When Glenn Remoreras joined Breakthru Beverage Group six months ago as Chief Information Officer, he stepped into a $8.6 billion revenue, family-owned enterprise with a deeply rooted legacy in the U.S. and Canadian beverage distribution industry. His mandate, however, is anything but traditional. Tasked with driving digital innovation, expanding a B2B e-commerce platform and raising AI literacy across the enterprise, Remoreras is on a mission to transform Breakthru into the most technologically advanced distributor in its class.
Driving Digital Commerce at Scale
Breakthru Beverage Group's ambition to become the distributor of choice in its industry hinges on a strategic investment in digital commerce. At the heart of that transformation is Breakthru Now, a B2B e-commerce platform launched several years ago and recently accelerated under Remoreras’ leadership.
“Our target this year is $700 million of our revenue coming through this channel,” Remoreras noted with a note of excitement. “It really simplifies the customer experience in buying and transacting with us.” The company is also embedding AI and chatbots into the platform to enable dynamic recommendations and intelligent sales support, further enhancing the buyer journey.
But Remoreras sees digital commerce as only the starting point. “What I’m really excited about is reimagining our entire sales journey,” he underscored. “We’re a selling organization. A big portion of our 10,000-strong team is in sales. If you can modernize that end-to-end process, you differentiate. You become the most effective sales organization in the industry.”
Reinventing Sales with Co-Leadership and Technology
To modernize that journey, Remoreras has adopted a co-leadership model, tightly integrating technology with the commercial function. “This needs to be business-led,” he emphasized. “Our chief commercial officer and other stakeholders are thought partners. We examine where we are today and where tech can take us; or where it’s dragging us!”
He’s quick to admit that there are opportunities to modernize platform infrastructure. The aim is not only operational efficiency but enhanced field capabilities. “We have mobile and iPad tools in place, but we see room to reimagine,” he said. That reimagining includes preparing for the rise of agentic AI, intelligent systems capable of making decisions and learning over time. “When that technology matures, we want to be the first to deploy it meaningfully in our industry.”
Building the Foundation for AI: Data and Cloud
Remoreras’ AI vision is underpinned by a strong data and cloud foundation. “In the AI revolution, data is the fuel,” he said. “If you don’t have quality data or a modern architecture, you can’t achieve the flywheel effect that AI promises.”
To that end, Breakthru is partnering with AWS to migrate its compute environment to the cloud and enable scalable AI and ML experimentation. The company is also reshaping its data strategy and investing in internal data talent to retain intellectual property and create sustainable value. “It’s a fluid process,” he noted. “SAP, Salesforce, Snowflake—these partners are all evolving. We now have more optionality than ever.”
AI Literacy Before AI Use Cases
Rather than rushing to scale AI pilots, Remoreras is taking a more deliberate, education-first approach. In May, he organized an AI summit with CEO Tom Bené and the executive team, joined by over 20 senior leaders. Hosted at an Amazon distribution center and featuring five technology partners, the summit aimed to demystify AI’s potential.
“The goal was not to build use cases that day,” he said. “It was to leave the room more educated. When leadership is informed, they don’t come to you with a vague AI idea. They say, ‘I have a problem to solve. Can AI help?’”
That clarity is now sparking real exploration. Executives are surfacing problems—from customer engagement to marketing personalization—that AI might solve. With hackathons planned for the fall, Remoreras is curating a portfolio of value-driven use cases. “You don’t throw money at the hype,” he said. “You solve real problems. That’s how you scale.”
Innovation as a Team Sport
While the excitement around AI is palpable, Remoreras believes innovation must be embedded in the organizational structure. He favors a product-centric model with clearly defined business product owners partnered with IT leads in a “two-in-a-box” format.
“Each product has a long-term roadmap and backlog, supported by agile fusion teams,” he said. “That’s how innovation sticks. It’s business-led, tech-powered and supported by data services, cloud and cybersecurity.”
Breakthru is aligning these teams with strategic imperatives in areas like commercial effectiveness and operational excellence. “Innovation becomes repeatable when the structure supports it,” Remoreras said.
A Global Lens and Industry Perspective
Remoreras brings a rare blend of cross-industry and cross-cultural experience to his role. Having worked in beverage production with Constellation Brands and Mark Anthony Group, and now in distribution at Breakthru, he understands multiple layers of the industry’s three-tier system.
His earlier career at Cemex, where distribution, process and customer efficiency were core to success, informs his thinking today. “Where you win in distribution is different from where you win in brand manufacturing,” he explained. “The advantage I bring is a systems mindset and a network in the industry, but I draw just as much from outside experiences.”
As a native of the Philippines who has lived and worked across Asia, Europe, Mexico, Canada and the U.S., Remoreras credits global exposure with shaping his leadership philosophy. “Tech is the same everywhere; SAP, cloud, Microsoft. The difference is culture and people,” he said. “Resilience from the Philippines, precision from Germany, work ethic from Mexico, followership from Canada, agility from the U.S.; these all inform how I lead.”
Looking Ahead: Agentic AI and Purposeful Leadership
Looking toward the future, Remoreras is focused on the rapid emergence of agentic AI and its potential to redefine the workforce. “In 20 years, agentic AI will handle roles we now associate with people,” he said. “The shift is happening now, not in a decade.”
He’s personally invested in the transformation, even involving his 14-year-old twin sons in learning about AI. He’s also writing a book on AI slated for release in six months.
Despite the technological focus, Remoreras is grounded by purpose. A recent favorite read is The Earned Life by Marshall Goldsmith, which emphasizes presence and impact over mere success. “If I were financially set tomorrow, I’d be teaching at a community college,” he said. “But I’ve learned you can teach and inspire through your professional role.”
That philosophy has shaped everything from Breakthru’s AI literacy program to how he leads his team. “We do our best work, then go home and enjoy a glass of wine,” he said with a laugh. “That’s the balance I aim for.”
Peter High is President of Metis Strategy, a business and IT advisory firm. He has written three bestselling books, including his latest Getting to Nimble. He also moderates the Technovation podcast series and speaks at conferences around the world. Follow him on Twitter @PeterAHigh.