Mondelēz International has selected Celonis as a strategic partner to scale AI across its global operations, moving the snack maker toward what it calls an autonomous business. The partnership, which builds on a collaboration that began in late 2024, already delivered USD $10 million in value and recovered USD $6 million in cash within 90 days by fixing credit memo leakage.
The work centres on the Celonis Context Model, which combines process intelligence with predictive scenario planning. Mondelēz operates across 150 countries with 91,000 employees and annual revenue of around USD $39 billion (AUD $56 billion), making process-level visibility essential for any AI initiative that aims to go beyond isolated pilots.
"Our ambition is to become an AI-driven business, and Celonis helps us fast-track that journey," said Rossana Rizzotto, Head of the Office of the CIDO at Mondelēz International. "It enables us to position our ERP modernisation as a value-driven transformation and provides the digital foundation needed for AI-enabled operations."
From process data to hard savings
The early financial returns came from connecting data across the company's top 20 systems of record. In procurement, teams gained a consolidated view of supplier claims and payment issues. A single dashboard now shows which suppliers owe money, replacing the manual work of tracking down discrepancies. This approach to AI for Operations converts raw process data into quantifiable cost recovery.
"At a click of a button, we now see a full dashboard of which suppliers owe us what amount, so my team can follow up," said Miko Maciejewski, Vice President of MDS Procurement, Legal, CGA and Sustainability. "And this is just the beginning." His team recovered USD $6 million within a quarter of the system going live.
A living digital twin of operations
Mondelēz is using the platform to create a living digital twin that spans end-to-end processes such as Source-to-Pay, Order-to-Cash and Hire-to-Retire. That process view underpins the next phase of AI deployment: identifying where AI agents can deliver the highest financial return, monitoring the downstream impact of automated actions, and comparing the cost of human workflows with agent-led ones.
The emphasis on return on investment is tied directly to the company's ERP modernisation. Process data now tracks whether technology changes produce real operational improvements, not just technical upgrades.
Building the foundation for AI agents
Rizzotto said the model changes how teams work by shifting staff from routine manual intervention to oversight of automated activity. "Celonis gives us the visibility to fundamentally change the way we work," she said. "It allows our teams to shift from doing manual work to overseeing AI agent performance, stepping in only to handle complex exceptions, so they can focus on strategic work."
Celonis sees Mondelēz's approach as a template for large multinationals. "Mondelēz International is setting a new standard for the digital-first enterprise," said Florian Schewior, General Manager for the DACH Region at Celonis. "Celonis is proud to provide the critical operational context needed for it to confidently scale AI and automation across its global operations."
Why this matters for operations
The partnership shows that scaling AI across a complex global business depends on process intelligence and measurable financial returns, not on deploying large language models in isolation. Operations leaders can take a clear lesson: connect core systems, map actual workflows, and prove the financial impact before expanding automation. Building the skills to link process data with AI is a practical next step, and resources like the AI Learning Path for Operations Managers offer structured guidance for that task.
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