The 10 Most influential women in supply chain,2022 Vol 2 March2022

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VOL 03 | ISSUE 22 | 2021

The10 Most Influential

Empowering Influence

Sharpen your Perceptions with Women Leadership

Women

in Supply Chain, 2022

Choose to Challenge Women: The New Trailblazers in Supply Chain

Karen Vice President, Supply Management and Customer Relations, OECM

Owen

Unlocking the Potential of Collaborative Strategic Sourcing

Editor’s Desk Outlining the Framework of SCM

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he business world is continuously adopting new strategies aligning with more unique ways to implement technologies in various domains, and the Supply Chain industry is the one to stay ahead. With the incorporation of women into management-level positions, there comes a new perspective on effectively handling the areas. I believe this year has a bright prospect in store for women managing the supply chain administrative positions.

The introduction of naïve strategies and frameworks has scaled up the level of competition, and women are not afraid to try out these to bring out the best in their respective companies.

Today, automation tops the lot as it has become an utmost necessity. ERP software can be used to automate purchase orders that reduce the runtime of the cycle and can also be programmed to automatically place orders with vendors when inventory levels drop below the desired level. The essential part of any supply chain strategy is maintaining quick inventory levels. Automating the process reduces human error and frees up critical employee hours for other important tasks.

Standardizing the process of SCM clears out a bunch of inventory problems. Setting a standard level of work saves time and money and ensures equal working conditions.

Standardizing the process to be automated allows for a transparent system in the company. Parameters like inventory count, unit allocation, and worker punches cannot be manipulated if a foolproof method exists. Increasing internal SCM transparency is vital to reducing unexplained inventory and financial losses.

Modern software offers inventory features that provide realtime supply and output levels visibility. Modern techniques

include designs that enable flexibility that matches business requirements and unique needs. The proper supply chain depends on stellar vendor performance.

Vendor performances can be monitored through robust techniques on ERP systems. Real-time inventory also allows timely receiving and delivery of orders which is a win-win situation. The punctuality of women has a wide-scale implication for the way supply chain systems of large companies work, making the system smooth, flexible, and fast.

Insights Success voyage worldwide to find the new generation of women leaders that are taking progressive steps in the direction of positive impact in its edition, “The 10 Most Influential Women in Supply Chain 2022.”

While going through the remarkable journeys of women leaders, have a quick rundown at articles written by our in-house editorial team.

Hope you readers enjoy this edition and add some value to your vast business acumen!

Raunak Raunak Mhetre

raunak.mhetre@insightssuccess.com

Cover Story

Karen Owen Unlocking the Potential of Collaborative Strategic Sourcing

Articles

28

Empowering Influence

Sharpen your Perceptions with Women Leadership

42

Choose to Challenge

Women: The New Trailblazers in Supply Chain

Contents

Leading the Way and Helping Others to Succeed

16 Claire Bretzke

Delivering Results-Driven Multitudes of Marketing

Maria Villablanca

52

30

Mariam Saad

38

Exemplifying Resilient Leadership

Leading with Perseverance and Giving Voice to Supply Chain Community

Shimon Gowda

Jessica Burgess

Navigating the Complexities of Changing Business Models in Supply Chain

Maximizing Profitability in Supply Chains

Monique Alblas

44

20

Strengthening the Roots in the Supply Chain Industry

24

34

Alma Arzate

Sarah Barnes-Humphrey

A Passionate Leader in the Supply Chain Space

An Excellent Example of “Learn-it-All" Mindset

48 Wendy Herrick

Editor-in-Chief Hitesh Dhamani Managing Editor Anish Miller

Executive Editor Sharad Chitalkar

Assistant Editors Jenny Fernandes

Visualizer

Associate Designer

Co - Designer

David King

Shyam Sonawane

Sonia

Senior Sales Manager

Business Development Manager

Kshitij S

Peter Collins

Marketing Manager

Sales Executives

John Matthew

David, Martin, Rahul

Technical Head

Business Development Executives

Jacob Smile

Steve, Joe, Saurabh

Technical Specialist Aditya

Digital Marketing Manager Marry D'Souza

SME-SMO Executive Amol Wadekar

Research Analyst Frank Adams

Database Management Stella Andrew

Circulation Manager Robert Brown

Technology Consultant David Stokes

sales@insightssuccess.com March, 2022

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The 10 Most Influential Women in

UPPLY HAIN Featured Person

Company Name

Description

Alma Arzate Director, Global Supply Chain Logistics

Apotex apotex.com

Apotex Inc. is a proudly Canadian, global pharmaceutical company.

