The Purchaser Issue 2

THE REAL CHANGE

PEOPLE POWER AND DRIVING SUSTAINABILITY AT ONE OF THE WORLD’S MOST ICONIC BRANDS

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Unprecedented, unparalleled, extraordinary: all well-used superlatives to describe the last 12 months and more. If we’re honest with ourselves, we now know that COVID upended global supply chains, we know it revealed vulnerability in all our organisations, we absolutely know that digital adoption is a way to mitigate that vulnerability.

But it’s worth remembering that being an effective leader has always meant fighting multiple fires. To paraphrase one of our contributors this month, the pandemic may be taking the headlines but supply chains face – and have always faced –

myriad challenges every day. Sustainability is a perfect example. Gone are the days when companies can pay lip service to being green. Now, you have to mean it. Customers, stakeholders and employees demand it and, as Thomas Udesen of The Sustainable Procurement Pledge tells us, procurement is the department capable of delivering on this collective ambition.

Sustainable procurement is a complex beast involving strong leadership, the effective use of relevant technologies, the strategic nous to align the procurement function with the core business objectives and the ability to think outside the box – all themes that run across our content and our contributors in The Purchaser.

I’m in equal parts fascinated and inspired by those leaders that make a difference, and do it with a unique and innovative approach. I hope you feel the same as you read this issue. Enjoy.

Matt High.

Content Director

Matt High

Creative Directors

Daniel Crawford

Steve Shipley

Marketing Director

Jack Pascall

Project Director

Manuel Navarro

Managing Director

James Pepper

68

58 60 70

44 | INTERVIEW COCA-COLA NBC

Leadership and sustainability at the iconic brand

58 | DISRUPTOR BETA TECHNOLOGIES

Simple, beautiful and revolutionary

60 | TECHNOLOGY TAMING THE UNPREDICTABLE

Why you need a control tower

68 | ENTREPRENEUR KELLER C RINAUDO

Drone delivery innovator

70 | CITY GUIDE

48 HRS: NEW YORK

Business and pleasure in the city that never sleeps

78 | CALENDAR EVENTS

44 THE PURCHASER MAGAZINE ISSUE TWO 05

‘Insane’: Tesla and The sU pply chaIn

Global chip shortages, port disruptions and problems with scaling production in China: just some of the “insane difficulties” Elon Musk says Tesla is facing in the supply chain. Speaking with investors in a Q1 earnings call, Musk explained that the company had faced “some of the most difficult supply chain challenges that we’ve ever experienced” in the first quarter of this year. He’s not alone. Explosion in demand of semiconductors as a result of COVID has caused an unprecedented shortage from which other automotive brands have also suffered, including Jaguar Land Rover, Ford and Volkswagen. www.ir.tesla.com

AMAZON GAMIFICATION: GOOD, OR BAD?

On the one hand, a worker earns rewards based on their completing of daily tasks, on the other, their manager and colleagues can monitor data around speed and accuracy. That’s the crux of Amazon’s FC Games, a suite of digital games that workers can voluntarily take part in. The idea behind the development is that adding a competitive element to daily repetitive work will encourage greater output. Some employee advocates however, reportedly consider the move big brother-esque, and a step towards workers becoming automatons.

CLIMATE COALITION, ASSEMBLE!

“By forming this partnership and activity engaging our suppliers on sustainability, we hope we can drive truly meaningful, global impact,” said Mars’ Chief Procurement and Sustainability Officer Barry Parkin, discussing The Supplier Leadership in Climate Transition (Supplier LoCT, for short). Mars, Pepsico and McCormick have formed the coalition with the aim of mobilising suppliers to take greater climate action, including acceleration the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions. www.mars.com

NEXT-GENWAREHOUSEAUTOMATION

BMW i Ventures, which invests in innovative tech across manufacturing, transportation and sustainability has announced investment in Plus One Robotics. The latter’s state-of-the-art robots and warehouse automation technology will “usher in a new era of smart, adaptive robots to bring automation to new heights across not just big markets like automotive, but across any supply chain use case,” according to BMW i Ventures’ Kasper Sage. www.bmwiventures.com

PROCUREMENT AS VALUE LEADERS

Procurement leaders, now is the time to park your focus on short-term activities and start thinking about longer term, strategic initiatives. So says a report from McKinsey, aptly entitled Now is the time for procurement to lead value capture. To balance short- and long-term actions, says McKinsey, leaders should adopt a different perspective on how procurement engages with the wider business, including using digital to accelerate decision making, taking a full-scale approach to spend optimisation and addressing any structural concerns www.mckinsey.com.

ALL HAIL, AUTONOMOUS PIZZA

An entirely new delivery experience for pizza lovers. Okay, we have your attention… Domino’s pizza is to harness autonomous vehicle technology courtesy of robotics company Nuro to bring fresh pizza to customers’ doors. Nuro’s R2 is the first completely autonomous, occupantless on-road delivery vehicle with regulatory approval by the US DoT. Pizza aside, Nuro intends it to be used as part of a broader logistics chain to deliver everything from produce and consumer goods to prescriptions. www.dominos.gcs-web.com

Sarah Watt, Research Director in Gartner’s Supply Chain Group, set out four key supply chain barriers to the developing circular economy in CIPS’ Supply Management. They are:

Loss of control of a product at point of sale and challenges in getting it back at end of life

Raw materials used that have little residual value

Understanding the quantity and quality of material the organisation will get back so as to make a proper business case

A product must have a high residual value to cover the cost of recycling or refurbishing of procurement organisations struggle with a lack of long-term investments to transform processes and technology. www.accenture.com

60% More than

SIX OF THE BEST

When SAP executives took to LinkedIn Live to discuss the evolving procurement landscape and the challenges leaders face, there were several key takeaways covering everything from procurement’s role in innovation to how to represent customers. Here’s six:

1. An open and extensible platform is crucial

2. Technologies and tools should be integrated into one system

3. A robust and transparent supply network that shares data is key

4. Procurement is the custodian or organisational innovation

5. Using a trusted procurement partner can make the difference

6. Let your customers be part of the process and interact with you

www.ariba.com

TESTING TIMES

It’s fair to say that, in procurement and supply chain, we’ve had enough of disruption. Good then that AutoStore, the robotic storage and fulfilment partner for the likes of Puma Gucci and more, has launched its Innovation Hub. The pioneering new center is dedicated to testing and replicating challenging in-store, warehouse and supply chain environments. For the unfortunate robot and warehouse system guinea pigs, that means exposure to anything from extreme temperatures to simulated earthquakes, all in the name of innovation. www.autostoresystem.com

Starbucks confirms it is to improve sustainable coffee sourcing and become carbon neutral for green coffee by 2030.

Drone delivery company Manna raises $25mn from investors to scale its fleet, which delivers groceries, takeaway food and pharmaceuticals, in Europe.

Adidas’ mushroom-based Stan Smith trainers required building a supply chain for a material that never existed before, says Forbes.

International Monetary Fund economist Tamim Bayoumi says the impact of COVID on supply chains is 3 or 4 times that of the 2008 financial crisis.

A DHL Supply Chain report says that automotive companies must adapt their logistics operations to meet changing industry and consumer expectations.

eBay files a patent for drone delivery technology that will use buses to travel part of its journey to save energy.

