Robin Kidd

Robin worked for 37 years in the consumer goods industry for Nestlé, on the development and effective implementation of supply chain communication standards for use across Nestlé businesses world-wide, covering information standards for e-Business and GDS and also physical identification standards such as bar-coding on products and logistics labels. He became a globally recognised expert on standards for exchanging information across the supply chain, from raw material suppliers and manufacturers to retailers and food service companies, and through to consumers.

From the mid-1980’s he worked on the integration of applications and data, initially within the company and then connecting companies across the supply chain. His involvement with GS1 included working on EDI standards and applications, on the use of GS1 standards in the Packaging supply chain, and on transactional processes and messages in the Global Commerce Initiative (GCI), ensuring Simple e-Business principles were applied.

From 1997 onwards, Robin’s major work was in the area of Master Data. This included designing and implementing workflow processes to ensure timely and accurate master data within the company, and in agreeing standards to exchange product master data with retailers, food service companies and consumer-facing websites. He implemented product data synchronisation applications using the GS1 Global Data Synchronisation Network (GDSN). He was co-chair of the global standards group for Master Data and GDSN at GS1, and served in many related working groups. He was an active member of the Next Generation Product Identification (NGPI) initiative at the Consumer Goods Forum. He is a Life Member of GS1 UK and enjoying his retirement.