People, Process, Progress: Inside ADI’s Continuous Transformation with Allie Copeland

Allie Copeland: Thanks, Aaron. Happy to be here. I’m Alli Copeland, Chief Transformation Officer at ADI Global. I’ve worked here for nine years. We’re a global distributor of security, AV, datacom, and low-voltage products—classic B2B industrial distribution. In my role, I lead digital, operational, and cultural transformation, with a focus on driving growth and integrating any M&A we take on.

Aaron Sheehan: That’s a lot wrapped up in one title. Chief Transformation Officer isn’t a role you see every day—usually, those responsibilities get split among different execs. Have you had that title the whole time you’ve been at ADI?

Allie Copeland: That’s a great question. No, my background is actually in operations, but I’ve worked in wholesale for 25 years and done a bit of everything—business development, marketing, sales. I even worked in the credit department for a week, but they kicked me out because I’m not great at chasing down money or hearing, “the check is in the mail.” So they didn’t let me stay long there.

But overall, I’ve had a variety of roles across different verticals, and that was really helpful when we acquired Snap One about a year ago, in June 2024. They were a NASDAQ-traded company, a little over a billion dollars in revenue. Bringing them in wasn’t just an integration; it was a true transformation. At the same time, we were putting in a new ERP system for the Americas—just a lot of change all at once.

Because of that, we created this transformation role. With my background in different areas—but especially operations—it was a natural fit, since I could operationalize what needed to happen. This new role touches almost every process in the company and transforms it in some way under this “newco.” When I look back at my career, it all kind of built up to this. And like you said, you really can’t drive transformation if it’s just a side job for a bunch of people. You need focus and cohesion to bring all those functional spokes together.

Aaron Sheehan: I couldn’t agree more. It’s hard to drive change when, for most people, change is something you’re supposed to do on the side—your main job is about keeping things stable and predictable. Then suddenly you’re supposed to “put on a different hat” and redo everything, and then switch back and pretend nothing’s changed. You get this weird two-steps-forward, one-step-back rhythm in a lot of companies.

You already started answering my next question: Why is ADI transforming? Not you, Alli, but ADI as a whole. And how do you know—or how does your board or your C-suite know—when the transformation is actually complete? The background you gave is that this was all kind of merger-driven, to unify technology and operations. That was just a year ago, and most companies need two or three years to really digest an acquisition. Sometimes it takes decades. So are you done? And how do you know if you’re ever “done”?

Allie Copeland: I don’t think you’re ever really done, especially not today. Different processes and areas roll into transformation, and then, once they stabilize, they go back to business as usual. For example, we’re going live in the U.S. on a new ERP on Monday, and after we get through the hypercare period, that project team will go back to where it belongs in the organization for the long term. At the same time, our enterprise data, business intelligence, and analytics team just rolled under transformation because we’re about to start a data transformation.

Transformation should never be static, especially with how quickly technology is changing. You shouldn’t be resting on your laurels. The core PMO or project management team might stay steady, but the groups reporting in are very dynamic. We set up temporary teams under one leader to tackle a transformation, and when that area becomes business as usual, it goes back to its place in the organization. The transformation team is always evolving. If you like doing different things and constant change, it’s great. My team is always evolving, and transformation should be, too.

Aaron Sheehan: That’s a great answer. So, the acquisition may have prompted your role as Chief Transformation Officer, but now that you’re here, you’re sticking around. There will be more transformations, and not all of them will be driven by mergers or acquisitions.

Alli Copeland: That’s right. We’re really an enabler. If you think about strategy, most businesses have a three-to-five-year strategic plan, and those are usually somewhat transformative. But you’re constantly iterating, then stepping back and moving forward. Honestly, I’d say three to five years is the old way of thinking. Now it’s more like one to three years because of how fast technology is shifting. AI, machine learning, data science—these things are moving so fast now, what made sense five years ago doesn’t always make sense now, and you can’t wait that long to implement. So we’re constantly transforming.