Irasema Calvo Sr. Supply Chain Manager

Lucira Health lucirahealth.com

Lucira Health's technology is transforming - reduce the spread of infectious diseases by bringing accurate, easy-to-use selftesting into the home.

Karen Owen, Vice President Supply Management and Customer Relations

OECM oecm.ca

OECM is a trusted not-for-profit sourcing partner for Ontario’s education sector, broader public sector, and other not-for-profit organizations.

Mariam Saad Director of Procurement

TELUS telus.com

TELUS, is building a better future for all Canadians by using technology for good and giving back to our community.

Maria P. Villablanca Co-Founder and CEO

Future Insights Network futureinsights.org

Future Insights Network is the next-generation community of business leaders.

Monique Alblas VP, Consulting

GEP gep.com

GEP® delivers transformative supply chain solutions.

Shimon Gowda Manager, Supply Chain Design Practice

Chainalytics chainalytics.com

For 20 years and counting, Chainalytics has been the leader in data-driven supply chain transformations.

Sarah B. Humphrey Podcast Host & Founder

Let's Talk Supply Chain letstalksupplychain.com

Let's Talk Supply Chain features the top of the industry, diverse voices from within the community, new innovation and the disrupters making waves.

Tanja Dysli Chief Supply Chain Officer

IKEA ikea.com

IKEA offers well-designed, functional and affordable, highquality home furnishing, produced with care for people and the environment.

Wendy Herrick Vice President Digital

Unilever unilever.com

Unilever portfolio ranges from nutritionally balanced foods to indulgent ice creams, affordable soaps, luxurious shampoos and everyday household care products.

The 10 Most Influen al Women in Supply Chain, 2022

Karen Owen Vice President, Supply Management and Customer Rela ons

OECM

Karen Owen Unlocking the Potential of Collaborative Strategic Sourcing

Be brave. Don't be afraid to look at every possibility, challenge the status quo and confidently share your opinions.

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he intricacies in the ever-evolving supply chain industry keep growing; however, technological advancements and ground-breaking strategies add crucial value to tackle these problems. Leaders in the supply chain understand how an innovative approach can allow organizations to be more proactive and productive.

To upscale the workforce with effective strategies to drive better performance and profitability, Karen Owen drove a culture in the supply chain industry with her extensive knowledge.

As the Vice President, Supply Management and Customer Relations at OECM, Karen implements inventive and effective business solutions elevating the organization's profile. OECM is a trusted not-for-profit collaborative strategic sourcing partner for 100% of Ontario's school boards, colleges, universities, and a growing number of broader public sector customers, including hospitals, municipalities, and other not-for-profit organizations.

We at Insights Success caught up with Karen in our endeavor "The 10 Most Influential Women in Supply Chain – 2022." We talked with her to understand how her awardwinning business innovation strategies created a highly successful customer-focused organization.

Below are the highlights of the interview.

Brief our audience about your journey as a business leader before your current position at OECM. What challenges have you had to overcome to reach where you are today?

Early in my public sector career, neither procurement nor supply chain management was considered a strategic function within the business of government. Women, in particular, were typically in transactional roles, and few opportunities for career advancement or professional development existed. It was rare to see women in leadership roles – it took serious work for women to pave their way as industry leaders.

Fortunately, I worked with several successful women in management who were excellent role models and mentors to me, including Michelle DiEmanuele, who is now Secretary of the Cabinet for the Government of Ontario.

Working with her and witnessing the power of her confidence and influence – particularly in the area of leadership and 'bravely going where few women had gone before' – that set the bar for me. It helped me form my own leadership style and recognize my potential.

