Philip Morris International - IT Executive of the Year

Company: Philip Morris International, Lausanne, Switzerland
Company Description: PMI is a leading international tobacco company, with a diverse workforce of around 71,000 people who hail from every corner of the globe. We are committed to being a great employer. We strive to be environmentally and socially responsible. We are dedicated to fighting the illegal cigarette trade. We proudly support the communities where we source tobacco and where our employees live and work.
Nomination Category: Information Technology Categories
Nomination Sub Category: IT Executive of the Year

Nomination Title: Michael Voegele

When Michael Voegele joined Philip Morris International (PMI) in 2019, reporting directly to the CEO, PMI had already declared its strategy to deliver a smoke-free products – better alternatives to cigarettes for the millions of adults who would otherwise continue to smoke. Michael’s task was to lead PMI’s digital transformation – moving the IT department from a support function to deliver true impact as a key business accelerator across the company. Taking on this challenge, Michael was ready to lead a team that is a part of an industry revolution to a smoke-free vision. A focus was set to digitalize the core and deliver significant enhancements across three pillars:

1. Simplifying and harmonizing back-end legacy processes and systems, reducing complexity and allowing for speed and scale.
2. Modernizing methods and technologies to deliver outstanding user experiences globally.
3. Investing in people and capability-building—bringing expertise in-house, integrating tech and business teams.

To deliver distinct business and consumer value, Michael recognized the need to:

-Map and deliver PMI’s technology capabilities against current and future needs.
-Increase the innovation success rate through new tools and platforms.
-Heighten internal knowledge and skills in cloud computing, integration, and data across the global IT team and increase digital literacy across the business.

Michael started by improving how employees work and collaborate, consolidating PMI’s legacy applications and introducing a new ecosystem of high-performing digital tools known as PMI’s Digital Workplace (DW). This enhanced team collaboration, accelerated daily activities across multiple devices, and allowed employees to work on documents simultaneously.

New remote consumer engagement tools were also rolled out - enhancing the user experience with PMI’s smoke-free products, enabling online guided trials that go beyond physical stores for adult smokers keen to switch to a better alternative. A new PMI Data Ocean drastically improved data quality and algorithms, enhancing data-driven decision-making and ensuring data is stored and used appropriately, mindful of privacy.

Initially planned for rollout over 12 months, the outbreak of COVID-19 meant accelerating the time line. PMI’s CEO tasked Michael with ensuring business continuity—Michael met the challenge, assembling a team of tech experts to deploy MS Teams to 71,000 employees in under four weeks.

Knowing that for employees to embrace the new tools, a strong change management effort was required, Michael activated agents of change worldwide supporting colleagues and acting as touchpoints for the central team, expanding the central IT infrastructure. The plan was successful—a May 2020 employee survey revealed 75% of respondents were either highly satisfied or satisfied with their remote work capabilities, while 69% were highly satisfied or satisfied with the mobile experience (demonstrating real behavior change). What’s more, 60% of time spent in meetings was now video-enabled versus 0.2% previously. And—in a first—the financial quarter closing in March 2020 was conducted remotely—and seamlessly.

Michael is a leader investing in future leaders, building an inclusive, diverse, and high-performing team equipped for future needs, fostering an environment of collaboration and creativity. Pioneering the launch of PMI’s first online, learning program, the IT Academy allows employees to own their career development and maximize their employability. The self-paced learning framework empowers employees with the tools and programs they need to learn. Investing in others, building them up, creating value and impact within the organization, as well as the world.

Michael’s leadership ensured that PMI’s transformation is not only product related, but integrated across the business with technology and technological advances at the forefront of the wider cultural shift.

Thanks to Michael’s strategic planning and foresight in enhancing ways of working and ensuring business continuity, he has helped accelerate progress toward a smoke-free future by embedding a digital-first, inclusive, and collaborative workplace culture across PMI.

-Michael and his team have reshaped PMI’s IT function and operations to support and deliver business value through consolidating PMI’s tech stack and adopting leading-edge tools for maximum impact.
-Michael’s ability to anticipate business needs and plan ahead meant that PMI was able to quickly pivot following the outbreak of the pandemic, enabling employees to continue focusing on delivering business goals and accelerating PMI’s transformation.
-Michael spearheaded a new IT academy, continuing PMI’s commitment to invest in its people to foster an environment of collaboration and creativity.
-Thanks to Michael’s leadership, strategic approach, and planning, PMI is now a more digitally driven, consumer-centric organization, rapidly accelerating progress to deliver a smoke-free future.