Our approach is to be very process-specific. For example, if we’re transforming the data team, we bring them in, transform that function, get it to where it’s business as usual, then roll it back out. You can do that with anything—your network, your real estate strategy, any big strategic area. Bring it in, transform it, then roll it back out when it’s ready. It takes a lot of agility, cross-functional collaboration, and support from your peers to get it done.

Aaron Sheehan: I love it. You’re actually anticipating where I wanted to go next—strategy. I remember you had a great slide in Denver about what strategy really is. So often, strategy just ends up being a deck, a PowerPoint that looks good on the projector but then is forgotten as soon as people leave the room. How do you define strategy, and what’s the connection to transformation?

Allie Copeland: For us, strategy is the “what.” Transformation is the bridge to the “how.” You have your strategy, and then you have to figure out how to operationalize it. Without execution, strategy is just a slide deck. Transformation is what makes strategy sustainable and part of the business going forward. We’re the bridge between “why,” “what,” and turning that into a long-term “how.”

Aaron Sheehan: That makes perfect sense. One thing I really liked about your presentation is that you covered everything—from strategy and technology to operations, processes, and people. As a generalist myself, I appreciate when someone can connect the strategic vision with the on-the-ground details that actually drive success.

Let’s start with the technology side. You mentioned earlier that you have an ERP rollout coming up next week. I’m honestly surprised you have time for this podcast right now! Usually, at this point, everyone’s in white-knuckle mode.

Allie Copeland: Funny you mention that. My husband asked me this morning how I slept last night. Apparently, in my sleep, I kept shouting, “P21!”—which is the ERP we’re rolling out. He said, “Next time, I’ll record you.” Honestly, we already did a smaller rollout in Canada back in January, which was like a test run for what we’re doing in the U.S. We spent six months in hypercare, and we probably could’ve launched in the U.S. 60 days ago if we’d pushed it. We almost went live over Memorial Day weekend, but we decided to pause and give it another 60 days to make sure everyone felt comfortable. Now we have a firm launch date, and our teams—store leadership and sales—are all ready. They’ve been messaging me, “Can we just turn it on now?”

We’ve planned, we’ve prepared, and we’ve done everything we can. So yes, you should be calm a few days before launch… or at least, that’s what I tell myself.

Aaron Sheehan: You should be! Or at least, be able to disassociate from the panic—maybe that’s what the sleep-yelling is for. For what it’s worth, a lot of our customers use P21, too; it’s really popular in the space.

Aaron Sheehan: So you’ve got this ERP project, a merger that kind of kicked off your new role, and now you’re thinking about transformation organization-wide. What kind of systems and architecture were you starting with at the beginning, and what was the goal driving this change? I remember you had an interesting perspective on how your business approached it.

Allie Copeland: We started with a 40-year-old, homegrown, green-screen ERP—an AS/400 mainframe. It was a real workhorse, no disrespect, but it was time for her to retire. It was starting to limit us in terms of adopting new technology and API connections. There’s only so much you can do with an old, monolithic system.

That was a huge mindset shift for us. Back in the ’80s, the idea was to have one big system that did everything, customized for your business. But for this transformation, we moved toward a microservices and micro-application strategy. Now, instead of trying to make the ERP do everything, it’s just our transactional engine. For specific areas—our “special sauce”—we look for best-of-breed tech that integrates cleanly with the ERP.

We realized that technology moves so fast now. Twenty years ago, things barely changed; now, two years can transform everything. We wanted systems that we could easily decouple and swap out as technology evolves. If there’s a breakthrough in order management with AI, for example, we want to be able to plug that in without overhauling the whole stack. Customer expectations are changing, too—wholesale distributors now have to meet the transparency and speed that retail created, like free shipping and real-time updates.

A monolithic ERP is like a big tractor-trailer trying to make a tight turn. Microservices are more like little sports cars—nimble, able to make quick moves. That flexibility lets us stay current and relevant, and it also means we sometimes have to accept we won’t get 100% of what we want right away. The tech might be obsolete in 24–36 months, so our goal is to get 80% of what we need, keep moving, and be ready for what’s next.