OECM conducts procurement in a fair, open, transparent and competitive manner.

Throughout my career, I've been able to lead and contribute to pioneering change initiatives, which laid the groundwork for the innovative and leading-edge strategic sourcing, supplier relationship management, and customer relationship management solutions we offer through OECM today. When I was asked to join OECM in 2009, I was less interested in my own professional growth and more in my passion for implementing transformative change that could bring long-term value to the sector. It was an opportunity to explore and establish ways to facilitate collaboration to effectively leverage spend, and drive savings and supply chain value for Ontario's broader public sector.

Today, OECM is a distinguished, highly trusted collaborative sourcing partner for hundreds of customers.

I'm proud of what we've accomplished over the last 12 years, reaching $2 billion in accumulated collaborative spend in 2020, creating relationships and seamless partnerships with innovative and reputable supplier partners, and generating savings for customers while providing the best overall total value and quality of service.

As a woman in the supply chain industry, I'm especially proud of the role I've played in helping OECM establish a solid foundation of best practices, skills, and innovation that enhances the value of collaborative sourcing.

I've always considered early challenges as opportunities that guided me towards leadership – I wanted to see women empowered to choose supply chain management as a career path, to mentor and guide a new generation of female entrepreneurs and demonstrate for them the value they bring to the business. I'm proud that 53% of OECM's workforce are women – with 24% directly working in supply management.

Tell us something more about OECM, its mission, and its vision.

OECM offers a comprehensive Marketplace of collaboratively sourced and competitively priced products and services from over 287 unique supplier partners in a wide range of categories: facilities and operations, finance,

human resources, information technology, and marketing.

We also offer value-added services, such as advisory, business analytics, and knowledge sharing. We deliver service that is consistent, accessible, and responsive, supporting our customer-centric service delivery model.

Solid relationships and seamless partnerships have contributed greatly to OECM's growth and continued success. In 2020, we managed over $500 million of collective spending for 800 organizations across Ontario, handling over 78 categories of products and services. While our primary focus is on the province of Ontario, we continue to explore strategic partnerships with like-minded shared services organizations to expand our offering across Canada.

Enlighten us on how you have made an impact in the public sector niche through your expertise in the market?

I've spent a lifetime developing and implementing strategic supply chain solutions and bringing innovation to strategic sourcing for the broader public sector. As an active

participant with industry associations, including the Canadian Public Procurement Council, Ontario Public Buyers Association, and Supply Chain Canada, I've had abundant opportunities to share my expertise and experience. Whether speaking at conferences and events or moderating panel discussions, I focus on Leadership in Supply Chain, Innovation, and Collaboration and aim to teach and inspire but especially empower women in this field. In 2019, I was deeply humbled to be named to the Supply Chain Management Association's first-ever list of the 100 Influential Women in Canadian Supply Chain. This was a fantastic opportunity to celebrate the achievements of women in the supply chain and showcase the future – with women leading the way.

Describe in detail the values and the work culture that drives your organization.

OECM is driven by talented individuals with a shared passion for achieving results through teamwork and collaboration. Our people truly are at the root of our

At OECM, our people are at the root of our success and our strength is in our diversity.

success. We are proud to support a work culture that is antiracist, diverse, and inclusive – we embrace the strength that comes from our diversity. Our varied experiences, perspectives, and backgrounds make for a truly dynamic and engaging workplace. Through the actions outlined in our Commitment to Diversity and Inclusion Statement and our representative, staff-led Diversity and Inclusion Committee, OECM promotes a welcoming environment that is built on the tenets of collaboration, responsiveness, integrity, innovation, and respect – the cornerstones of our business.

Undeniably, technology is playing a significant role in almost every sector. How are you leveraging technological advancements to make your solutions resourceful?