India declines UN assistance of an integrated supply chain to help in its fight against the spread of COVID-19

transformation THE GREATEST

transformation

How can the procurement function drive supply chains that are sustainable, ethical and resilient to future challenges?

Thomas Udesen explains

If you don’t have a CPO or the procurement leadership in place that makes driving sustainability a priority, your organisation simply won’t deliver on whatever aspirations it has articulated.” A powerful and direct opening gambit it may be on the part of Thomas Udesen, but then there are few more urgent causes for both the enterprise and society more broadly than sustainability and the environment.

Udesen knows this as well as anyone. Along with ‘partner in crime’ [his words, not ours] Bertrand Conquéret he is co-founder of The Sustainable Procurement Pledge (SPP), a community of those committed to embedding sustainability in their procurement practices and sharing that knowledge across the entire industry.

Both Udesen and Conquéret are passionate advocates for procurement as a driver of sustainability and our collective responsibilities to the future of the planet. The latter is Global Chief Procurement Officer of Henkel AG and President of the Together for Sustainability initiative, while Udesen is Chief Procurement Officer at Bayer. He joined us to discuss why procurement is mission critical in ensuring sustainable supply chains and how the SPP is enabling this. But first, to quantify that opening statement.

“There’s more than 12,000 companies in the United Nations Global Compact,” he notes, “and we’ve had multiple procurement peer sessions discussing aspirations around sustainability with those that have signed up to the initiative. More than 50% say there’s no way they’re ever going to deliver on their commitments because of several reasons including a lack of systemic approach, lack of desire for the required investment from leadership and so on. That’s a big gap and, to put it in perspective, that’s for companies that have actually articulated their intentions.

“It shows the scale of the challenge,” says Udesen. “There are many tier one companies – Bayer, Johnson & Johnson, Walmart for example –that have mature practices, good strategies and the ability to invest.

Once you get down to the SMEs, of which there are millions, they just don’t have the same ability, there’s no chance. Those SMEs are the backbone of the world economy but, if they don’t perform in different, better and more responsible ways then 80-90% of world trade is off scope when it comes to sustainability. That’s a pretty dim scenario.”

HARNESSING SUSTAINABLE AMBITION

There’s never been a better time to flip that scenario on its head. The appetite for sustainability and environmental conscientiousness has never been greater, both at an enterprise level and across society. The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, adopted by the UN General Assembly in 2015 set out a broad agenda for sustainability to 2030 that was adopted by world leaders. Since that time,

“IF YOU DON’T HAVE A CPO OR THE PROCUREMENT LEADERSHIP IN PLACE THAT MAKES DRIVING SUSTAINABILITY A PRIORITY, YOUR ORGANISATION SIMPLY WON’T DELIVER ON WHATEVER ASPIRATIONS IT HAS ARTICULATED”

visible and public displays of environmental consciousness and the growing fame of a new generation of sustainability advocates like Greta Thunberg have placed the subject at the top of the agenda. Companies have responded accordingly, setting out sweeping sustainability strategies and measures that encompass all areas of their business.

Udesen and Conquéret harnessed this growing appetite in late 2019, founding the SPP. Says Udesen: “It all started with the global climate change strike that took place in September of that year. We’d all seen a raising of awareness, particularly from the younger generation, but that struck me as the moment that everyone of all ages really came together on it. On the same day I saw a video on LinkedIn about climate change featuring David Attenborough, Jane Goodall,

Greta Thunberg [the hard-hitting video from the World Economic Forum led with the line ‘We’ve stolen our children’s future, and we’re still stealing it] that inspired me to write my own post about how we as procurement must also act. It led to a lot of responses.”

And so the SPP was born. “We realised we should have a pledge that would focus on the individual, those procurement professionals that wanted to make a stand and to work together for a more sustainable future,” says Udesen. “The world responded amazingly. I think we tapped into a real source of energy and combined aspiration that clearly exists in the procurement tribe. It’s continuing to unfold in front of our eyes. We’re at 3,500 ambassadors across 76 countries – it gives us all the confidence that we’re on the right path.”

“WE TAPPED INTO A REAL SOURCE OF ENERGY AND COMBINED ASPIRATION THAT CLEARLY EXISTS IN THE PROCUREMENT TRIBE”

PROCUREMENT LEADING THE CHARGE

While sustainability is an inevitable part of any forward-looking business strategy today, the SPP was founded on the belief that procurement is the ideal function to lead the charge.

Udesen explains: “The final decision often sits with procurement.

I like to think of it as a crankshaft at the heart of the company; it’s the part of the organisation that can make sure the purpose-driven ambitions are translated into everyday actions: the negotiations, the contracts and ‘handshakes’, the way you make funding available across the supply chain. There’s nobody other than procurement that can really

drive this, albeit not in complete isolation, you need the buy-in.”

Essential to this is setting procurement in the broader, more strategic context of the business. Sustainable procurement should move away from its traditional economic parameters and viewing decisions from a ‘cost-first’ perspective, to a holistic view that considers whole-life costs, the environmental, social and economic consequences of everything from product design, through materials and manufacturing to logistics and final disposal. It’s a significant shift in mindset, says Udesen, that was highlighted clearly during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Very early in the response we saw a divide in those CPO conversations we were having. There were companies who clearly used the impacts of the pandemic to argue for a move back to the more traditional practices of the past – cost-first, price growth, squeezing the supplier and focusing on ensuring they were overcoming the very real structural challenges that happened. Let’s not forget that some industries faced serious issues with business just disappearing, so of course they had to take dramatic measures, but we saw the vocabulary drifting too.

“Then we saw another group that was focused more on how we can collaborate together to get through the challenges posed by COVID,” he continues. “We saw partnerships that we’d never really seen within industries, across different sectors and including governments and NGOs. All of this based around how to collaborate effectively. That more responsible and inclusive mindset became a catalyst for a more responsible way of thinking in the long term. That’s good for procurement and good for the planet, and it’s a great way for procurement teams to reposition themselves with a far greater value proposition.”

A CRYSTAL CLEAR PURPOSE

This example is reflective of a wider shift in the role of procurement within the organisation in recent years, and an evolution of the procurement leader role. Udesen sees an environment whereby procurement will move from a position of process champion or guardian focused on cost to a broader role more akin to that of a business advisor capable of influencing decision making and being more aligned to overall strategy and performance.

line: innovation, purpose, sustainability and topics around business performance like risk management and resilience. Technology will help with that, many of the tasks we know now will be automated, allowing that human knowledge to sit on top in an advisory capacity.”

And yet, despite the appetite for change within procurement, many still face challenges ranging from difficulty engaging stakeholders in the organisation through to a lack

“The procurement role is going through a transformation, and that will continue to be influenced by business and society over the coming years,” he states. “Any notion that you can go back to price-first is outdated. There’ll be certain industries where it may prevail for a while, but ultimately you’ll see the legitimacy of businesses that cling to that approach erode because they just won’t be meeting societal expectations. The future procurement role will be more focused on the top

of understanding of how to drive sustainability at a granular level. “You’re not going to move from today’s reality to a more sustainable, responsible and resilient supply chain overnight,” Udesen comments. “It’s a long-term commitment that the company must strive for and it needs to extend across the entire organisation. On the part of the CPO, it’s vital to be able to engage stakeholders with clarity and be able to have a fact-based and comprehensive conversation about

“THERE’S NOBODY OTHER THAN PROCUREMENT THAT CAN REALLY DRIVE THIS”

why investing resources into a more long-term sustainable and resilient supply chain makes sense. That’s crucial.

