23. Wendy's Restaurants on Designing the New Customer Experience With AI and Cloud Computing

Wendy's CIO shares his thoughts on building a next generation customer experience, and designing with cross-functional teams. Vaconi shares how  cloud computing, mobility and  AI provide the technical  foundation for delivering  on new business opportunity. Relevant Blog: Wendy’s Unveils New Global Restaurant Design StandardBIO:Kevin VasconiChief Information OfficerKevin joined Wendy’s as our Chief Information Officer in 2020. In this role, he is responsible for all aspects of Wendy’s global technology efforts, including Consumer-facing Digital, Restaurant Technology, Enterprise Architecture and Technology, and Information Security.Prior to joining the Company, Kevin served as Executive Vice President, Chief Information Officer at Domino’s Pizza, Inc. At Domino’s, he served on the executive leadership team and was responsible for developing and leading all domestic and international technology capabilities. Emphasis on technology innovation helped Domino's achieve more than half of all global retail sales in 2019 from digital channels, primarily online ordering and mobile applications. He has been recognized in the Top 10 of Nation’s Restaurant News’ Power List for his technology and innovation leadership, overseeing the team that spearheaded digital innovations that changed the pizza landscape and have served as inspiration for the broader QSR category.Kevin has more than 30 years of technology experience across multiple industries including automotive, hardware, software and retail. His tenure prior to Domino’s includes service as CIO and VP of Engineering for the Stanley Security Solutions division of Stanley Black & Decker; SVP & CIO, R.L.Polk & Co.; and Chief Technology Officer for a number of business units and platforms within the Ford Motor Company. You’ll find the Son of Baconator in his favorites on the Wendy’s mobile app.Kevin received his B.S. in Technology from Purdue University. STAY CONNECTEDSubscribe to the AI with Maribel Lopez audio podcast: https://www.buzzsprout.com/1947446Subscribe to my LinkedIn newsletter — AI Decoded with Maribel Lopez: https://www.linkedin.com/newsletters/ai-decoded-with-maribel-lopez-7312533413582827520/Lopez Research blog: https://www.lopezresearch.com/research/Follow me on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/maribellopez/Follow me on X: https://x.com/MaribelLopez