Accenture helps embed cost-consciousness at Mondelēz International, saving $1 billion over three years to reinvest in growth.

1. Mondelez International:
delivering savings with
zero-based budgeting

2. Client profile
Mondelez International is a global
snack food powerhouse with billion-
dollar brands like Oreo®, LU®, Nabisco®,
Cadbury®, Milka®, Trident® and Tang®. It
serves consumers in 165 countries and
reported $34 billion in revenue in 2014.
Opportunity
Although Mondelez International
experienced high growth, it needed
to improve operating margins, which
were lower than its peers. Mondelez
International asked Accenture to establish
a zero-based budgeting system that
would help it compete more effectively
in an increasingly challenging economic
environment. Mondelez International
and Accenture collaborated to drive
companywide cultural change that would
help control indirect costs to improve
margins and reinvest for growth.
Solution
But delivering one-time savings wasn’t
enough—Mondelez International
wanted those savings to be sustainable
over time. Similarly, while Mondelez
International sought to streamline
operations, it also wanted to preserve
key ingredients that made it a successful
company. Accenture and Mondelez
International’s leadership, therefore, took
a measured approach to zero-based-
budgeting, reducing costs in all areas
of the business. The team focused on
taking cost out of low-value areas like
travel and other overheads so Mondelez
International could reinvest the money
in areas that create a competitive
advantage, such as product development
and marketing. Together, Accenture and
Mondelez International created new
budgeting processes and embarked on
a far-reaching change management
program to establish accountability for
cost management.
As part of the work, Accenture helped
design a new global operating model and
supporting global business services unit
that delivers cost-effective and efficient
finance, HR and procurement services.
Accenture is also providing finance
and accounting and order-to-cash BPO
services.
Results
In only three months, Mondelez
International’s new operating model
was up and running. In the first year, the
company delivered savings of $350 million.
Over three years, the company aims to
save $1 billion. The savings have also
helped increase operating margins. More
importantly, the new budgeting processes
and change management program have
helped embed cost consciousness in the
company’s day-to-day operations and
culture. Mondelez International employees
are equipped with the processes and
tracking tools to meet their budgetary
targets. This cultural change is delivering
ongoing efficiency savings that can be
continuously reinvested into growth
initiatives.
“We needed to quickly
become more agile and
improve our profitability
within our unique culture.
The approach we took
with Accenture delivered
short- and long-term
value, enabling us to turn
cost management into a
competitive advantage."
Brian Gladden, EVP and CFO
About Accenture
Accenture is a global management
consulting, technology services and
outsourcing company, with more than
323,000 people serving clients in
more than 120 countries. Combining
unparalleled experience, comprehensive
capabilities across all industries and
business functions, and extensive research
on the world’s most successful companies,
Accenture collaborates with clients to
help them become high-performance
businesses and governments. The company
generated net revenues of US$30.0 billion
for the fiscal year ended Aug. 31, 2014. Its
home page is www.accenture.com.
MONDELEZ INTERNATIONAL, OREO, the
OREO Wafer Design, the OREO Milk
Splash, LU, NABISCO, CADBURY, MILKA,
TRIDENT and TANG are trademarks of
Mondelez International group, used with
permission.
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All rights reserved.
Accenture, its logo, and
High Performance Delivered
are trademarks of Accenture.