“But there’s other elements too,” he continues. “You have to understand where any trade-offs need to be made comprehensively and realise that decisions can’t always default to the lowest price if you’re serious about sustainability. That, of course, takes a lot of resources. You may not be able to shift quickly from one supplier to another, you need to qualify someone new and explain that you’re making the decision not because of quality, price or anything similar, but because of the practices of the supplier, and that can be difficult. The most important factor is to be crystal clear from the top down within the whole organisation that you have a real purpose that translates into non-negotiables. The challenge is that, when push comes to shove and you need to walk away, be prepared that not everyone around you will support that decision.”

SUSTAINABILITY SLEEPER CELLS

The SPP works to share knowledge and skills with procurement leaders and teams worldwide to better support this approach. It does this through two methods: equip and empower, which is focused on frontline procurement team members, making sure they have the knowledge and confidence to drive sustainability, and working with leaders. Udesen expands: “A lot of our work when it comes to equip and empower is about building

“ANY NOTION THAT YOU CAN GO BACK TO PRICE-FIRST IS OUTDATED”

capability and knowledge. We do that through our communities and platform. The hope is that, with that knowledge, team members will start having a conversation from the bottom up, talk to their bosses and build the momentum. It’s like building a sleep cell in the organisation. When it comes to engaging leaders, it’s essential to have peer-to-peer dialogue, influencing the broader procurement tribe and building our ambassador base. Indeed, almost 70% of asked SPP ambassadors said that we have influenced their daily work and decision-making towards sustainability.”

That work will continue, embracing the growing momentum around sustainability. For this, says Udesen, the evolution in mindset must carry

on. “It’s about reframing procurement,” he says. “We have to change the philosophy, take it away from e-auctions and doing business at arm’s length to making it about collaboration, dialogue, transparency and good old fashioned supplier engagement. For leaders, that also means looking at things more strategically – what’s happening in the next three to five years and how that reflects what the business is trying to achieve, rather than what’s the scope of the next tender. What made you successful so far is not going to do so moving forward. That’s an enormous change, so we need to prepare, to leverage technology and engage with our stakeholders, to recognise that this is a new role for procurement.”

www.spp.earth

Portfolio

i nnovative and ins P ired items for work, leisure and the environmentally conscious

MERCEDES EQS

The electric flagship of MercedesBenz’ future EV range, the S-Class EQS sees innovative technologies wrapped in luxury. Two electric motors, fed by a 100kWh battery give 469 horsepower and 560 lb-ft of torque; fast-charging capability can bring that battery from zero to 80kWh in less than 20 minutes.

‘Level 3 autonomy’ lets the car drive long distances by itself, while the futuristic cabin includes a headliner made from recycled plastic and a suitably space-age sounding ‘MBUX Hyperscreen’.

www.mercedes-benz.com

Portfolio

i nnovative and ins P ired items for work, leisure and the environmentally conscious

O’NEILL ‘WOVE’ SUNGLASSES

There are few greater environmental challenges than the threat of plastic waste to our oceans. O’Neill’s WOVE sunglasses tackle this head on using repurposed sea and land waste such as abandoned fishing nets that pose a danger to marine life, rubber tyres, plastic bottles and even metals. Recyclable materials are used too, including mineral glass in the lenses and packaging made from a biodegradable plastic and paper – even the cleaning cloth had a former life as a plastic bottle.

www.oneill.com

Portfolio

i nnovative and ins P ired items for work, leisure and the environmentally conscious

LEICA Q2 DANIEL CRAIG X GREG WILLIAMS

When a company only makes 750 of a certain product, you know it’s special. Leica’s latest iteration of its iconic Q2 is both special and inspired by James Bond. The Q2 Daniel Craig x Greg Williams, to use its full title, is the incredible result of a shared love for photography between Craig and English photographer Williams, cemented during work on Casino Royale. Subtle flashes of luxury, such as gold-paint engraved inlays and an exclusive diamond pattern grip conceal state-of-the-art camera technology in an elegant design.

www.leica-camera.com

Portfolio

i nnovative and ins P ired items for work, leisure and the environmentally conscious

A GOOD MOBILE CASE

The ‘Good Mobile Case’ is the brainchild of A Good Company, which believes there should be no compromise between design and sustainability. In this instance, it has created the world’s first climatepositive mobile case made from the byproduct of organic linseed farming and entirely biodegradable. Indeed, should you choose to not take advantage of the company’s swap policy, whereby you return your case and it is promptly recycled, you can take a more direct route: plant it in your garden and give something back to the earth.

www.agood.com

Portfolio

i nnovative and ins P ired items for work, leisure and the environmentally conscious

FLARE AUDIO ZERO

Tell someone you use recycled loudspeakers and it’s likely they won’t think of Zero. Designed by innovative audio firm Flare, Zero is the world’s first speaker to use recycled paper in the fabrication of its exterior and clamped together with such force that it becomes as rigid as concrete. The use of paper, while environmentally friendly, also serves a practical purpose by forming hundreds of vortices that aid air movement and give crystal clear sound reproduction. Or, as Flare more simply puts it: ‘highend audio with a conscience’.

www.flareaudio.com

TECHNOLOGY: OUR SAVIOUR?

How has COVID changed technology adoption strategies across procurement and supply chain and what does this mean for leaders moving forward?

COVID has changed everything. A phrase that, despite its ongoing relevance already sounds old, such is the level of continued disruption brought on by the global pandemic. Indeed, in just over 12 months, the COVID-19 crisis has brought about years of change in the way that all companies and industries do business. In the supply chain, resilience, visibility, risk management and flexibility are words by which we now all abide. In a similar vein technology, digitalisation, transformation – however you wish to describe it – has become an absolute, a crucial set of tools to facilitate these new ways of working.

Perhaps more so than anything else, technology adoption has seen the greatest level of change. Take, for example, a 2020 McKinsey global survey of executives that found they and their companies have accelerated the digitisation of their customer and supply chain interactions, as well as their internal operations, but as much as three to four years. That’s a staggering pace of change, compounded by the same survey revealing that the share of digital or digitally enabled products in executives’ portfolios had accelerated by seven years.

TECHNOLOGY-FIRST RESPONSE

Several key technologies have emerged as being crucial. In particular, supply chain and procurement leaders showed a greater reliance on innovations in the cloud, IoT, the use of data and analytics tools, and automation to meet fluctuating demand, mitigate disruption risk and react to workforce challenges. To discuss the changing technology landscape in supply chain and procurement and establish what this means for leaders, we sought insight from Dave Brittain, Director Amazon Business UK & Ireland, Daniel Dombach, Director EMEA Industry Solutions at Zebra Technologies, and Emile Naus, Partner at BearingPoint.