Aaron Sheehan: That’s not always an easy thing to sell during the funding process—telling your board, “Yeah, this might be gone in three years, but give me the budget anyway.” I think a lot of businesses avoid best-of-breed because procurement can be a headache. Now you’ve got to manage lots of different vendors, integrations, and contracts.

But it sounds like, for you, this all goes back to strategy and having a plan. If you go best-of-breed by accident, you end up in chaos. But if you plan it, it’s a lot more manageable. When you started this journey, did you know how microservice-oriented or best-in-breed you’d go? Or did that evolve?

Allie Copeland: We were ready to challenge ourselves, especially coming from a 40-year-old system. We didn’t want to end up in the same situation ever again—stuck with a heavy lift and a lot of fear every time change was needed. This ERP journey took four years; we knew we couldn’t repeat that. Technology is going to look completely different 40 years from now.

That drove a lot of research and partnership—EY was a great partner, and we worked with NTT as well. I spent a lot of time reading about future trends. One of my favorites is The Singularity Is Nearer by Ray Kurzweil. It’s data-driven and really shows just how fast things are moving. You can’t ever fully future-proof, but you can plan for agility. That’s what we aimed for: set ourselves up to move fast, adapt, and integrate new businesses quickly without building a “Frankenstein” of bolted-on systems.

Aaron Sheehan: I love that—deliberately planning for agility right from the start. That’s rare, but it’s so important now, with how quickly not just technology, but channels and customer expectations are changing.

You covered every phase of digital transformation in your talk, including customer experience. At the end of the day, all this is about making things easier for customers and buyers. But if you’re doing a lot of M&A—like so many distributors are, because it’s the easiest way to show top-line growth—how are your customers engaging with you? How did your customers view ADI when it was basically half a dozen companies under one roof after an acquisition? What were your buyers telling you during all of this?

Allie Copeland: At the end of the day, our job is to make it easy for customers. One of our leaders always says “frictionless commerce”—it’s all about eliminating friction. We do a lot of customer journey mapping, employee and customer NPS surveys (quarterly), and we have customer councils. We get a lot of direct feedback.

Our core value is: Start with the customer. For the integration, we had a tagline: “Even better together.” That was our thesis—the combined companies should be much stronger as one. The joke was, one plus one equals nine. People would say, “What does that even mean?” But the point was, as a whole, we’d be significantly better.

We used that as our litmus test for every decision: Are we starting with the customer? Is this really “even better together” from their perspective? If not, we don’t do it—or we slow down and finesse it. We pilot a lot of things in single markets first, so we can adjust before rolling out everywhere. We always ask, is this faster, simpler, more consistent for customers? At the end of the day, customers vote with their wallet. So far, so good—they’re telling us we’re on the right track.

Aaron Sheehan: That’s perfect. I want to slow down on this decision-making approach. So internally, you’re asking, “Is this really better together for the customer?” Can you share any examples where this played out—either a win or where it made you rethink a plan?

Allie Copeland: A good example is harmonizing freight policies. The legacy company and the acquisition had different policies, so we had to unify them. We’d always ask: Is this better for the customer, or worse? If it’s worse, we don’t necessarily say “no,” but we put it under way more scrutiny at the executive level. Are we sure this is the right move?

For us, “even better together” generally means the customer is getting more, not less. For instance, within a year, we added over 5,000 SKUs for cross-sell across both organizations. We expanded—Snap had 46 locations, and we added four more with local support and more inventory. We focused on making sure customers felt the benefits: more products, better support, faster service, and more consistent experiences across sales and supply chain. If we do that, customers usually reward us with their business. If we’re taking things away or making it harder just to squeeze out a few extra dollars, they’ll go somewhere else—especially in wholesale, where they have options.