Innovation, collaboration, and technology have become critical drivers in establishing a secure supply chain and driving operational effectiveness to support our customer community. At OECM, we're fully embracing this technological shift, focusing on data-driven analytics and insights. We've invested in Customer Relationship Management (CRM) technology, initiated a robust Supplier Recognition Program (SRP), and are soon transitioning to an enhanced and interactive website – to help us leverage customer and supplier data related to usage, spend, customer satisfaction, retention, behavioral trends, and other insights. We're also exploring the "art of the possible" when it comes to adopting new infrastructures for Artificial

Intelligence and Machine Learning. The notion of modeling or predictive analysis is changing the face of customer service, CRM, and Supplier Relationship Management (SRM). OECM, as part of our continuous improvement journey, is using customer and supplier segmentation to better understand the needs of customers and strengths of suppliers, leveraging technology to enrich insights and personalization to predict what our customers "may need" before they need it and then working proactively with suppliers to respond.

category management, we're now seeing a more coordinated and strategic approach to supply chain at the organizational level – opening the door to diverse partnerships – and collaboration across the public sector.

The Ontario government's recent introduction of their Supply Ontario agency, a secure, centralized supply chain that supports domestic production, collaboration with small businesses and entrepreneurs, and partnerships that drive innovation and greater value, is one example of the changing landscape.

If given a chance, what change would you like to bring to the supply chain industry?

I believe that change is already well underway. The economic disruption and shortages caused by the COVID19 crisis revealed significant vulnerabilities in the supply chain and raised concerns around globalization.

Organizations need to take a step back – to review and assess their supply chain requirements, areas for improvement, customer demands, and supplier relationships. The pandemic highlighted the importance of supply chain management and the value that skilled supply chain professionals bring to their organizations. In my opinion, supporting professional development and career advancement in the supply chain industry is the key to longevity and success. Continuous investment in professional development focused on innovation will ensure organizations have access to skilled resources with robust business intelligence (data and analytics), SRM, and CRM knowledge. The future is bright for those most passionate about strategic supply management, proficient in the process but also strategy, innovation, and business intelligence.

The bottom line for OECM, while keeping an eye on the future of Supply Management, we've recognized the need to continuously evolve – for our organization to be disruptive, our teams to be able to gather and use data and analytics effectively, to prioritize supplier and customer relationships, to bring on resources with a variety of skill sets, and to focus firmly on the power of collaboration and value of strategic partnerships.

What, according to you, could be the next big change in the public sector supply chain management industry?

How is OECM preparing to be a part of that change?

The public sector supply chain management industry has transformed deeply over the last ten years. Customers want improved supply chain flexibility, increased efficiency, greater privacy and security, and innovative approaches to help solve their complex problems. As well, organizations are bringing supply chains into strategic planning discussions earlier, which is a tremendous advantage that adds value to the industry while also increasing the need for agility and proven solutions.

The next big change I see, especially in sourcing for the public sector, is more collaboration and consolidation.

While this is important at the product/service level, in terms of increased buying power and leveraging the benefits of

Where do you envision yourself to be in the long run, and what are your future goals for OECM? I'll continue to help guide OECM through the next phase of our growth and in achieving our strategic goals for bringing innovation and collaborative sourcing solutions to more customers in the broader public sector. Personally, my focus continues to be on mentoring and supporting the next generation of supply chain management leaders, both within OECM and across the industry.

What would be your advice to budding women entrepreneurs who aspire to venture into the business sector?

My advice for women aspiring to make a mark in this industry is two-fold. First, be brave. Don't be afraid to look at every possibility, challenge the status quo and confidently share your opinions. As women, we bring refreshing concepts and innovative perspectives to this industry – let's get those ideas out there. Second, understand and embrace the power of networking. Build a system of support and be equally supportive of your network of like-minded peers.

Take the time to learn from and also support others in their own learning journeys. Never stop improving your skills and increasing your knowledge bank. Listen and be open to the exchange of ideas – you never know where the next brilliant idea will come from!

Alma Arzate

Director, Global Supply Chain Logistics Apotex Inc.

Alma Arzate Leading the Way and Helping Others to Succeed

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ife is uncertain, and the only constants are growth and challenges. If one perceives the problems as opportunities to improve, growth is inevitable.

