Mars' Head of Digital Technologies: "Enterprises must answer these questions before any AI project"
In another life, Marina Bellini says she'd have happily been a teacher or an actress. Today, her job is something else entirely: Head of Digital Technologies and Business Services for Mars, the $45B+ CPG and pet care company that owns hundreds of globally-beloved brands. Heard of M&Ms, Cheez-Its, or Whiskas? All Mars. And these products don’t get made, distributed, or enjoyed without the right digital technology behind the scenes. Bellini is the woman for the job — before Mars, she's been CIO, CDIO, or COO for mega-brands like PepsiCo, AB Inbev, Banco Itaú, and BAT. In the premiere of Leading Indicators, Celonis' Kerry Brown digs into how this Fortune 500 CIO does it all, and what makes her tick. --- They discuss: - Marina's atypical journey to IT leadership - How Marina's guiding AI transformation at Mars - The one question every enterprise must ask before any AI project - Why technology isn’t always the solution - Why we'll see more data breakthroughs in the next 3 years than in the last 30 - Why there's no "smartest person in the room" - Which technology and AI trends matter — and which don’t - Why we should "invent less" --- Chapters: 00:00 INTRO 00:42 PART 1: Up the ladder: Your career story 00:55 When did you first get into IT, and how'd you climb to CIO? 03:44 How have you seen C-suite roles change over the last decade? 06:05 What differences have you seen across both countries and industries? 08:40 What would you say to your younger self/to young people now? 10:02 PART 2: Out of the office: Your inspo 10:10 Does your family have any idea what you really do? 11:05 What do you do when you're not working? Are you tech-y outside of work? 14:56 If you weren't an IT leader, what would do for work? 16:05 What would people be surprised to learn about you? 16:40 PART 3: Front of the line: Your leadership philosophy 17:00 How do you approach change management? 18:40 How has being a parent changed how you lead? 20:21 What leadership rules are most important to you right now? 22:59 Did you always aim to be a leader? Or end up there more accidentally? 24:14 What non-IT skill is underrated in tech leaders? 25:41 What are IT leaders' blind spots in AI transformation and modernization? 27:45 What advice do you give the rest of the C-suite about AI? 30:15 What new roles or duties has AI been a catalyst for at Mars? 31:58 What should people with low, medium, and high AI fluency focus on right now? 35:15 PART 4: Around the corner: Your predictions 35:38 How are you, personally, using AI at work (and outside of it)? 36:50 Overhyped, underhyped, and just right: Rating tech trends 39:34 What will change in the next 2 years societally? In terms of technology? --- Follow Marina on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marina-bellini-business-leader/ Learn more about Mars, Inc: https://www.mars.com/ Learn more about Leading Indicators: Watch more episodes here: https://www.youtube.com/@CelonisCo/videos Follow Kerry Brown on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kerrynbrown/ Learn more about Celonis: - Celonis for CIOs: https://www.celonis.com/insights/cio-resource-hub - Enterprise IT Modernization: https://www.celonis.com/solutions/enterprise-it-modernization - Enterprise AI: https://www.celonis.com/solutions/ai