Phibro Animal Health Corporation

Gary Fling

Technology Efficiency Advocate

Gary Fling is a trailblazer in information management and technology, with over 40 years of experience across leading organisations such as Johnson & Johnson, Endo Pharmaceuticals and Atlantic Richfield Company. His career journey began during the transition from keypunches to cathode ray tubes, evolving from a programmer to a senior director and beyond. As CIO of Phibro Animal Health Corporation for 15 years, Gary has been instrumental in increasing the company’s valuation to over $1 billion while expanding its footprint to more than 35 countries. He specialises in implementing ERP, BI and supply chain systems, with a proven record of driving efficiency and revenue growth. He is currently focused on integrating new acquisitions, enhancing IT operations and aligning technology initiatives with Phibro’s strategic goals to ensure continued global success.

Recognising Gary Fling’s visionary leadership and transformative contributions to IT in the animal health pharma industry, this exclusive interview delves into his invaluable insights into turning underutilised technology investments into strategic enablers of operational excellence and global growth.

At a Glance:

• Overcoming challenges in adopting technology within the animal pharma industry by addressing functional leadership’s reluctance to embrace digital transformation.

• Collaboration with Microsoft and Oracle to implement tier-one cloud enablement and virtual infrastructure, strengthening the organisation’s technological foundation.

• Demonstrates IT excellence through a profitability improvement program, achieving below-industry benchmark IT investments while delivering exceptional organisational value..

Challenges in Adopting Technology in Animal Pharma

Adapting to digital enablement and achieving process excellence in a mature industry like animal pharma comes with unique hurdles. The pace of technological evolution often outstrips the industry’s capacity for adoption. While IT teams are eager to implement advanced solutions, the challenge lies in functional leadership’s reluctance to embrace the value these technologies bring. Bridging this gap is crucial for unlocking the transformative potential of innovation.

"The universal formula to generate exceptional IT value is to maximise the quality of service and minimise cost and time."

When I joined Phibro Animal Health Corporation, it was privately held and had traditionally underinvested in technology. However, when we went public in 2014, the landscape shifted significantly, necessitating compliance with SOX regulations. Meeting these standards required robust security protocols and proper segregation of duties, prompting a shift toward advanced technological solutions.

Leveraging Technology for Compliance and Growth

Today, as a global organisation operating across multilingual and multicurrency landscapes, Phibro relies on technology to streamline regulatory and compliance requirements efficiently. This transformation underscores the critical role of technology in driving operational excellence and staying competitive in a rapidly evolving industry.

Driving Cloud Transformation and Operational Excellence

One of the most impactful initiatives I led at Phibro Animal Health Corporation was formulating and executing a comprehensive cloud transformation strategy. Over three years, we successfully transitioned the majority of our applications to the cloud, enhancing operational resilience and scalability. This foresight proved invaluable when a hurricane caused a two-hour power outage at our New Jersey headquarters. Thanks to our cloud infrastructure, critical operations remained unaffected, underscoring the value of a proactive digital strategy.

Collaborating with industry leaders like Microsoft and Oracle, we achieved tier-one enablement and established a robust virtual infrastructure. Additionally, our profitability improvement program validated the effectiveness of our IT systems. An independent evaluation revealed that our IT investment not only falls below the industry benchmark but delivers exceptional value to the organisation, affirming our commitment to innovation and operational excellence.

This strategic focus on digital transformation has solidified our position as a resilient and forward-thinking organisation, driving both efficiency and profitability.