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Rob Cain

Helps retail and consumer organizations transform their core technology to dramatically improve functional effectiveness and efficiency

Rob helps companies define and implement technology transformation programs, with a special focus on retail and consumer organizations. He leads McKinsey Technology’s core tech work in the retail and consumer sectors, as well as the firm’s tech strategy, operating model, and digital business-building work, also for retail and consumer.

He partners with clients to develop value-driven tech strategies and solutions that use digital enablement to dramatically improve effectiveness, efficiency, operational performance, and stakeholder experiences.

Rob’s experience with leading technology for consumer companies is extensive. Previously, he led PwC’s US technology consulting and digital work for consumer markets. Prior to that he served as chief information officer at the Coca-Cola Company for seven years, and before that was corporate chief information officer at its German bottling plant, operating one of the largest consumer-packaged-goods SAP environments. Earlier in his career, he helped design and build one of the first bespoke customer-relationship management and sales-force automation platforms at Bell Laboratories.

Examples of Rob’s recent client work include the following:

  • assessing the effectiveness and value focus of an SAP S/4HANA implementation for one of the world’s largest consumer-industrial companies
  • evaluating the technology efficiency of a global restaurant franchise, helping to streamline operations and reduce costs
  • designing the target operating model for the business-technology transformation organization for a global consumer, healthcare, and industrial conglomerate, including enterprise resource planning and digital and global IT
  • improving the effectiveness of a global consumer-goods company’s core technology
  • reducing technology spend and developing cloud strategy for a North American mall-based retailer
  • leading portfolio planning and global application rationalization for an advanced-industries company

PUBLISHED WORK

Fortune or fiction? The real value of a digital and AI transformation in CPG,” McKinsey & Company, October 2024

Shared accountability and adaptability: Keys to a successful CIO journey,” McKinsey & Company, September 2024

A new dawn for the technology officer,” McKinsey & Company, September 2024

PAST EXPERIENCE

PwC
Partner
US technology consulting and digital practice leader, consumer markets

The Coca-Cola Company
Chief information officer, global corporate

EDUCATION

University of Minnesota Carlson School of Management
MBA

University of Notre Dame
BA, English language and literature