Aaron Sheehan: That’s so true, especially in such a low-margin business. Your customers have to be happy or there’s no value—for them or for you. Have you gotten direct feedback from customers or branch managers? Are you tracking CSAT or NPS? What are you hearing, either from the data or anecdotally?

Allie Copeland: We send out NPS surveys every quarter, and our scores are still world-class. The feedback has been great. For the integration, we piloted in four locations—these were legacy ADI stores that didn’t have the assortment or expertise the acquisition brought. We added hundreds of SKUs and over a million dollars in inventory to those stores, and customers loved it.

They appreciated that we understood what made the company we acquired so special—especially their product availability and expertise in audio visual, particularly residential. We were always strong in security and more commercial. So, bringing those together really was “even better together.” Not to say we didn’t compete in some markets, but for the most part, our strengths were complementary. Now, both customer groups get access to more products, more training, and better expertise.

Omaha, Nebraska was actually our first prototype “3.0” store after the deal closed. Within four months, we had a complete store representing the new company, with expanded assortment and staff who were both security- and AV-trained. The customers loved it because, at the end of the day, that’s what a distributor is supposed to do: Have the products you need, when and where you need them, at a competitive price.

Aaron Sheehan: Exactly—if you don’t have what they need, what are you doing here? And expectations just keep going up for distributors. It used to be that just having the products was enough. Now I see distributors adding more value-added services—like vendor managed inventory, consulting, education, training. All things that used to be a separate business.

Do you feel like the bar for what it means to be a distributor is changing? Is it about more than just stocking the right stuff?

Allie Copeland: Absolutely. Just having the inventory is table stakes now—you need it just to be in the game. Another big shift I’ve seen, especially in distribution, is that a two-day parcel network isn’t good enough anymore. Proximity matters more and more. Some distributors are moving away from brick-and-mortar, but our strategy is to double down on having local branches and really lean into what’s available locally.

We believe proximity will only get more important, especially as things like 3D printing evolve. So, we’re focused on being closer and more connected to the customer—not just centralized and two days away. Things like vendor-managed inventory are becoming expected, not a luxury.

And the real differentiator is the services. Reliability, product knowledge, and expertise—those are what make a distributor valuable. If someone just wants a box shipped to them, there are plenty of retailers who do that really well. But what distribution brings is deep knowledge of products, the ability to solve problems, offer training, support, software, and solutions that fit customers’ unique needs. That’s what sets us apart, and it’s only going to be more important as technology keeps evolving.

Aaron Sheehan: Perfect, I totally agree. Now I want to shift to what, for me, was the most compelling part of your presentation—culture and people. There’s always talk about workforce development, recruiting, and retention, but what you covered was the challenge of bringing together multiple companies’ teams, people with overlapping roles and expectations, and getting everyone moving toward a new North Star.

It’s one thing to change technology, but changing people and culture is another level—especially getting teams to really advocate for new ideas, not just follow orders. The technology decisions always depend on the company, but people dynamics are pretty universal. I always bring up Conway’s Law—organizations create systems that mirror their own communication structure. If you want to change the tech, you have to change the org first.

I’d love to hear how you did that. Take your time—this part really stuck with me from your talk.

Allie Copeland: You’re exactly right—culture is where the work happens. You can have the best plan or strategy on paper, but culture determines whether you can actually execute.

One thing I think is really critical: We theme our big transformation initiatives. The reason is, with so many cross-functional teams involved, everyone has their own priorities and quirks. You need a banner everyone can rally around.

For example, our ERP project was called Project Avengers. We used Avengers themes—not because I’m a huge Marvel fan (I actually haven’t seen the movies), but because my kids have, and they taught me enough. It let us talk about how everyone brings different skills; you can’t all be Hulk, or you’ll just smash everything.

When we did the integration, we called it Project Rebel Alliance. We wanted everyone—whether they were from the legacy company or the acquired company—to feel like we were coming together to build something bigger. There was still a little competition, some uncertainty, but a theme gives everyone a way to connect, no matter where they came from.