Brittain is no stranger to the opportunities and advantages that come from harnessing innovative digital tools, having seven years’ experience with Amazon UK and Amazon Business UK & Ireland. COVID, he says, has been a change agent for technology adoption at an organisational level. “Before the pandemic, the move towards digital technology and automation was necessary to ensure the procurement function was future proof. Unlike other change initiatives in progress at the start of 2020, this process wasn’t slowed down as the pandemic progressed.

“In fact, COVID presented numerous pressing factors leading to the opposite,” he continues. “Many organisations are now reconsidering their productivity and efficiency levels, and how to increase

their bottom line in light of considerable changes to industries. The total sourcing time for many organisations was increased, accelerating marketplace participation and increasing digitalisation across the board due to the need to deliver quickly and make payments that don’t require purchase orders. The need to quickly respond to changing demand patterns, implement time saving tools that empower employees to focus on strategic decisions, together with the requirement for the self-service purchasing and the shift to a ‘working from home’ model has, in many cases, propelled the adoption process forward.”

RISK, VISIBILITY AND DATA

And that process had to be propelled. The onset of the pandemic was both sudden and catastrophic for supply chains: in April 2020 International Monetary Fund economist Tamim Bayoumi described COVID’s impact as being three to four times the size of the 2008 global financial crisis; five months later, a report by McKinsey found that 85% of global supply chains faced a reduction in operations during the pandemic.

Naus, a recognised leader in the supply chain industry with previous experience in the retail sector, including at Marks & Spencer, believes COVID was a reminder of the fragility inherent in global supply chains. “For many years, the focus has been on achieving the lowest unit or total cost,” he says. “COVID highlighted that

we don’t have all the information on risk, and that longer supply chains with more links are inherently more fragile. Ultimately, that risk translates into significant costs. It’s important to remember that, although high-impact threats to supply chains like COVID take the headlines, they face risks every day. From strikes and political unrest to shipping disruption caused by bad weather, businesses need to understand the impact these events can have on their supply chains.”

“COVID highlighted that we don’t have all the information on risk, and that longer supply chains with more links are inherently more fragile”

EMILE NAUS, PARTNER, BEARINGPOINT

With that in mind, it should come as no surprise that technology that helps to mitigate risk and give greater visibility and forecasting over the supply chain is crucial. Says Naus: “During the pandemic, one of the key gaps was that we didn’t have a ready-to-use capability to assess the impact of risks, and the simulation capability to understand the knock-on implication of disruption. If companies had a digital twin of their supply chain, they would have been able to connect all the nodes of their end-to-end chain, including suppliers, freight, distribution centres, stores and factories. This would have also included inventory costs and levels, respective capacities and emissions.

“Creating a digital twin of the physical supply chain (with the data feeds to understand what is happening across all levels) allows the business to make a much faster, better and data-driven response to disruption,” he continues. “Specifically, it can analyse internal and external data and identify where bottlenecks or capacity constraints may occur with the supply chain. This then allows companies to model scenarios using real data to help mitigate disruption.”

Brittain also recognises the importance of sourcing and using data, specifically for allowing CPOs and leaders to make sound recommendations and demonstrate value to internal stakeholders. Considering the procurement function in more detail, he

“Businesses will continue to evolve their remote working processes and technology to include employee engagement and wellbeing, as well as efficiency and effectiveness” —

EMILE NAUS, PARTNER, BEARINGPOINT

elaborates: “B2B e-commerce is ripe for the reinvention of the procurement experience, and COVID has only increased the need for innovation by showing the benefits of a faster and more convenient way to discover and purchase business supplies.

“As businesses engage in digital transformation projects and start to look for strategic partners to help provide dynamic solutions to the issues the pandemic brings to the forefront, I see other priorities emerge alongside the use of data,” he continues. “One will be around driving automation in routine purchasing to make time for more strategic projects, more

important than ever given the everchanging business climate. Also, offering controlled self-service tools that can improve visibility and compliant spend across teams is particularly relevant, as many of us continue to work from home.”

AUTOMATION AND THE FUTURE WORKPLACE

Dombach also advocates automation as a crucial differentiator in both mitigating the impacts of COVID and setting organisations on the right path moving forward.

Not only does greater automation allow supply chain and procurement leaders to assume a more strategic role by taking care of the ‘low hanging fruit’ of an organisation, it also enables a better workflow – think in warehouses and distribution centres – and improved customer experience. “Last year taught supply chain leaders that, to compete in today’s fastchanging and on demand world, you need to be nimble,” says Dombach. “It’s more important now than ever to get products out the door faster, more accurately and with fewer employee resources.

“Today and tomorrow, warehouses must explore new ways to maintain operations,

“We see an increasing need for mobility and visibility across warehouse operations, as well as data analytics planning, predictive modelling solutions and automation”

DANIEL DOMBACH, DIRECTOR EMEA INDUSTRY SOLUTIONS, ZEBRA TECHNOLOGIES

improve productivity and increase profitability,” he adds. “Understanding their end-user data is critical to achieve this. We see an increasing need for mobility and visibility across warehouse operations, as well as data analytics planning, predictive modelling solutions and automation. Many customers today are starting to integrate intelligent automation solutions into their warehouse and supply chain environments; systems with computer and machine vision, and robots and cobots will continue to drive automation this year and beyond.”

The latter, says Dombach, will play an important role in the automated environment of the future, together with mobile computing and wearables. In particular, such innovations can augment human workers’ productivity through collaborative working. “We’re seeing robots intersecting the workflow in many vertical markets,” he adds.

“Consider robotic solutions that can be flexibly deployed in place of – or in tandem with – people. Rather than focusing

on completely automating a workflow, developing it in a hybrid manner to augment physical labour in select parts of operations is anticipated to grow significantly. I think we’ll continue to see the growing adoption of hybrid automation for some time. This is the utilisation of both workers and robots – or the use of cobots – as opposed to the total replacement of humans for the vast majority of workflows.”

Brittain sees several advantages from increased automation, in particular related to purchasing and procurement leaders. “Automation improves purchasing efficiency, with business customers

determining a 13% average cost saving when procuring online, compared to their manual procurement processes,” he says.

“Decentralised procurement improves accuracy and granularity, providing greater control and visibility, which gives CPOs a reliable overview of tail spend and consolidated expenses, without having to manage every purchase of essentials like headsets or keyboards.

“Expanded online marketplaces bring selection, convenience and value to business customers, manufacturers and sellers making use of tailored back-end integration that businesses need to save time and money. By digitalising their

processes, businesses are increasing their buying agility and resilience to changing market conditions, and as businesses continue to take that faithful leap into digital transformation, more and more individuals will feel comfortable making that change.”

TECHNOLOGY AND US

Of course, COVID has also taught us the importance of considering the ‘human element’ of any technology adoption. The mammoth shift to remote working stretched even the best-placed digital strategies, with companies having to consider how new innovations would not only help mitigate the ‘hard’ impact of

COVID, as already discussed, but also how those same technologies would complement a workforce going through significant upheaval and needing to adapt quickly to maintain business continuity.

“Most teams have reacted well to a huge shift to online and remote working,” Naus explains. “But it is also clear that this is not in a sustainable, optimised way. With that in mind, I think that businesses will continue to evolve their remote working processes and technology to include employee engagement and wellbeing, as well as efficiency and effectiveness.”

