Customer Stories › AB InBev
Initiated by VP of Data & Analytics · 175,000 employees · 50 countries
Anheuser-Busch InBev is one of the world's largest consumer goods companies — 175,000 employees across 50 countries, with over 500 beer brands and $54.6 billion in revenue. Beneath that scale, the People (HR) data function had no consistent structure or governance. Teams across global offices were speaking different languages about the same data, using different definitions, access models, and standards. At one point, an entire department was accidentally deleted from the HR system — a direct result of the chaos. It was estimated that these data issues were costing the organization $2 million per year in lost productivity.
A shared vocabulary. KPIs tied to data quality. A metadata repository that could enforce consistency across regions. Executive sponsorship existed, but it hadn't been connected to a roadmap the broader organization could follow. The team knew something was wrong — they just didn't have the structure to diagnose it or fix it systematically.
The engagement started by stepping away from technology entirely. XenoDATA conducted a data audit — looking at data strategy and solutions architecture through a business lens first. By framing the problem in financial terms for executive sponsors, the team secured organic buy-in to proceed. The audit produced a roadmap toward digital transformation, including a metadata repository and a governance advisory committee. XenoDATA then standardized business terms in a data glossary and mapped them to the appropriate fields in the data dictionary. KPIs were established that reflected universal business conventions, giving the global team a shared way to measure and correct problems.
AB InBev went from no strategy to a clearly defined, well-executed plan the whole organization could understand. The metadata repository ensured that teams across 50 countries were speaking the same language — accessible to both technologists and business leaders alike. Data quality scorecards gave leadership real confidence in their numbers. By implementing a true data governance team, AB InBev fixed data quality and access issues across their global offices and saved an estimated $2 million in data-related work.
"Identified millions of dollars of improvements directly attributed to improved data management."
Paulo Santiago, Kraft Heinz / AB InBev
