Dave Williams is the Chief Information and Digital Officer for Merck. He is a member of Merck’s Executive Team and is responsible for global Information Technology and is focused on helping Merck’s research, manufacturing and business units develop and leverage digital solutions to serve customers and achieve business value. Previously, Dave was chief information officer of Merck Animal Health. There he led the development and execution of a digital transformation that deployed several cloud-based platforms and capabilities, resulting in streamlined operations and improved customer engagement. Prior to that, Dave founded Merck Animal Health Ventures, which brings together capabilities across veterinarians, start-ups, inventors, entrepreneurs, customers and investment partners to develop new solutions that address unmet customer needs. Dave passionately believes an IT organization that combines the right technologies with capable people can make a profound difference in a business’ ability to innovate, adapt and serve its customers. Of these two ingredients, he believes people are the most important - and the greatest competitive advantage can be found in building an organization that attracts and develops extraordinary people.