Focus on staff for transformation to succeed

Clear communication and strong governance are the key to globalising IT operations, according to the chief information officer (CIO) of drinks group Bacardi.

The spirits company is undertaking a three-year project to unite its 200 brands under a single enterprise resource planning system, provided by SAP. Prior to last year, more than 40 different systems were being used around the world by the distiller.

But it is the company's staff, rather than technology, that forms the most important part of this transformation process, according to CIO Francois Jolles.

"Dealing with the systems is easy," he said. "Your focus must lie with your people and your organisation.

"We can implement a single ERP, but if the people are not ready, it will not work. Our first priority is to help the change from having 18 European IT departments to just one."

Speaking at analyst Forrester's annual forum in Lisbon, Jolles added that the globalisation move was necessary for improving the relevance of IT.

"We have reached a certain level of doing business, and now we have to go through the transformation so we can be ready for the future and take the company to the next stage," said Jolles.

"Right now we are just an enabler. Through this transformation process, we want to make IT a key part of the business."