Tony Bender
CHIEF INFORMATION OFFICER, ALBERTO CULVER COMPANY
BY KARA ROMANOW
What keeps you up at night?
BENDER: The global economy is first and foremost on everybody’s mind and
keeping all of us on guard. Beyond the economy, consumer goods (CG)
manufacturers need to focus on brand building and creating enterprise value
for their shareholders.
We are currently navigating through a period of severe economic uncer-
tainty that is unparalleled in our time. Continuing to deliver exceptional
results during these times is quite challenging and requires a relentless focus
on cost management.
One thing is for certain, beyond cost management, companies must build
their brands through innovation. They must deliver compelling products that
are not only differentiated to shoppers and consumers, but that have a value
proposition for retailers.
Manufacturers and retailers are under significant pressure to grow both
the top and bottom line. Manufacturers who innovate by meeting real con-
sumer needs will prosper along with their retail customers.
How do manufacturers and retailers better collaborate?
BENDER: Now, more than ever, manufacturers need to be aligned with
retailers on their joint business models creating a win-win relationship.
Retailers focus on optimizing shelf space to achieve the highest gross margin return on investment for the space that they are allocating to manufacturers. To gain true insights into the relationship, manufacturers must really
understand their businesses along with the retailer. Technology — such as
advanced analytics — can help to provide insights from the myriad of data
FIRST JOB:
I sold a weekly 10-cent newspaper,
The People’s Guardian, door to door —
a character-building first job.
Tony Bender and
his two sons hit
the slopes at Deer
Valley Resort in
Utah.
WHO INSPIRES YOU?
My family. My grandmother Clementina,
an Italian immigrant, defined for me what
it means to be a great American.
HOW DO YOU REWARD YOURSELF?
Dinner and a movie with my family
