You own the brain: data, models and logic. You orchestrate the muscle: vendors, startups and AI tools that plug in cleanly, contribute value and leave behind knowledge. You make innovation scalable because you make learning cumulative.
The best CIOs will not simply manage systems; they will engineer organizational learning velocity.
Why this matters now
The CPG industry sits at an inflection point. Consumers expect personalization, sustainability and speed, while costs and regulations tighten. McKinsey estimates that roughly 75% of new CPG products fail within their first year. The winners aren’t those who fail less — they’re those who learn more per failure.
The chassis turns those learnings into advantage. Each experiment — whether run internally or by a vendor — makes the next one faster, cheaper and smarter. That’s how capability compounds.
As AI, digital twins and data ecosystems reshape the industry, companies with strong chassis architectures will adapt quickly. They’ll onboard new tech in weeks, integrate vendors safely and reuse every learning. Everyone else will keep starting over.
Borrow speed, keep value
Don’t build another innovation lab. Don’t chase the next tool or trend.
Build the chassis — the backbone that lets your company borrow speed from the outside world while keeping the learning inside.
Start small. Build the core. Plug in vendors with real time-to-activation. Reuse what works. Every project should make the next one easier.
Because the companies that win won’t just innovate faster — they’ll learn faster and keep what they learn.
Borrow speed. Keep value. That’s how you turn innovation from activity into advantage.
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