Mark Anthony’s Sam Wong Shares AI Blueprint: Leadership Buy-In & Collaboration

Sam Wong – Senior Director of Data, Analytics and AI – Mark Anthony Group

For major consumer goods and retail companies, integrating AI into company ecosystems is no longer a question of “should I?” but rather “how will I?” The landscape, however, is riddled with obstacles, requiring enterprises to build a strategic roadmap before going all-in on AI.

Sam Wong, senior director of data, analytics and AI at the Mark Anthony Group — an international drinks company with products such as White Claw Hard Seltzer —  recently highlighted how the company overcame challenges to create an AI incubator and offered a roadmap for successfully implementing the technology. 

“When AI first came out, everyone wondered what to do about it,” Wong said during his Analytics Unite presentation, noting that many companies took a “let’s hold on” approach. Mark Anthony’s founder, Anthony von Mandl, however, had a different take on the topic. 

“He was actually quite progressive, and wondered how AI could make Mark Anthony Group different and [how we could] leverage that capability,” Wong recalled. “So, we actually had sponsorship to explore the question, ‘What are we going to do with AI?’”

More: Last year, CGT recognized Wong in its Visionaries awards program. Read his profile here.

That buy-in meant Wong had the resources to create a team dedicated to building a focus incubator for AI and taking the time to explore various use cases.

On its path toward implementation, the team considered how to align AI strategies to corporate goals, identify the value the program would bring to the company and determine the complexities involved.

“When we went to actually create this innovation, we had challenges. What’s the data that’s required? Is it even in a state that we can use? Are there alternative approaches we could take to implement this?” Wong recalled asking. 

It took about a year and a half of incubation before the company began putting AI into production.