Similarly, when it comes to the supply chain industry, challenges prove themselves to be a great way to grow professionally. Overcoming these challenges every day with the support of a diverse team of 140 supply chain professionals is Alma Arzate.

Alma is the Director of Global Supply Chain Logistics at Apotex. Driven by her goal to deliver transformational results, her global experience has been built over two

decades across the supply chain and operations. Her background and expertise are multi-faceted. However, her passion lies in bringing order from chaos, whether it be through people development, systems implementations, or processes improvements, leveraging all of her first-hand experiences gained from the Automotive, Electronics, Medical Devices, CPG, and Pharma industries.

In an interview conducted with Insights Success, Alma sheds light on her professional journey to become an inspirational leader how she constantly aims to make a positive impact in the lives of others.

March 2022 | 16 | insightssuccess.com

The 10 Most Influen al Women in Supply Chain, 2022 Below are the highlights of the interview: Brief our audience about your journey as a business leader until your current position at Apotex. What challenges have you overcome to reach where you are today?

I am originally from Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua, Mexico.

Juárez is the sister city of El Paso, Texas, United States.

Together with the surrounding areas, these two cities form the second largest binational metropolitan area on the Mexico-U.S. border, with a combined population of over 2.2 million people. There is a thriving maquiladora industry, with over 300 multinational companies operating in my hometown, so this is where I started my career. Supply Chain was never highlighted as a possible career pathway while I was attending the Instituto Tecnológico de Ciudad Juarez, where I completed my B.B.A., or the Universidad Autónoma de Ciudad Juárez, where I completed my M.B.A. When I learned that there was a vacancy as a Buyer, Indirect Procurement in the same company I was working for, I decided to apply. This was a couple of years after graduation. I only had Finance experience, but the hiring manager decided to take a chance on me. I really enjoyed the fast pace, how I had to be resourceful to help resolve many challenges, and being able to make tangible contributions to support the business. Once I came over to the supply chain side, I never left.

There have been many challenges that I have had to overcome; just to name a few: the supply chain has been and still is a male-dominated field. I have been the only woman in the room more times than I can count. I have also been put in new positions where there was no one else before me, and I had to find my own way, sometimes even having to write my own job description! Then, as I chose to restart my career in Canada 14 years ago, this required a lot of perseverance to achieve a successful integration into a new country, culture, and workplace expectations. The lack of female role models has also been a challenge throughout my career, but luckily, I have had a lot of kind and supportive male role models and sponsors that have helped me get to where I am today.

Enlighten us on how you have made an impact in the Supply Chain Industry.

For many years, I have been focusing on whatever time I can spare to lift others. Despite my sometimes hectic professional and personal life, I am passionate about actively supporting multiple initiatives related to supply chain, education, women, and immigrant advancement. My hope is that whoever attends these events will learn from

my journey and the many obstacles I have had to overcome to find my voice and be recognized as a leader, and through ongoing dialogue, they will also be inspired to find ways to continue to persevere, achieve their own dreams, and become the best version of themselves.

I am an enthusiastic supporter of the co-op program at Apotex Inc., where so far, more than 15 students from many Universities have greatly benefited by acquiring relevant supply chain experience. I aim to crush barriers for women wherever I go and try to inspire female supply chain professionals to reach forward and accomplish their dreams.

On immigrant-related initiatives, I have been a keynote speaker for many organizations, supporting Canadian newcomers to ease their integration into the Canadian work environment and even hiring many of them.

I would like for my mark in the supply chain industry to be helping others to succeed. This is an extremely rewarding way for me to give back to the profession, as I am helping pave the way for future leaders that will eventually rise to prominent positions within our companies.

Describe in detail the values and the work culture that drives your organization.

Apotex’s culture is guided by our core values of Collaboration, Courage, Perseverance, and Passion. They inform how we work and how we connect internally and externally with our customers, partners, and other stakeholders. We have an incredible team of bright, passionate, and committed individuals who are proudly dedicated to our mission of bringing a growing array of high-quality, affordable medicines to healthcare systems in 115 countries around the globe.

