Among other topics, Manjit discussed the following issues with Metis Strategy:

* Clorox’s increasing focus on developing direct relationships with the end-customer, and the ways in which this is enabled such as enhanced understanding of the customer journey through digital marketing as well as direct shipping enabled through supply chain efficiencies

* The techniques Clorox uses to build consumer journey maps, and the ways in which their brands use the consumer journey maps to determine how and where to engage

* The ways in which IT immerses itself in the day-to-day operations of different groups so that they can better understand their challenges and thus better serve them

* Clorox’s focus on data and analytics, and the focus on helping groups find the right data sets rather than just analyzing as much data as possible

* How and why the IT team has gotten involved in new product innovation, especially in the early stages

* The skill mix changes required for Clorox to reach its goals, and the ways in which they bring in people with new skills or perspective

* Eye on the Trends: AI/ML, Agile, DevOps, IoT, Connectivity

Manjit is the SVP and CIO of The Clorox Company, a consumer packaged goods company with $6 billion in revenue. As CIO, Manjit is responsible for the company’s information technology organization and directing the company’s strategic technology initiatives. Manjit is also on the Clorox Executive Committee.

Manjit joined The Clorox Company in November 2014. Prior to joining The Clorox Company, Manjit led the industry solutions group at Box Inc., where he was responsible for aligning strategies with key customers across different industries. Prior to Box Inc, Manjit served as CIO for Las Vegas Sands, and was CIO of Chiquita Brand International before that. Manjit served as a regional CIO for Gillette in Singapore. Early in his career, Manjit worked for Procter & Gamble, where he pioneered the company’s digital marketing footprint and set up early e-commerce capabilities.

Manjit received a Bachelor of Science degree in mathematics and computer science from the State Univeristy of New York at Binghamton and a Master of Science degree in computer science from Indiana University.

Manjit is an Advisory Board Member at several organizations including Greylock Partners, DocuSign, CipherCloud, among others.

I recently caught up with Manjit by phone from his office in Oakland, California, and our conversation covered World Class IT Principle One, People, as Manjit discussed the importance of upgrading Clorox’s skill mix by bringing in people with new skills and perspectives from both inside and outside the CPG industry; and Principle Four, IT and Business Partnerships, as Manjit highlighted IT’s central position in Clorox, and the ways in which they collaborate with various departments to connect dots and identify opportunities that others may have missed.