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Partnership with users can yield business success

Ade McCormack

The CIO 100 is compiled each year to reveal the 100 most transformative CIOs in the UK business economy. CIOs that are driving business change, process improvement, enabling greater collaboration and innovating in new market opportunities join this exclusive group each year. The technology strategies of the CIOs and their achievements and ambitions towards transformation are judged in comparison to their IT sourcing strategies, vendor influence. The CIOs with the most transformative vision are also judged on their place within the business, have they put technology into the board level position and discussion.

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CIO 100 - 2012 - #15

Alliance Boots

CIO 100

Retail

Alliance Boots

Andy Haywood , Formerly IT Director of Boots

Judging took place while Andy Haywood was still in post at Boots before he set off for the Cooperative Group. In the UK Boots has 2500 stores, the head office and a significant supply chain.

“Technology is being seen as an integral part of what we do. The brilliant thing about the set up is that I report to the
Transformation Executive Director and he’s on the UK executive board. Transformation is a three year plan, driven by technology. The investment is very very significant. Higher than any previous investment cycle We’ve got the biggest transformation agenda in UK retail.” Supply chain, multi-channel retail and the back office are all seeing their technology renewed.

The transformation plan means that Boots has increased its IT capex over the three year period, but Haywood has had to remain rigidly “disciplined” with the opex.

“We have developed a lot of our existing talent and we have looked at our souring strategy. We have brought more technology in-house so we now have build and development capabilities from our partners that are experts in their own fields. But we are now more in control of our technology decisions ourselves,” he says.

Although Haywood and Boots have embarked on a major transformation project, Haywood leaving Boots knocked the organisation out of top 10 contention with the judges, but all were interested to see what Haywood will do at The Cooperative in the next CIO 100.

Read the CIO interview:

CIO Profile: Boots the Chemist's Andy Haywood on legacy retailing

CIO Profile: Boots the Chemist's Andy Hayward on heading up retail IT

CIO Profile: Boots the Chemist's Andy Haywood on the retailer's IT strategy

IT director Jonathan Vardon keeping Boots in good health

CIO Profile

Strategy

IT director Jonathan Vardon keeping Boots in good health

With its in-store, online and mobile strategies underpinned by technology, Boots and its IT director Jonathan Vardon find the High Street in good health

In the wake of one of the worst starts to a year for the retail sector, Boots the chemist chain, remains - no pun intended - in good health. Its stores remain popular with customers, it has a presence in all the key channels, it fared better than some in the ongoing corporate tax scandal and it continues to grow as an international brand.

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