FARIS FARIS
Chief Information & Technology Officer at Ferraro Foods
Can you please provide a little introduction about yourself
My name is Faris H. Faris and I am the CIO/CTO at Ferraro Foods. Ferraro Foods is the leading Italian Food distributor in the marketplace delivering quality food products, value, and reliable service to the Italian restaurant and pizzeria segment, servicing over 8,000 customers across half the US.
What has your journey to your position been like? What path have you taken?
I have been in Information Technology for roughly 25 years. Shortly after graduating college and completing several IT certification courses, I landed my first job as a helpdesk technician at a prestigious law firm in New Jersey and spent the next 15 years of my career providing technical support services within the legal industry. Within those 15 years, I held titles at different Law Firms from Helpdesk Technician, Technical “Floor” Support, Network Systems Support, Telecommunications Manager, and Web Manager, to Director of Information Technology.
In 2013 I decided to change industries and sought out opportunities in manufacturing and distribution, which I’ve always had an interest in. I landed my first manufacturing and distribution job as Director of Information Technology/Infrastructure Lead with G&W Labs, a generic pharmaceutical manufacturing and distribution company. During my time with G&W Labs, I developed and oversaw the company’s overall IT systems and infrastructure group while ensuring the delivery of quality
services throughout the company and customers. I used the opportunity to build and maintain high service levels along with providing key support for all operations throughout the organization. I worked closely with vendors to build an infrastructure robust enough to support the expansion of the business, along with working hand-in-hand with our Oracle ERP implementation team.
Shortly after G&W labs, I accepted a Director of Information Technology position at Thibaut, the nation’s oldest continuously operating wallpaper firm (along with fabric and furniture). At Thibaut, I lead the technology operations and developed and maintained strong service structures based on stable processes, policies, system redundancies, cyber-security, and documented procedures while thoroughly supporting all areas of business. I worked continuously with the leadership team on
identifying and promoting efficiencies to support growth, improve sales, improve customer service levels and experiences, and provide successful tools to increase productivity, in turn improving revenue. This included our new ERP platform which I (along with our COO/CFO) spearheaded, a new WMS platform, a new VoIP phone and call center platform, and focused heavily on Cyber-Security best practices.
I spent a little over six years with Thibaut when I received a call from Ferraro Foods in 2021. Ferraro Foods was searching for an IT executive experienced in day-to-day IT operations, including ERP, WMS, VoIP, Cyber-Security, Operations, Finance tools, and a background in strategically leveraging
technology to support the growth of the business and transform the current state into a future state. I felt the timing was right, and I was certainly up for the challenge as this was all part of my career roadmap.
Has it always been your vision to reach the position you’re at? Was your current role part of your vision to become a tech leader?
Being a CIO or CTO has always been my goal and vision. I made a strong effort over the past 25 years to not only work hard to reach my professional goal but to achieve my goal by working up the ladder and taking the right steps. Starting as a young helpdesk technician, providing floor support, and managing infrastructure, to becoming an integral voice of a leadership team with a focus on driving a business to success.
What skills do you think leaders of the future will need in order to thrive?
It’s no secret that the world has evolved around mobile tech, with everything you want and need at your fingertips. With that said, I believe more platforms will shift towards mobile, ease of use, and AI over the next 5 years. Additionally, you’ll see a continual uptick in cyber-security enhancements and professionals.
How do you keep current with new skills, technologies and personal development?
I take part in several CIO groups where we meet monthly to discuss new technologies, and trends, and bounce ideas off one another for feedback. Not all CIOs or IT leaders are the same, so it’s great to network with individuals at your level (or other areas of IT) to learn what they have accomplished, what works, what are potential challenges, and what to avoid.
"Be proactive and not reactive, always think “what if”, because if there’s a chance it could happen, it will, so be prepared."
If you were mentoring a leader of the future, what advice or guidance would you give to help them on their way?
Here is some advice and guidance that resonated with me throughout my career, and which I practice daily. First, be proactive and not reactive, always think “what if”, because if there’s a chance it could happen, it will, so be prepared. Second, learn the business you’re in, you are only going to succeed if you understand how the business operates and generates revenue. Third, understand that everyone has their own personality, having the ability to adapt or adjust to people’s personalities is a strong
tool to have.
A big thank you to Faris Faris from Ferraro Foods for sharing his journey to date.
If you would like to gain more perspective from Tech Leaders and CIOs you can read some of our other interviews here.
