In this CIO Edge interview, Danny Walsh, Business & Technology Services Director, details how he blends data, machine learning, and Copilot to shape AI strategy at George Weston Foods.

Danny describes his role as similar to a traditional CIO, overseeing finance back-office functions such as accounts payable, accounts receivable, and payroll.

He manages seven businesses through a shared services model, providing him with broad visibility across operational areas and enabling him to influence technology adoption at scale.

His responsibilities blend business and technology oversight, ensuring processes and systems align effectively with organisational needs.

George Weston Foods’ AI journey began with machine learning, supported by a centralised data lake that consolidated the company’s data and allowed for effective experimentation with AI initiatives.

More recently, the company has moved into generative AI, starting with ChatGPT and progressing to a pilot of Microsoft’s Copilot involving around 200 users over the past year.

Danny highlights that pairing technology rollout with education has been key to their high adoption rate of 94%, ensuring employees understand how to use the tools safely and effectively while raising awareness of potential risks.

Danny emphasises that machine learning often delivers more immediate value than generative AI, particularly in areas like customer forecasting, citing an award-winning example with KFC.

He stresses that AI initiatives require both experimentation and a solid business case to scale successfully.

Currently, AI use at George Weston Foods focuses on end-user enablement, with the analytics team exploring large language models and early-stage application-specific projects like cyber security.

Over the next 12–24 months, Danny plans to expand Copilot selectively, explore new AI technologies, and work closely with the business to identify problems that AI or automation can address, balancing experimentation with practical value.

 

Key takeaways:

  • Integration of business and technology: Effective AI adoption requires oversight that blends operational understanding with technology strategy, ensuring systems and processes align with organisational needs.
  • Education drives adoption: Pairing AI tools with targeted training and support is critical, simply providing technology is insufficient; employees must understand how to use it safely and effectively.
  • Experimentation plus business value: Successful AI initiatives combine experimentation to explore capabilities with a clear business case to scale, prioritising tools like machine learning for immediate impact while selectively deploying generative AI where it adds measurable value.
Contributors
Danny Walsh Business and Technology Services Director
Strategic, astute and creative thinker. Able to see the big picture and develop IT strategies that align to and complement business strategy.... More

Strategic, astute and creative thinker. Able to see the big picture and develop IT strategies that align to and complement business strategy. High performing senior leader with excellent management and communication skills. Able to relate to people across cultural, geographic and hierarchical boundaries within and outside the organization and provide the link between business strategy and IT strategy. Customer-orientated with a great understanding of IT tools and methodologies and their usage to achieve desired business outcomes.

Strengths include:
> Internal & External Relationship Management
> IT Strategy Development and Transformation
> Programme and Project Management
> Financial Management
> Cross Cultural Team Leadership
> Coaching and People development

Career Highlights:
• Successfully relocated two data centres with zero disruption and refreshed infrastructure services at an annual saving of A$450k.
• Took on a disparate group of country focused IT managers from different cultures and formed them into a high performing regional team delivering regional cost reduction and service improvements.
• Successfully lobbied for an analytics tool to streamline Service Management (ITSM) and implemented to over 200 global users. Recognised as a ‘game changer’ by senior leadership for providing visibility and driving ownership resulting in 55% reduction in open incidents
• Developed the first ever three-year strategic plan for Asia Pacific aligned with global functional strategy and regional business strategy. Achieved cost savings of circa 18% as the regional user base grew 12% whilst simultaneously raising satisfaction levels with IS services from below 70% to above 80%.
• Successfully challenged the long held assumption that the regional data centre should be based in Australia and decommissioned in favour of Asian co-location services at an annual saving of approximately GBP500k

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Gabby Fredkin Head of Analytics & Insights at ADAPT
As the Head of Analytics and Insights at ADAPT, Gabby Fredkin’s primary role is managing analysis to produce ADAPT’s actionable insights to... More

As the Head of Analytics and Insights at ADAPT, Gabby Fredkin’s primary role is managing analysis to produce ADAPT’s actionable insights to identify trends supporting organisations in Australia.

With a passion for creating stories with data, Gabby is consistently rated as one of the top speakers at ADAPT’s events. In roundtable discussions, he specialises in using statistics to initiate thought-provoking discussions, enabling ADAPT’s customers to become more data-driven.​

Using modern data science techniques, he provides ADAPT and its customers with confidence in the accuracy and validity of the information used for ADAPT’s research, advisory and events.

Working across artificial intelligence, machine learning, AI ethics, DevSecOps, end-user behaviour, and human-centred design, Gabby’s vast experience continues to grow, supported in part by a Master of Business Analytics from Deakin University.

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leadership data transformation