AI, Clean Data, and New Flavors: McCormick’s Digital Playbook with CIDO Guy Peri | Technovation 966
From predicting the next flavor trend to revolutionizing procurement with AI, Guy Peri is leading a bold digital transformation at ...
Chief Information & Digital Officer, Mccormick
Search every verified Guy Peri interview, podcast appearance, and on-the-record quote — each transcript cross-checked by AI and human review to confirm speaker identity. Guy Peri, Chief Information and Digital Officer at McCormick, said in an April 2025 interview that the company's digital transformation is "anchored right to the McCormick business strategy," focusing on demand creation, product innovation, retail execution, and operational efficiency. He stated that the company uses digital tools and AI to optimize raw material procurement, improve manufacturing efficiency, and forecast pricing using 30 years of data. Peri emphasized that data hygiene, governance, and quality are "foundational for AI and analytics success," and that the company is working to upskill its workforce so that every role can work with AI agents as "co-pilots." He also recommended the book "Competing in the Age of AI" by Kim Lani and Marcos as a practical resource for applying AI capabilities. In a September 2023 appearance, Peri discussed service levels, stating that McCormick's service to customers had recovered from pandemic-era challenges and was "looking good." He noted that the company had restocked retailers in the fourth quarter of the prior year, which contributed to that quarter's performance. Peri also commented that consumers were "trading up from private labels to the brand" in search of quality and emotional connection.
“Our digital transformation is anchored right to the McCormick business strategy. Accelerating digital transformation is a core part of our roadmap, focusing on demand creation, product innovation, retail execution, and operational efficiency using digital and AI.”
“We leverage digital and AI heavily to optimize how we buy our raw materials, ensuring the highest quality for our brands, and to improve operational efficiency on our plant floor through smart manufacturing and forecasting.”
“Being intentional on data strategies and data management in terms of quality, reliability, and bias is mission-critical for us to operationalize data in an enterprise. It may not be the sexiest topic, but it's foundational for AI and analytics success.”
“The future workforce will be upskilled to work well with AI agents, ensuring the right data and algorithms operate properly. Every role will become a citizen data scientist working with algorithms as co-pilots to improve outcomes.”
“We have predictive analytic capabilities that allow us to forecast procurement and raw material pricing using 30 years of data plus external signals, which is mission critical for McCormick.”
“Technology has become democratized; you no longer need a PhD in data science to work with AI models. We focus on building digital fluency across the business so everyone can leverage these tools effectively.”
“The tools we design must be user-centric and 'Apple simple' to ensure easy adoption. Additionally, base skill sets in understanding machine learning and digital basics will be required for every role in the enterprise.”
“The number of sensors in manufacturing and products will increase, enabling smarter products and personalized consumer experiences at levels never before possible due to flowing data streams.”
“We will be able to create completely new business models that monetize digital and AI capabilities, creating new revenue streams and transforming enterprises.”
“At PNG, we were business leaders first who brought strong technology and analytics expertise. We experimented a lot, learned from failures, and implemented capabilities at scale, which shaped our professional careers.”
“Consumers aren't trading down, they are trading up from private labels to the brand. Consumers want the emotional lift and quality of the brand.”
“There are a lot of challenges on services. We went through the whole pandemic, and even through last year, but our service levels to our customers are close to the pandemic levels now.”
“We are over the hump on all that stuff. We see minor issues here and there, but services are looking good.”
“Service levels got pretty good in the fourth quarter last year, and we restocked retailers, and restocking is what made the fourth quarter.”
From predicting the next flavor trend to revolutionizing procurement with AI, Guy Peri is leading a bold digital transformation at ...
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