Headline Partner

Chaitanya Garikapati, Head of Data and Analytics, Petcare North America, MARS

Describe your career to date

I have over 20 years of experience in data, started my career in consulting working across various clients from IT services, CPG and healthcare industries helping them by creating strategic data roadmaps, environment landscape and solution architecture. I then joined L’Oréal and was part of a small team that started building our first enterprise information warehouse, I eventually lead the data analytics function. During this time, our team have successfully expanded our reporting and analytics platforms across the enterprise and supported various business functions.

Later, I worked for GSK Consumer Health where I served as a global head of commercial data and analytics. I was responsible for building enterprise data analytics functions at a global level and rolling D&A solutions across 40 markets. I also had a unique opportunity to work on a merger & acquisition transformational program where I lead data integration across the globe and have built their first D&A capability center. It was in this role that I got experience in leading large global diverse teams, driving global standardization and optimization, and delivering critical services and value across the organization.

I am now the data and analytics lead for Mars Petcare North America; I am part of the business organization versus tech org. In my role I am responsible for creating and driving the data analytics strategy in line to business priorities while making measurable value impact to business growth.

I am incredibly proud of my career to date. I am enjoying my learning journey, both professionally and personally. I look forward to continuing to develop, grow and lead with purpose.

What stage has your organization reached on its data maturity journey?

At Mars, our ’powered by data and analytics’ strategy is a key enabler for growth. Currently, the data maturity varies based on business function and geography. Importance of data is well recognized in our organization, it’s a matter of time where our established D&A roadmaps and use cases will be enabled across markets and business functions to drive incremental business value.

Tell us about the data and analytics resources you are responsible for

I am responsible for the data and analytics function within MARS Petcare division. I lead a team of analytics product managers, business analysts, data engineers, data scientists, and UI/UX specialists. We are supported by several colleagues who deliver core functions such as enterprise architecture, data platforms, data governance, project management, and change management. Our resources are spread across US, Canada, Mexico, UK, and India.

Our team is responsible for delivering cross-functional data and analytics capabilities, data foundations, advanced analytics products, and operational reporting. We sit within the CFO’s organization and our work is closely tied to strategic growth, operational efficiency, and business strategy.

What challenges do you see for data in the year ahead that will have an impact on your organization and on the industry as a whole?

In the inflationary environment, CPG companies may face pressure to increase prices to maintain profitability. However, retailers may push back on these price increases in order to remain competitive and avoid passing on high cost to consumer. This creates an opportunity for data functions to use data to develop more targeted pricing strategies to enable strong data-driven negotiations, value-based pricing, promotions and bundling, and personalized pricing strategies.

Additionally, data privacy and compliance are essential for building trust with customers. Companies must ensure they collect and use data in a responsible manner, and we need to be transparent with our customers about how their data is being used.

Have you set out a vision for data? If so, what is it aiming for and does it embrace the whole organization or just the data function?

MARS have recognized the value of data as a strategic asset, and we have set out a vision to leverage it for competitive advantage. Our vision involves using data for decision-making, to drive innovation, improve customer experiences, and optimize operations. We are embracing data vision across the whole organization, rather than just the data function. This means that everyone from the c-suite to front-line employees understands the value of data and is equipped to use it effectively. It also means that data is integrated into all aspects of the organization’s operations, rather than being siloed within a specific department.

Have you been able to fix the data foundations of your organization, particularly with regard to data quality?

We have put in place governance forums, tools and processes, and mandate that will enable us to measure the data quality of our pipelines. This is an ongoing journey for us where we are collectively working to make sure everyone in our organization understands their responsibilities in the data governance processes.

Chaitanya Garikapati
has been included in:

100 Brands 2023 (USA)
No. 5 100 Brands 2022 (USA)

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