For Brittain, those businesses that have adopted digital strategies during the pandemic will find themselves at an advantage as we transition to a post-COVID world. “Without a doubt,” he affirms. “Digitising procurement provides CPOs with a strategic advantage, providing all the information they need to help futureproof their procurement process while ensuring continued growth and a competitive edge. At the same time, employees with purchasing responsibilities have the freedom to purchase items as they need them, demonstrating trust and building strong working relationships between procurement and the organisation as a whole.”

The COVID pandemic impacted supply chains with severity. It also allowed supply chain and procurement leaders to demonstrate the value they and their

teams have in a business faced with uncertainty, risk and disruption. Technology adoption was essential in enabling that shift and, for those companies still struggling to adapt, it represents an arsenal of effective tools with which to fight back.

“

WITHOUT A DOUBT, FOR BUSINESSES THAT HAVE ADOPTED DIGITAL STRATEGIES DURING THE PANDEMIC, THEY WILL FIND THEMSELVES AT AN ADVANTAGE POST-COVID”

DAVE BRITTAIN, DIRECTOR AMAZON BUSINESS UK & IRELAND

Innovator

Urbx Market REVOLUTIONISING E-COMMERCE

A ‘skyscraper supermarket’ may not do the technology that underpins the Urbx Market concept justice, but it definitely gets your attention.

The revolutionary e-commerce concept by Boston-based startup Urbx is a futuristic vertical grocery store with an automated fulfilment system capable of reaching up to 150ft and fitting into as little as

1,800 square feet of urban real estate. According to Urbx, everything in ‘the world’s first automated store’ is optimised to reflect a new, modern world of retail shopping.

Urbx Market will focus on fulfilling e-commerce orders from consumers that live nearby, with pickup, e-bike or drone deliveries and in-store kiosks that allow customers to order

from phones and receive their goods within minutes – 24 items picked and packed in 64 seconds, says the company. There’s even a coffee bar and sampling area if you need a little longer to make your decision.

www.urbx.com/market

Urbx Market gives a glimpse into the future of retail shopping

PEOPLE POWER AND

George Chantoumakos discusses leadership, supply chain and driving sustainability at one of the world’s most iconic brands

Theperfect liquid wrapper’, according to noted industrial designer Raymond Loewy, one of the most famous and iconic shapes in the world and a design that has been celebrat ed in art, music and advertising. We are, of course, talking about the fluted lines of Coca-Cola’s glass contour bottle. That countless homes worldwide are able to enjoy these bot tles, and their contents, is because of a well organised and efficient global supply chain and the work of organisations like Nigerian Bottling Company (NBC), part of the Coca-Cola Hellenic Group and one of the largest bottlers of The CocaCola Company’s products in the world.

George Chantoumakos is responsible for that supply chain. A passionate and results-driven leader, Chantoumakos is as focused on the power of his people and team and the rich heritage that underpins NBC as he is on building a successful supply network. At the business he and his function are responsible for all the manufacturing, QSE, haulage and distribution activities of NBC products across Nigeria, a complex and multifaceted role driven by a deep-rooted sense of care for local communities and the environment.

And yet, Chantoumakos’ progress into such an important role hasn’t followed the typical supply chain or procurement career trajectory. A background in engineering – he is also a chartered accountant – has enabled him to bring a broad scope of skills and experience to the business, a process that started 10 years ago working for the Coca-Cola Hellenic Group in an engineering capacity.

LEADERSHIP, HERITAGE AND TEAMWORK

He elaborates: “From that initial work I took over leadership for engineering in region one, which is essentially all of central Europe, Ireland and Northern Ireland. I joined NBC in 2017, first taking on responsibility for manufacturing and slowly transitioning to the whole supply chain operation, which also covers manufacturing and logistics. It’s a really interesting role, and in an organisation that is rightly proud of its roots. CocaCola Hellenic began in Nigeria and NBC was the first bottling operation;

it’s where everything started so we have a strong heritage.”

The Nigerian market presents a very specific business environment and it is here that Chantoumakos’ broad skill base has served him and the company well, from engineering-focused work through to financial activity. “It’s not your typical progress,” he states. “Usually in this role you move through operations, plant management and then into the supply chain, it’s a natural progression. As well as engineering and accountancy, I’ve also

worked as a supply chain consultant for several years, so you put all those attributes together and it’s been very beneficial. My project management skills have proved very useful, for example, particularly alongside a Nigerian team that is agile and highly capable in the operational side of the business.

“Nigeria can also be challenging when it comes to things like P&L setup too,” he continues. “We have local currency as you’d expect, but the group trades in GBP, we get financing in euros and our incoming goods are financed in dollars. It’s complicated and, while the concept of the supply chain is huge, it’s not always the case that everyone understands how everything works together. That’s where I’ve found my financial experience has helped. Bring it down to a personal level and I’ve always enjoyed these kinds of challenges, as I have understanding local cultures and customs. In Nigeria, that’s as big a part of doing business as anything else, you have to understand the various cultures across the country and I was fortunate enough to bring with me experience in global markets.”

That experience also forms the basis of Chantoumakos’ leadership style. He is, he concedes, a firm believer in driving success through the skills and experience of all the people in his team, placing a premium on the fact that leadership is never ‘done’, but instead a constant striving for improvement and innovation. “I don’t

“YOU HAVE TO UNDERSTAND THE VARIOUS CULTURES ACROSS THE COUNTRY AND I WAS FORTUNATE ENOUGH TO BRING WITH ME EXPERIENCE IN GLOBAL MARKETS”

GEORGE CHANTOUMAKOS, SUPPLY CHAIN DIRECTOR, NBC

ever think I’ve ensured effective leadership,” he states. “I keep trying, always challenging myself for effective leadership. A big part of being a leader in my opinion is about always asking whether I’m getting the very best from my team and what needs to change from me in order to do that. It’s the right thing to do. Our company is always changing and evolving so any good leader must be able to adapt and evolve too.

“Going back to that point about me not having the more common ‘supply chain career route’, it meant that I had to base a lot of how I went about the role on the specific skills within my team,” he says.

“I’d do it exactly the same again. A good appreciation and understanding of the people you work with, whether that’s having 10 minutes a day with them to

check in or something similar, fuels good performance and it’s helped us progress in Nigeria, particularly in terms agility and innovation, which is absolutely crucial in the supply chain space.”

SUPPLY CHAIN AND SUSTAINABILITY

Innovation has been central to NBC and its supply chain throughout Chantoumakos’ tenure at the company. The business

“BEING A LEADER IS ABOUT ALWAYS ASKING WHETHER I’M GETTING THE VERY BEST FROM MY TEAM”

bottles and sells the beverages of The Coca-Cola company exclusively across 28 markets so, understandably, supply chain and logistics are crucial to success. It does this through eight producing locations and 14 distribution depots, figures that are lower as a result of ongoing streamlining and improvement, says Chantamoukas. “I always remind my team that Coca-Cola Hellenic is a fairly unique organisation. We’ve had a pretty diverse supply chain model from the beginning. We were not fully centralised, nor fully localised but that’s served us very well and we’ve managed to retain a family business feel while we’ve grown and expanded through acquisitions and investments.”

Any supply chain in the beverage or food sector is complex, and this is no different for NBC.