We set really clear project tenants, like “start with the customer” and “even better together.” I tell everyone: If I’m making a decision that doesn’t start with the customer, call me out. We should all hold each other accountable in a supportive way.

The other big thing is operationalizing it. We’re very deliberate about our management operating system, or MOS—the rhythm and visibility for our initiatives. For Rebel Alliance, we organized 12 squads. Each picked its own Star Wars-themed name—finance was “Mando Squad,” so they could always say, “This is the way.” Each squad had its own logo and swag.

Every Friday, squad leaders would report out on a call, since cross-functional transformation means everyone needs to know what’s going on. We also did a lot of recognition—if someone stood out, we’d say, “The Alliance thanks you,” and send them swag or a note. Those little things matter—they help keep people motivated, especially during the hard moments.

We talked openly about the “trough of despair” that happens during big changes—when excitement wears off and things feel tough. We normalized that, supported each other through it, and tried to stay as transparent as possible. I did a video series called “Real Talk,” answering questions that came from employee surveys, even if the answer was, “I don’t know yet, but here’s what we’re working on.”

If you’re not transparent, people fill in the blanks themselves, and rumors take over. I told everyone: My calendar is open. If you want to talk, grab a spot. I’d rather have the conversation than let assumptions build up. And if there’s something I can’t talk about, I’ll say so. We also set up a dedicated email box for questions, and I personally answer everything within 24 hours—48 if I need legal or HR.

Aaron Sheehan: That’s really great advice. That whole section really resonated with me—I’ve been through a few M&A activities and restructures myself, and even in business-as-usual, if leaders aren’t clear about the goals and what success looks like, the whole organization gets foggy. Everyone needs to know what success is so they can help make it happen, but it’s easy to lose sight of that in a big org chart.

Let me ask a wrap-up question, since we’re close on time. You’ve been doing this a while—nine years at ADI, and you said you’ve been in wholesale distribution for 25 years. If you had one piece of advice for someone just starting a similar journey—maybe someone just got tapped as a Chief Transformation Officer, or asked to do it as a side job—what would you tell them? And what’s the most surprising thing you learned at ADI? Take those in any order you want.

Allie Copeland: Coming from an operations background, I used to be a lot more black-and-white. In ops, you have a standard process and you execute to it. But in transformation, I had to learn not to underestimate the emotional journey. My kids would tell you I’m not a super huggy mom, but I’ve had to become more so in this role. As a leader, you have to expect people to want to know not just the “how,” but the “why.” Strategy and transformation is about bridging those things—being able to tell the story and make people comfortable with the journey.

What surprised me—or really reinforced things for me—was how much people can accomplish when you give them purpose, clarity, and support. If you trust your team, respect them, and make it clear why you’re going where you’re going, you’ll be amazed what people can do. And don’t tolerate leaders who work against that—no matter how good someone is, if they undermine the culture, they don’t belong in your locker room.

Aaron Sheehan: Very nice! Eagles fan or Cowboys fan?

Allie Copeland: Eagles fan! (Though my husband’s a Cowboys fan, so it gets a little tense a couple of times a year.)

Aaron Sheehan: I grew up in Cowboys country but rooted for anyone but the Cowboys. I always end with a surprise question: What’s one piece of media—book, movie, article, anything—you’ve read, watched, or listened to lately that you’d recommend? You already mentioned Ray Kurzweil’s The Singularity Is Nearer.

Allie Copeland: Yes, The Singularity Is Nearer is fantastic. Right now I’m also reading Apple in China by Patrick McGee. It’s about Apple’s supply chain and the geopolitics around China, and it’s just fascinating. I started it the other night and can’t put it down.

Aaron Sheehan: That’s a great recommendation. Alli, thank you so much for coming on and sharing all of this. This was a great conversation and a helpful refresher for me of your talk earlier this year. Best of luck to you—and to the Eagles. Hopefully we’ll see you again soon, maybe speaking at another event.

Allie Copeland: Thanks, Aaron. Go Birds!