Alex Campbell is an experienced Chief Information Officer (CIO) with a background that spans across multiple industries, from corporate real estate to retail and logistics. Having started his career in the fast-evolving internet and technology sector, Alex has held pivotal roles in companies including Sunwing, AutoTrader, and Engage People.
Today, Alex is the CIO of Healthy Planet, a leading Canadian retailer specializing in supplements and healthy foods. In his role, Alex focuses on leveraging technology to drive operational efficiency and support the company’s continued growth while balancing the ever-evolving landscape of cybersecurity challenges.
Here’s a glimpse of what you’ll learn:
- How Healthy Planet is evolving technologically to match its growth
- The challenges and advantages of being a family-run organization in the health retail sector
- The role of technology in modern retail, from AI to automated warehousing
- How Healthy Planet balances innovation with practical technological investments
- Alex's career path from unconventional beginnings to becoming a CIO
- The future of retail IT, focusing on AI, customer personalization, and cybersecurity
- Strategies for retaining IT talent in a fast-paced, tech-driven world
In this episode…
Alex Campbell shares his journey from Zimbabwe to Canada, with stops along the way in Europe, where he gained experience in a wide array of industries, eventually leading to his current role at Healthy Planet. Alex talks about the evolution of Healthy Planet from a small family-run health store to a well-known Canadian retail chain, with over 30 stores, as they continue to expand their footprint. He emphasizes the importance of maintaining operational efficiency while implementing new technology solutions, such as AI and automation, to improve customer experience.
Alex goes in-depth on the latest innovations at Healthy Planet, including their use of AutoStore, a high-efficiency automated warehousing solution that helps reduce operational costs while boosting online store throughput. He also highlights how Healthy Planet is integrating AI into customer interactions, potentially leveraging data from membership cards to deliver personalized advice and services. With a vision focused on the future, Alex discusses the importance of balancing day-to-day IT management while planning for strategic growth over the next few years.
Alex's insights on cybersecurity are especially pertinent, as he explains how even well-established companies are facing unprecedented challenges in the digital age. He stresses that while technology brings numerous benefits, companies must also build security into their infrastructure from the beginning, rather than as an afterthought. Alex explains the delicate balance between the cost of security and its importance, noting that investment in cybersecurity is a protective measure that companies can’t afford to ignore.
Resources mentioned in this episode:
Matthew Connor on LinkedIn
CyberLynx
Alex Campbell on LinkedIn
Healthy Planet Website
Evan Jost on LinkedIn
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