Chantoumakos expands: “All the concentrates to make the drinks are provided by Coca-Cola, we provide the water and CO2 needed to make the end product. We have a sourcing strategy that differs from country to country within CocaCola Hellenic, but in Nigeria we are fully locally supplied, but use some secondary and tertiary supply chain points for things like PET and glass for bottles, and aluminium for cans as the raw materials aren’t found in Nigeria. There are challenges or certain areas of focus around improving the distribution network, which in Nigeria is old

and can be affected by weather conditions, and in choosing the right water supply. That’s crucial here, you have to be very mindful of sustainability around the water cycle in the country.”

Today, sustainability is a top priority for any effective supply chain leader. For Chantoumakos and NBC it’s a must. The business is rightly proud of its commitment to driving sustainability in the industry, but also in how it considers and works with the local community to drive this ethos across Nigeria. Take water as an

example. Many of the company’s bottling plants operate in water-risk areas, making access to clean water and sanitation for local people and ecosystems a core business priority. Accordingly, it has set goals to reduce water used per litre of beverage by 20% by 2025 vs. 2017 levels, and to help secure water availability for all communities near to its bottling plants.

“It’s absolutely essential to the way we operate,” says Chantoumakos. “Today sustainability and awareness of the environment is driven as much by the consumer

Africa’s need for more reliable electricity continues to grow. Substantial investment in power production is essential. As a leading electricity generation company in Africa, Globeleq is committed to adding significant new electricity generation to the continent, and becoming the partner of choice within Africa’s power market.

Globeleq has 20 years’ experience in developing, owning and operating power projects across a diverse range of generating technologies including wind, solar PV , hydro, gas, geothermal and HFO. We currently generate 1,479 MW in 28 locations across five African countries, with 305 MW in construction in Côte d’Ivoire and Kenya, and a further 2,000 MW of power projects in development.

In Nigeria, Globeleq’s majority owned subsidiary company, Globeleq Power Solutions Nigeria Limited, is the power solutions market leader for Nigeria’s commercial and industrial sector. It owns 15 distributed power generation plants across the country, providing 66 MW of installed capacity to Nigeria’s biggest manufacturing companies.

E info@globeleq.com GPSN@globeleq.com W www.globeleq.com

219 MW

165 MW

MW Cameroon: Kenya: Nigeria: South Africa: United Kingdom:

TOTAL 1479 MW

as it is those in any industry. But I’m a firm believer that we have to drive agendas through our corporations. We can’t wait for the consumer or the market to always understand what we’re doing or to only realise that something we’re doing is damaging the environment when it’s too late. It’s something we focus a lot of our energy on. Water is an absolute must here in Nigeria, so we calculate the ‘cost’ of it into our supply chain activity and constantly work to reduce our waste water ratios.

“Plastic recycling is probably the biggest priority right now,” he adds. “There isn’t a full economy around recycling yet in Nigeria, so we’re working hard to drive

54

the supply and demand, as well as all those mechanisms in between. Our MD chairs a local organisation of companies working to promote this initiative, and it’s something we have to support considering our business. More broadly, Coca-Cola has some really aggressive commitments by 2050 so that helps to drive our sustainability efforts forwards too.”

TECHNOLOGY, COVID AND THE FUTURE

Of course, to drive success in any area of a business requires both an effective strategy and investment in innovative technology. In recent years, NBC has invested vertically, says Chantoumakos, including a significant sum in four preform injection machines for PET product

lines and a new can line. At the same time, there has been an ongoing focus on investing in and adopting digital technologies across the organisation. This, Chantoumakos explains, includes connectivity and communication tools and digital performance technologies.

“Digital technology has been high on our agenda for some time,” he states. “Being part of a group that’s based out of Europe but being located in Nigeria means

“WE’VE MANAGED TO RETAIN A FAMILY BUSINESS FEEL WHILE WE’VE GROWN AND EXPANDED THROUGH ACQUISITIONS AND INVESTMENTS”

connectivity is crucial. A lot of technology investment has been around those performance tools that give greater visibility to our head office, it’s really important when you have eight plants operating. We’ve also been using 3D virtual reality tools in our manufacturing and had a big focus on data, which has helped significantly in our logistics operations and things like preventative maintenance. The digitalisation of the

supply chain will be a revolution. I see a future that will be more automated and use data in a very effective way, and with that change human interaction and intervention will be for qualitative reasons, so it will undoubtedly change the way we work.”

These investments served the business well when impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic last year, says Chantoumakos.

“WE’VE HAD A PRETTY DIVERSE SUPPLY CHAIN MODEL FROM THE BEGINNING. WE WERE NOT FULLY CENTRALISED, NOR FULLY LOCALISED BUT THAT HAS SERVED US VERY WELL”

In line with his and the company’s dedication to its people, safety came first, he reports. Steps to secure a safe environment followed, including mobilising supply chain efforts around face masks and sanitiser products. More challenging, was continuing the open and communicative culture that pervades in the country.

“Communication was a key element,” says Chantoumakos. “From a leadership perspective, that was about giving people the information they needed to feel comfortable and secure. Then we had to adapt our management approach to incorporate working from home, giving far greater autonomy to the various operating locations and so on. It worked really well and we were one of only a few companies

in the group that actually over-delivered on our targets and business plans.”

That success will continue in the future, Chantoumakos relates: “Our core objectives haven’t changed significantly. Our balance between local and global supply is well established and, if we do review it, we do it on a case-by-case basis. We’ll continue to work with local governments and communities on the logistics challenges that exist in the country as we have a big role to play there. The country still has some way to go and so we have to continue to provide support around regulations, sustainability and infrastructure. If we work together we can be very effective.”

www.coca-colahellenic.com

accessin G the vertical dimension

BETA TECHNOLOGIES

Pioneering French aviator Antoine de Saint once famously said: “Perfection is achieved, not when there is nothing more to add, but when there is nothing left to take away.” Consider Beta Technologies’ ALIA-250 electric vertical aircraft a pioneering and innovative take on this ode to simplicity.

ALIA is borne of a clear mission: to design and build a self-sufficient eVTOL aircraft ecosystem that satisfies the needs of humans, embraces the laws of nature, and works in harmony with the planet, to quote Beta. Inspired by the migratory patterns of the Arctic tern, ALIA is designed on basic principles of engineering to fly in the most efficient way, powered by electric battery propulsion. It is designed to carry both cargo and passengers.

UPS has expressed interest in the former, recently announcing plans to purchase the aircraft, which can carry around 1,400lbs of cargo, for delivering time-sensitive cargo to difficult to reach locations as part of its goal to reduce emissions.

The ALIA electric vertical aircraft is just simple enough to be revolutionary

Rapid charge systems both on and off airports enable commercial electric flight

EVA Training, a system for electric vertical pilots

TAMING THE UNPREDICTABLE

What’s happening across your supply chain right now? The answer lies in a digital control tower, as Blue Yonder’s Wayne Snyder explains

THE PREDICTABLE

How do you manage what you can’t see, plan for what you don’t know or execute decisions efficiently without one single version of the truth? No, not a complex organisational riddle. Rather, some of the most pertinent questions facing every organisation and every procurement and supply chain leader today. Even prior to the 12-months-and-counting disruption we’ve seen from COVID, the ability to predict the unpredictable was an important contributor to a successful supply chain. Now it’s essential.

