Featuring: Pallavi Nigam, Digital & Projects Head – Supply Chain at Mondelēz International
Host: Nikhil Chaudhary, VP Marketing at BeatRoute
The FMCG industry may look predictable from the outside, but the reality is far more volatile. Demand shifts, routes change, and disruptions ripple fast.
In Episode 3 of The BeatRoute Podcast, Pallavi Nigam from Mondelēz International breaks down what it truly takes to digitize FMCG operations. With 20+ years across frontline operations and digital leadership, She brings a uniquely well-rounded view from both sides of the table.
Let’s dive into the insights she shared!
A Journey Shaped by Business, Guided by Technology
Over the course of her career, Pallavi has worked with some of the most recognized names like Zycus and GEP, focusing on marketing, business development, and project operations. These early roles exposed her to the realities of how processes, people, data, and operations come together and where they often break.
She did not set out to lead digital transformation, but her close exposure to planning cycles, supplier dependencies, frontline challenges, and service-level pressures revealed that many inefficiencies stemmed not from capability gaps but from systems and processes that no longer matched business needs. This realization prompted her shift into digital.
She further adds that, digital transformation is not about automating the old work or the old world, but about reimagining how to design an entirely new approach.
“I saw firsthand how manual planning, how fragmented processes and lack of reliable data could slow down your overall, even the best teams of the world.”
Moving to Industry 5.0 Through Human-Tech Harmony
Pallavi emphasizes that AI is reshaping the relationship between humans and machines. She explains that AI is not just artificial intelligence but a form of human intelligence in action, creating a partnership where technology handles repetitive tasks and humans focus on higher-value decisions.
“AI can flag a lot of risks, but your teams decide the final action, and AI can never succeed unless it is having human intelligence in action,” she notes. Looking ahead, she believes the next evolution of work lies in the convergence of technology and human-centric design.
“As organizations move toward Industry 5.0, this convergence of AI, IoT, automation, and human-centric design represents the future of work.”
Choose the Right Use Cases and Then Deploy AI Solutions
When it comes to implementing AI solutions in FMCG, Pallavi believes the starting point is simple: pick the right battles.
She explains that leaders should begin by mapping where risks are emerging in real time and anchor their AI investments there. If you try to deploy AI everywhere at once, you end up spreading it thin and diluting its impact. But when use cases are chosen deliberately, AI becomes a force multiplier rather than a shiny distraction.
In her view, AI succeeds when the use cases lead the way. It is the roadmap that makes the engine run, not the other way around.
“The predictive aspect of AI, which is predicting your stock levels or predicting your stocks at risk. That is where you have to start figuring out the use cases. Where do you exactly are the risks, which is happening currently. And those are the exact places from where you can start picking the AI solutions”
FMCG Data Complexities That Vendors Often Miss
Pallavi points out a truth that enterprises rarely speak about openly: many vendors come armed with strong technology but little understanding of how global FMCG companies actually operate. They underestimate the weight of legacy systems, data complexity, regional nuances, and the operational pressures of a FMCG industry that cannot afford downtime. According to her, the success of any digital partnership depends on shared context. A tool must integrate into existing rhythms rather than disrupt them. Systems that look impressive in demos often fail when placed in the hands of diverse teams working across multiple markets, especially when the underlying data is fragmented or unreliable.
“Vendors have to understand that AI cannot succeed without solving data fidelity. Most organizations today are struggling on the data side. Vendors love showcasing sophisticated models, but in retail and CPG, data fragmentation is crucial.”
The Gap Between Successful and Stalled Digital Transformations
Successful digital transformations rarely hinge on technology alone, says Pallavi. Success depends on disciplined execution, strong governance, and proactive change leadership.
In contrast, struggling organizations often suffer from excessive local customization, weak data foundations, and leaders expecting transformation benefits without committing to behavioral change.
According to her successful organizations consistently demonstrate three key factors:
Clear Ownership: Treat digital initiatives as business programs, with defined process owners driving adoption and outcomes.
Relentless Governance: Enforce design authorities and data standards to prevent local dilution and enable scalable deployments.
Change Leadership: Guide teams through new ways of working with capability-building, clear communication, and early user involvement so tools fit actual workflows.
“Successful organizations do not just invest in technology; they invest in the operating model that makes the technology work.”
Final Thoughts
Reflecting on her journey, Pallavi believes transformation is not a one-time project but a continuous cycle of learning and recalibrating.
Drawing from her experience across global enterprises, Pallavi offers practical guidance for leaders aiming to build future-ready organizations:
Fix the Fundamentals First – Strengthen data quality, align processes, and establish clear ownership to ensure measurable impact.
Apply Tiered AI Governance – Low-risk, high-volume decisions can be fully automated; medium-risk decisions require AI recommendations with human approval; high-risk decisions remain human-led with AI support.
Design the Operating Model, Not Just the Tech Stack – Embed technology into daily workflows with clear communication, change leadership, and capability building.
Scale AI Responsibly – Treat AI as a strategic capability, granting autonomy only when accuracy and consistency are proven.
The next decade of FMCG transformation, she notes, will be led by retail enterprise leaders who combine strategic vision with operational clarity and understand not just the technology but also the people who bring it to life.
