IndiaRetailing brings you a collection on India’s key retail tech icons. Featuring Vijay Varshney, head of know-how Middle East & South Asia, Smollan India Technology Pvt Ltd., this week

New Delhi: Today’s CIO should know find out how to leverage know-how to create worth for the enterprise. No longer are CIOs division heads of a assist operate, they’re within the driver’s seat and must be extra than simply subject-matter consultants. According to International Data Group (IDG)’s “State of the CIO Study 2022,” 58% of staff outdoors of IT describe their firm’s CIO as a “strategic advisor who proactively identifies business opportunities and makes recommendations.”

In this particular characteristic, IndiaRetailing showcases the torchbearers of retail know-how. This week, the highlight is on….

Vijay Varshney
Vijay Varshney has wealthy expertise spanning over 26+ years in FMCG and retail know-how, which has helped him throughout his retail journey from officer trainee to a management position. He has labored on a number of digital transformation tasks throughout a number of areas (manufacturing items, branches, head workplace, Central ISD) inside HUL & now at Smollan. Skilled in designing, creating & main groups for executing digital transformation tasks overlaying end-to-end echo methods of a corporation. Currently, consists of varied routes to market mobility & data-driven insights tasks of FMCG, retail, client items & ft on road administration.

Role & Responsibilities
– As a member of the Global Data & Tech EXCO, contribute to creating technique for know-how, e-commerce &knowledge, with the place to play and find out how to win
– Managing P&L for SITPL & ship revenue targets for the worldwide mobility enterprise
– Collaborate with Clients and inside stakeholders by understanding their wants & suggesting the suitable know-how answer – off the shelf, customised, or internally developed
– Lead the event & deployment of mobility options & related echo methods by way of the Global Development Centre (100+ Technical Resources) throughout 50 nations for managing a big area power of 90,000.
– Lead Technology Innovations for AI, Data Led Business Objectives reminiscent of Image Recognition, Fridge IoT, Smart Shelves, and Data Alerts
– Responsible for folks functionality improvement, profession development, and engagement for retaining & attracting know-how expertise
– Manage the multicultural workforce members based mostly out of various nations
– Participate & contribute to different management workforce members in designing insurance policies, governance guidelines, knowledge privateness & reaching enterprise targets.

Career History & Experience
– Smollan
Head of Technology: MESA
Dec 2017 –current
– General Manager Technology
Jan 2015 – Nov 2017
– Hindustan Field Services Pvt Ltd
(Smollan Group SA)
Head IT
Apr 2010 – Dec 2014
– Hindustan Unilever Field Services Pvt Ltd
Systems Manager
Jan 2008 – Mar 2010
– Hindustan Unilever Ltd.
Sr. Systems Executive
Mar 2005 – Dec 2007

Education
– Post Graduate in International Business & Finance from IIFT, Delhi,
– Post Graduate in Operational Research from Hindu College, Delhi University
– Global Leadership Program IEDC-Bled School of Management, Slovenia
– Mini MBA at WPP Maestro &Executive Program from IIM Ahmedabad

Strengths:
– Perseverance, to drive enterprise outcomes/outcomes.
– Passion, for problem-solving
– Collaboration, with enterprise & workforce

Weakness:
– Hard to please, as I look out for perfection in the whole lot.

Aspirations to Fulfill
Build a worldwide powerhouse of retail know-how options for Smollan

Game-changing retail applied sciences
– Data Driven Sales & Execution – for dynamic resourcing & product availability by use of the suitable machine studying fashions for each Modern Trade & General Trade.
– Image Recognition –Makes present Visibility course of in Retail extra impactful and extra environment friendly, reduces time to serve by way of an built-in SMART Mobility answer
– IoT – with Proximity & Smart Sensors with augmented applied sciences, one can enhance consumer expertise within the Retail sector to profit prospects and retailers to an incredible extent.

Skills
Beyond the technical data, energetic listening & understanding the enterprise wants have helped me to develop & deploy pragmatic options by protecting the top consumer in thoughts first.

Lessons and Learnings
– Technology is ever evolving, be the pioneer in what you
undertake
– Green, you develop & ripe you rot
– An concept is barely pretty much as good as its execution

Future of trade
Blockchain, because it will increase transparency, auditability, and confidence in a variety of enterprise processes, providing a option to construct belief between retailers, fee gateways, and prospects.

Role Model within the Industry
Steve Jobs

Tech mantra for all times
Feedback is the breakfast of Champions

This article first appeared within the November 2022 version of Images Retail.