Visibility is the answer. The ability to ‘see’ across the internal and extended supply chain, in all its complex and unpredictable

glory, is crucial, as is the harnessing of more interconnected systems, functions and processes that enable the sharing of actionable insights gleaned from that visibility.

This is where an effective digital supply chain ecosystem comes into its own. Smart procurement leaders have, for some years now, harnessed the power of a suite of digital tools such as greater data analytics capabilities, artificial intelligence and machine learning to not only give visibility, but to also give meaning to it. Take a recent survey from Blue Yonder as an example: 66% of supply chain leaders stated that advanced supply chain analytics will be critically important to

operations in two to three years. In a true digital supply chain companies should have that real-time visibility, as well as the ability to generate predictive insight and recommendations, and power a relevant and informed response.

COMPLEXITY, VISIBILITY AND THE CONTROL TOWER

Sitting at the heart of this complex and disparate web of technologies, connections and digital touchpoints is the control tower, a connected and personalised dashboard of data, key business metrics and events across the entire supply chain. In itself, the concept of the control tower is nothing new – various

iterations have existed for 15 years or more – but, in the era of digital transformation, and as the volume of IoT-generated digital signals from an increasingly connected world grows, it is more relevant now than ever before.

“In some respects, ‘supply chain’ is too restrictive a term if you’re thinking about the power of the control tower,” says Blue Yonder’s Wayne Snyder. “It’s really about the entire network in the very broadest sense: how organisations plan, report and sort, how they manage space and inventories, the way they forecast demand and replenish to be able to meet those forecasts, warehousing and transport management, right through to in-store and online operations. Traditionally, all of that has been pretty siloed in businesses, which means you have a lot of breakdown in how successfully things work and interact with each other. The control tower sits across everything in a very holistic way, pulls it together and evaluates in an intelligent manner.”

Intelligence is the defining factor, and something that has been such a commodity during the COVID pandemic. Over the last 12 months, the pressure on supply chain leaders has increased exponentially. They must reduce costs, optimise operations and continue the flow of goods – the foundations of any successful supply chain, and prerequisites of the job for some years now – but do so faced with previously unheard of unpredictability. The only way to build resilience is

“

By moving from a position where you’re firefighting to one of monitoring and allowing the system to optimise your operations, you have more control than ever”

through real-time information from the entire ecosystem, including third-party data sources.

“There’s been aspirations to improve for some time,” Snyder explains, “but COVID just exacerbated it. Visibility became a real problem and we saw many companies having to do a lot of manual work to overcome unforeseen challenges. It goes without saying that’s always going to be the turning point, that realisation that you don’t have the manpower, the skills or technology resources to be able to respond at the pace required when faced with such unpredictability.

“But it’s not just COVID, particularly in the retail sector that I’m responsible for,” he continues. “You just have to look at all the businesses that are out in front and their relationship with technology, they’re the ones making significant investment, and it shows. Walmart made a statement a couple of years ago that it’s now a technology company. You don’t have to be a Walmart or an Amazon, but you have to at least compete with them by looking at what they’re doing well and replicating it and, a lot of the time, it’s all focused on data analytics and technology-powered insight. That’s where the real difference is made.”

THE POWER OF INSIGHT

The insight generated by the control tower demonstrates the difference between visibility and visibility with a purpose. An effective control tower sits across the

extended supply chain and generates alerts for current and potential disruptions, using predictive and prescriptive machine learning-based analytics that allows supply chain and procurement leaders to conduct ‘what-if’ analysis and scenario exploration. This is based on up-to-date information from collaboration of both upstream and downstream partners, thus establishing a single version of the truth across all supply chain stakeholders.

The machine learning algorithms at the heart of the tower correlate the typical events and responses it sees to recognise any anomalies or disruption. From this, actionable insights and recommendations are generated, then fed into a decision support framework that allows an intelligent and strategic response to the anomaly. And, because of the control tower’s central

location at the heart of the supply chain ecosystem, this response and any associated decision-making is coordinated across the entire chain. The result, says Blue Yonder, is up to 30% reduced expediting expenses, up to 60% increased planning efficiency and up to 10% reduced inventory investment.

“You want to be proactive rather than reactive if you’re going to succeed,” Snyder states. “Visibility is absolutely the first step to that, but it’s not where the real value lies. The understanding of what the problem is and where it’s having an impact is how the control tower gives you a real advantage. Data in itself won’t achieve much; every company has a lot of data but by using a control tower you can put it all in one place for the first time and understand it in a way that is just beyond the capabilities of people alone.

“As an example, our control tower can take in data from multiple sources: shipping feeds, freight forwarding, detailed weather analytics, even down to information about potential strikes or industrial action,” he continues. “By understanding that it can start to predict what may happen. It’s a huge advantage for things like having greater visibility of inbound orders into warehouses or forecasting potential disruptions so you can take action and source from other suppliers. The applications are vast, right down to something like online deliveries or e-commerce, where you can track from point of order through picking, dispatch and delivery to the customer. Many organisations are using it to solve a specific problem first before looking at broader applications. It’s a bit of a crawl, walk, run process and most people are still at crawl.”

“ It’s a bit of a crawl, walk, run process and most people are still at crawl”

DATA, STRATEGY AND CULTURE

For those looking to walk and run, Snyder explains that control tower adoption should not be carried out in isolation. Rather, it should form part of a wider data strategy and digital technology transformation. “Data is always the first challenge,” he adds. “You’ve vast amounts of data to harness so you have to consider how to do that effectively. One of the more interesting points for me is related to the structure of the organisation and who is responsible for it. That can be clearer in, say, a manufacturing organisation where you have a procurement team dedicated to monitoring this kind of information. In a sector like retail, that can be a bit more disparate. It comes back to breaking down silos, embracing the control tower and looking to connect different elements together effectively.”

This is similar to a theme underpinning many technology or digital adoptions: cultural change is as important as adopting the latest innovations. Making a significant leap in technology and undoing many years of ‘one way of working’ can be a challenge in any area of a business, including procurement and supply chain, says Snyder. “I’m not saying the world is going to be Minority Report in 10 years time,” he jokes, “but such is that pace of development that you have to be pretty bold and forward focused to really grasp the potential and understand it’s an investment you have to make. Culturally, that can be difficult because the control

tower could still be seen as quite conceptual. It doesn’t just give you the answers, you have to interpret it and understand that the benefits come from how well you use the control tower, rather than from the control tower itself.”

For those that embrace this premise, the benefits are clear. There is every sign that supply chain complexity will increase in the future, meaning that those that are able to have a clear, single and holistic view of their network in its entirety will have a clear advantage. Similarly, as organisations continue their digital adoption, so too will the sheer volumes

“ The control tower sits across everything in a very holistic way, pulls it together and evaluates in an intelligent manner”

of data and information add another layer to that complex environment. With this in mind, Snyder predicts an a near-autonomous future supply chain with a control tower at its heart, and in which humans play a more strategic role.

“The supply chain as we know it is becoming more of a demand chain,” he explains.

