Dive Brief:
- Francesco Tinto joined Kimberly-Clark as the consumer packaged goods giant's new chief information and global business services officer. He will report to President and COO Russ Torres effective Monday.
- Tinto comes to Kimberly-Clark from consulting firm Advantage Solutions, where he spent nearly three years as chief digital officer. Previously, Tinto had multiyear stints as CIO at Walgreens Boots Alliance and Kraft Heinz, where he led digital transformation efforts.
- “Francesco brings a rare combination of technology leadership and operational expertise that will strengthen our capabilities as we advance our Powering Care strategy,” said Kimberly-Clark Chairman and CEO Mike Hsu, in a press release announcing the appointment.
Dive Insight:
Kimberly-Clark is working to hone the technology strategy in the aftermath of its nearly $50 billion acquisition of wellness company Kenvue. The deal, approved by shareholders in January, added brands such as Tylenol, Listerine and Neutrogena to Kimberly-Clark's portfolio.
“We have an incredible opportunity before us to create the preeminent consumer health and wellness company,” Hsu said in November during a call with investors detailing the acquisition. “Our portfolios are highly complementary across categories and geographies. Our combination will drive growth, innovation and commercial strength, backed by a powerful commercial engine and a playbook that can scale globally.”
Kimberly-Clark deployed a multiyear transformation strategy two years ago to target $3 billion in productivity savings. Technology and innovation, including a sharp focus on modernizing its supply chain, were part of its Powering Care playbook, as is its acquisition of Kenvue.
Last month, Kenvue announced plans to lay off 3.5% of its workforce, with 59% coming from IT and project-related costs, to save a projected $250 million in fiscal 2026, according to an SEC filing.
“Powering Care has established industry-leading momentum,” according to Hsu, speaking with investors during a February conference. “We’re performing well transforming in a difficult environment by accelerating pioneering innovation, optimizing our margin structure and wiring our organization for growth.”
In 2024, generative AI platforms built at Kimberly-Clark's global digital technology center in India boosted employee productivity by one-quarter, according to the company. AI-powered sales and revenue analytics from the hub also improved sales execution across Europe, the Middle East and Africa by 10%.
Technologists working at the India hub also built an AI-powered supply chain orchestration platform called Maestro that saved $20 million from global shipping operations, the company said.
Kimberly-Clark has been working to deploy AI in its operations, much like other players in the consumer packaged goods sector.
Unilever last month struck a five-year deal with Google Cloud to migrate its data and cloud platform and use Google's Vertex AI platform for developers. In 2024, the company trained more than 23,000 of its employees on generative AI use, deploying over 500 AI projects globally.
Consumer packaged goods brands, from Procter & Gamble to General Mills, spent recent years firing up generative AI platforms and automating operations with an eye toward improved revenues and lower costs.
