Chuck Williams Biography

Chuck Williams is currently a Partner at Clarkston Consulting, where he helps life sciences and consumer products companies use information technology and innovation to dramatically improve business performance. From 2002 to 2007, Williams served as the first CTO at Pfizer, the world’s leading global pharmaceutical company. Overseeing almost $2 billion in annual IT spending, he worked with its CEO and other business leaders to develop Pfizer’s first IT strategic plan. Williams led the Pfizer information technology function in integrating the Pharmacia acquisition, consolidating and standardizing the technology infrastructure globally, standardizing Pfizer’s global financial processes and systems, and simplifying the application portfolio. In 2006, Pfizer won CIO 100 and Information Week innovation awards for deployment of radio frequency identification (RFID) technology, and a “next generation” virtualized computing infrastructure. Prior to joining Pfizer, Williams worked at Georgia-Pacific, a $22 billion forest products and consumer products manufacturer, where he served as CIO from 1997 to 2002. He was responsible for IT strategy as well as the design, implementation, and operation of the firm’s IT systems. Under his leadership, Georgia-Pacific successfully implemented the SAP enterprise resource planning system, integrated two large acquisitions, and won several awards for delivery of IT-enabled value and staff diversity. In 2000, Williams was a sponsor and board member for the launch of the industry consortium ForestExpress, an Internet-based marketplace (currently profitable and operating as Liason Technologies, LLC). While at GP, he also served on the boards of the Atlanta Ballet and the VICS electronic commerce consortium. Prior to Georgia-Pacific, Williams spent ten years at the Walt Disney Company, where he helped to open Euro Disney in 1992 and helped revitalize and expand Disney’s resorts and theme parks, consumer products, and filmed entertainment. Prior to Disney, Williams worked at the Sperry Corporation (now Unisys) as a programmer and systems analyst. He holds a B.S. in biology from the University of Alabama in Huntsville, and did post graduate work in business at Rollins College in Winter Park, Florida. He is a doctoral student at Columbia University in organization and leadership.