“By that, I mean we have to switch our thinking from a supply-to-customer model to a customer-to-supply approach. There will be millions of interactions and touchpoints operating all the time, all over the world as the supply chain becomes more complex, and with that comes such a level of granularity in the data that it’s just impossible for humans to analyse it. Technology is essential to do that, and it doesn’t mean that by adding more automation you lose control. It’s quite the opposite. By having that information and insight there and moving from a position where you’re firefighting to one of monitoring and allowing the system to optimise your operations, you have more control than ever.”

Wayne Snyder is VP Retail Industry Strategy EMEA at Blue Yonder, with responsibility for retail strategy across the region and expertise in retail supply chain and operational strategy, processes and systems.

www.blueyonder.com

WAYNE SNYDER, VP RETAIL INDUSTRY STRATEGY EMEA, BLUE YONDER

Keller C. Rinaudo CEO & Co-founder Zipline

Entrepreneur

KELLER C. RINAUDO

CEO & CO-FOUNDER, ZIPLINE

There are many ways to introduce Keller C. Rinaudo. US robotics and autonomous airplane entrepreneur is one, as is CEO and Co-founder of Zipline, which uses drones to deliver medical products.

We could also have gone with one-time professional rock climber once ranked in the top 10 in the sport, scaler of cliffs and underwater caves around the world, founder of Romotive, an iPhone controlled toy robot, or even student-developer of computers built from RNA and DNA and one of the youngest first authors in Nature Biotechnology. Anyway, you get the idea…

Zipline is the most recent of Rinaudo’s business ventures, founded on a mission to provide every human on earth with instant access to vital medical supplies. It does this through FDA-compliant warehousing, fulfillment and delivery via in-house designed drones in Rwanda and the US. Most recently, Zipline drones played a role delivering COVID vaccines.

www.flyzipline.com

Zipline has pioneerd the use of drones for medical supplies, often in hard to reach, less developed regions

N E W Y O R K

THE BREATHTAKING PACE OF innovation and diversity of the Manhattan dynamic is rivalled by no other city in the world. The allure of New York attracts and incubates those that wish to avoid conformity and develop their unique ideas amongst a backdrop of collaboration. The wealth of financing possibilities and multicultural workforce make New York one of the most desired international destinations for businesses investment, networking and entrepreneurs alike.

New York is resilient. The shift in the approach to city life post-pandemic affords those with previous barriers to entry the ability to embrace and tolerate a little chaos, and the city welcomes those who truly love an urban lifestyle.

WORDS STEPHANIE OWENS

BUSINESS

While co-working spaces are popping up everywhere, Soho Works is an international network of workspaces by Soho House. The Meatpacking location is designed and equipped to help creative thinkers and businesses connect, collaborate and grow.

The Farm boasts whimsical amenities and joins rustic features with advanced technology. A gathering place to network in the heart of our trendy SoHo neighborhood.

THE FARM

THE BOWERY HOTEL

THE FARM SOHO WORKS

STAY

The historic Gramercy Park Hotel envelopes you in its sophisticated and stylish velvet ornamentation. Most of the rooms face the park and the exclusive Rose Bar and Maialino nestled within the hotel are desirable destinations on their own.

The impeccably designed Nomad Hotel is both elegant and moody. The entrance is dimly lit with a fireplace full of candles and accepts you immediately with a warmth and vibrancy that feels comfortable. The bustling Library Bar is an ideal meeting location too.

The rich tapestries and vintage-inspired lobby of The Bowery Hotel offers charm and glamour which spills into a sprawling space of grand fireplaces and mismatched furniture. The scene in the lobby is perfect for meetings or people watching and the adjacent Gemma is lively, bold and full of spirit.

GRAMERCY PARK HOTEL THE NOMAD HOTEL

GRAMERCY PARK HOTEL @oliviapalermo

STEPHANIE OWENS

started her career in New York City in 2006 in finance and has since been responsible for key account and business development for her clients in the technology space.

Stephanie is passionate about her philanthropic and creative endeavours and is the President of the NYC Branch of the Slovenian Union of America, member of the New York Junior League, the New Membership Advisor for the Kappa Kappa Gamma Advisory Board, mentor with the Leeds Professional Mentorship Program, a Guide Leader for The Resolution Project and was formerly the Editor in Chief of the Wagner Review and a Junior Board of Trustees member for the NY Restoration Project.

EAT / DRINK

Our beloved Pastis has recently been revived by Keith McNally and Stephen Starr. The space gives a nod to its original predecessor and is always bustling with young entrepreneurs trying to connect with the nostalgia of old New York.

In the chic West Village neighborhood, walk through the Five Guys and you’ll discover a hidden staircase in the back leading to The Garrett West – the perfect attic bar to meet a potential client. The brick walls and funky furnishing are juxtaposed with skylights and windows offering a rare opportunity to gaze out at the city with a cocktail in hand.

Serra Fiorita sits atop Flatiron’s Eataly spectacle and offers the perfect spacious and airy roof garden escape for a drink or even a longer relaxing stay for a full meal, if schedules allow. The seasonal décor change has become much anticipated throughout the year.

SERRA FIORITA (EATALY)

LEISURE

The Whitney Museum of American Art in the Meatpacking district is a great way to spend a few hours looking at exhibits and, on the multiple roof decks, take in the city and all of its glory.

Seeing a live show is a NYC rite of passage. I recommend to reserve a spot in advance at the infamous Comedy Cellar. The experience guarantees a good laugh and an unforgettable atmosphere with both up and coming and often celebrity comedians.

If you’re feeling venturesome and daring, I highly recommend seeing New York from a Citi Bike – even better is an e-bike which adds an extra boost of speed. While one must keep their head on a swivel and remain alert as NYC continues to expand pedestrian and bike lanes, a loop from southern Central Park along the Hudson affords spectacular views of the river, the Vessel at Hudson Yards, The High Line, the Little Island all the way down to the World Trade Center and the Statue of Liberty.

WHITNEY MoMA CITIBIKE

THE HIGH LINE

COMEDY CELLAR

G lo B al events calender

PROCUREMENT SUMMIT

22-23 JUNE —

Hamburg, Germany

Two days of world-class speakers, discussion rounds featuring leading experts and workshops offering timely procurement expertise.

> VISIT WEBSITE

PROCURECON EUROPE

08 JUNE — Europe *ONLINE*

Where CPOs and procurement executives benchmark their strategies and build on their greater influence gained during the COVID crisis.

> VISIT WEBSITE

PROCURECON ASIA

14-15 JULY —

Asia *VIRTUAL*

The event to engage with Asia’s top CPO’s and heads of procurement in collaborative activities to drive forward your business.

> VISIT WEBSITE

SCTECH

04-07 OCTOBER —

Central Europe *VIRTUAL*

A global event connecting supply chain professionals and practitioners with leading technology decision makers.

> VISIT WEBSITE

WORLD PROCUREMENT CONGRESS

13-14 OCTOBER —

*VIRTUAL*

A virtual meeting place for CPOs, digital leaders and supply chain professionals to discuss the future of procurement.

> VISIT WEBSITE

BUILD YOUR BRAND WITH US

At Stroud & Clarke we believe in the power of storytelling to build brands, engage with audiences and inform the conversation. We produce creative content that provides insight, influences opinion and positions you at the forefront of your industry. stroudandclarke.com