Diageo appoints a CPO

Many companies employ inspectors and quality controllers in an effort to minimise waste and boost good output volumes

Very few indeed  have anyone specifically in charge of productivity or widespread employment of best practices, whether from internal or external sources

Now, at long last, a major company has appointed a Chief Productivity Officer (CPO) – at least it’s the first one we’ve read about

Diageo have clearly recognised the importance of productivity improvement to their long term success and elevated their previous CIO, Brian Franz, to this new position

IT is indeed important, but it’s only one of the tools/ skills needed for productivity improvement

In his new role as CPO Franz says he is: “Helping to lead a targeted drive across our entire cost base and plans to save £500m in the next three years, two-thirds of which will be reinvested in growth”

He adds: “Productivity savings are often wrongly associated with cutting costs – we want to put the consumer at the heart of what we’re doing and drive top-line growth through productivity-focused activities”

One can only hope all other FTSE 100 companies, indeed,all UK SMEs, follow suit

Then, at long last, we might see a breakout in the apparent sclerotic UK productivity growth rate

 

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