THE AI INTERVIEW
“ FROM PROGRAMMING, DIGITAL AND NOW AI, TECHNOLOGY HAS BEEN THE DIFFERENTIATOR FOR BUSINESSES FOR DECADES”
Bastien Parizot, SVP Global Business Services, Reckitt
“ Whatever role I’ ve held over the years, technology has always been a core enabler of transformation, execution and impact,” he says.
“ From programming, digital and now AI, technology has been the differentiator for businesses for decades. Whether it brings disruption or opportunity depends on how you choose to approach it.”
That philosophy has kept Bastien close to emerging technology through successive waves of innovation. It also explains his appetite for a role that, by his own admission, has no template.
Bastien describes his working day as anything but predictable. As the architect of a newly-created remit, he moves fluidly between strategic conversations and operational detail.
He continues:“ In one day I can move from reviewing how automation is helping us identify gaps in contracts, to working on how we accelerate AI across the enterprise, to a deep process and data review with our procurement team in India or a very exciting working session with the team in China on livestreaming.
“ Reckitt’ s purpose, global footprint and diversity – combined with the pace of transformation internally and externally – make my days some of the most intense of my career so far, but also the most exciting.”
The pilot trap For all the excitement surrounding generative AI, most enterprise adoption efforts continue to fall short. The vast majority of pilots never make it to production – and Bastien has a clear view on why.
26 April 2026