McLane Company Inc., one of the nation’s largest distributors and an industry-leading partner to the biggest retail and restaurant brands, has opened a new tech hub in Austin, Texas, to support its technology and AI acceleration strategy and its growing Information Technology and Digital (IT&D) team.

Having a presence in Austin, an established technology epicenter, allows McLane to tap into a large and diverse pool of talent to help advance its ambitious tech and data strategy. The space brings the company’s growing IT&D team together for collaboration and innovation, and will support approximately 100 teammates across cyber, data, AI and cloud engineering expertise.

McLane is accelerating its digital transformation through strategic technology investments designed to strengthen its intelligent digital foundation for growth and value. Central to this strategy are frictionless experiences, automation services and real-time visibility—enabled by the most advanced AI-powered digital products and solutions.

McLane’s IT&D team is led by new Chief Information & Digital Officer, Murat Genc, who joined the company in September 2024. Genc is responsible for McLane’s digital, AI and technology strategy and operations. Prior to McLane, Genc served as the Global Technology and Digital Officer at Whirlpool and in multiple leadership roles at Procter & Gamble.

“It’s an exciting time to lead McLane’s technology journey,” said Genc. “Our strategic investments in digital supply chain, cloud, data and AI foundation are laying the groundwork for a future-ready logistics, retail and food services model—one that delivers exceptional service, seamless integration and personalized insights across our ecosystem.”

Alongside Genc, four seasoned technology veterans have recently joined the McLane IT&D team:

• Tanya Coutray, Vice President and Retail CIDO – Coutray has over 25 years of experience leading enterprise data, analytics and AI strategy at companies like AWS, Walmart and T-Mobile. She has scaled global transformation initiatives across compliance, HR and supply chain, embedding AI-powered solutions that drive measurable business impacts.
• Nick Elizondo, Vice President of Enterprise and Supply Chain Platforms – Elizondo brings more than 25 years of experience in supply chain and technology roles to the team. He has worked at PepsiCo, Frito-Lay and most recently Keurig Dr Pepper.
• Juan Gomez-Sanchez, Vice President of Cybersecurity – Gomez-Sanchez joined the McLane team from Whirlpool, where he was GISO/CISO for over four years, leading a modern cyber resilience program. Recognized as one of the top 50 CISOs nationally, he is using industry best practices and a technology stack to enhance security.
• Sid Kulkarni, Vice President of Data, Analytics and AI – Kulkarni has extensive expertise in data, engineering, cloud platforms and leadership in retail and tech firms, with various certifications and roles at Intel, Lowe’s, Oracle, PubMatic and as CTO at FICO.

McLane is committed to delivering exceptional value and operational excellence across its enterprise. As a trusted technology partner, McLane continues to build a robust digital foundation that supports growth for its customers, suppliers and teammates.