers, shoppers and consumers. Each category within consumer products has unique characteristics and dynamics given the competitive set, trade promotion and marketing support. Collaboration flourishes when there is meaningful value in the dialogue between both parties.

Manufacturers who bring real retail, shopper and consumer insights to the table will get permission from the retailer to collaborate. 


What challenges does Alberto Culver face as a global company? How does or will your company use the technology available to help overcome these global challenges?

BENDER: Alberto Culver is a global beauty care company with exceptionally strong brands -- TRESemme, Nexxus, VO5, St. Ives, Noxzema, etc. -- and an impressive track record of results.

Our vision is to be the fastest-growing, most respected beauty care company in the world. We are tracking very positively toward our vision. In today's economic climate, Alberto Culver is very fortunate to have strong brands with high value propositions for our consumers. 

As for challenges, we are in the midst of a very large information technology (IT) and business process transformation program at Alberto Culver called Project Atlas. We are implementing SAP globally in partnership with IBM to deliver standard business processes beginning with our Europe/Middle East (EMEA) Region. Our EMEA Region go-live is February 2009. Following the EMEA Region, we are implementing our global SAP model in North America, Latin America and Asia Pacific/Africa.

This is a very large change management program that will yield significant value to the business and provide a technology platform that will support our planned business growth.

One of our challenges is to execute the program with excellence and deliver  benefits that Alberto Culver is expecting. Fortunately, our Project Atlas team and the business are up to the challenge, and we are tracking to plan.



FIRST JOB:
I sold a weekly 10-cent newspaper, The People's Guardian, door to door -- a character-building first job.

WHO INSPIRES YOU?
My family.  My grandmother Clementina, an Italian immigrant, defined for me what it means to be a great American.

HOW DO YOU REWARD YOURSELF?
Dinner and a movie with my family

FAVORITE MOVIES:
The Good, the Bad and the Ugly; Pulp Fiction; Blade Runner; Star Wars; and The Lord of the Rings -- all are extraordinary tales of good versus evil.

PROUDEST MOMENT:
The birth of my two sons Jon and Sam

BIGGEST CHALLENGE:
Raising two teenage boys

MOST RECENT TECH PURCHASE:
iPod Classic and Cambridge Soundworks iPod Player

FAVORITE QUOTE:
"Make hay while the sun shines."
- Unknown, but one of my mom's favorites