Smart Adoption: How George Weston Foods Turns AI Into Business Value

In this interview, Danny Walsh, Business & Technology Services Director, George Weston Foods, 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. Walsh highlights that pairing technology rollout with education has been key to their high adoption rate of 94%,…