“The best way to predict the future is to create it.”

– Peter Drucker

March 2022 | 17 | insightssuccess.com

We invest in continuous learning and development to support employees in expanding their capabilities and reaching their career aspirations. Our leadership team is fully committed to fostering and encouraging an environment for learning and development. This is complemented by robust training to ensure our employees have the latest industry knowledge and expertise to continue to excel in their roles. Connecting with our internal talent is key to ensuring our organization’s sustainable growth. We prioritize and consider Apotex employees for all available career opportunities across the organization to support their career development and drive business success.

Working at Apotex also means working for a company that recognizes the obligations that come with success. That is why we are proud to provide significant support to a variety of charitable organizations and community groups in Canada and around the world and to invest in the universities where many of our employees earned their degrees.

team members the opportunities, resources, and time required to lead initiatives that will take them above and beyond the comfort zone and will help drive advancement and innovation in how we do things. I see every single person in my team as having the potential to be a leader, regardless of title, time in the organization, or if they have direct reports or not.

As leaders, being credible, trustworthy, respectful, and empathetic naturally leads us to make better connections with our teams. Everything starts by having meaningful conversations. We know that when employees feel valued, empowered, and connected to their work and the organization, there is an overall boost in their engagement. I try to be as involved and available as possible, as this allows me to provide the support that my team needs. My job is to lead the way, role-model a mindset of growth and continuous improvement, and continue to encourage my team to achieve ambitious goals and deliver significant results for Apotex.

Where do you envision yourself to be in the long run, and what are your future goals for Apotex?

I can see myself continuing to expand my responsibilities, leading multiple teams, giving each and every one of my

March 2022 | 18 | insightssuccess.com

Claire Bretzke Vice President of Global Marketing Ruby Has Fulfillment

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The 10 Most Influen al Women in Supply Chain, 2022

Claire Bretzke Delivering Results-Driven Multitudes of Marketing

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hen it comes to marketing in any business, it is considered the most central communication element. If carried out with proper strategic perspective and operational role, marketing can boost business to the peak. Implementing such effective methodologies is Claire Bretzke.

As the Vice President of Global Marketing at Ruby Has Fulfillment, Claire has nurtured a collaborative culture to utilize various marketing aspects to inform and integrate with suppliers on every level.

Insights Success caught up with Claire in its search to find “Most Influential Women in Supply Chain, 2021”. We talked with her to gain in-depth knowledge about extensive expertise spread across multiple aspects of marketing.

Below are the highlights of the interview: Brief our audience about your journey as a business leader until your current position at Ruby Has Fulfillment. What challenges have you overcome to reach where you are today?

I worked for several different ecommerce startups in marketing and design roles before joining the Ruby Has

Using our expertise to host webinars, develop helpful content, get news coverage, and build partnerships with other leading companies in the industry, has helped us grow at an astonishing rate over the last few years.

March 2022 | 21 | insightssuccess.com

team and these startups weren’t always successful. It takes a lot of insight, courage, persistence, and a certain amount of luck to grow a business, especially through multiple recessions and a pandemic. I am here because of my experience in ecommerce, but also because of the people I met along the way who believed in me and helped me become the person I am today.

Tell us something more about your company and its mission and vision.

Ruby Has Fulfillment is the vision of its founder, Rafael Zakinov. He started the business with one warehouse in New York, and we’re now expanding internationally. But as we grow, we’re working hard not to lose what makes us unique, which is our collaborative approach to working with our ecommerce brands and giving them what they need to grow.

Enlighten us on how you have made an impact in the Logistics & Supply Chain niche through your expertise in the market.

I would say I’ve made a difference by using the marketing channels I have to reach new clients in unconventional ways. Logistics and supply chain companies have been around for centuries, but they haven’t always put a lot of thought into their brand. We’ve established Ruby Has as a thought leader in the industry by creating content that potential clients want to watch, read, and click on. Using our expertise to host webinars, develop helpful content, get news coverage and build partnerships with other leading companies in the industry has helped us grow at an astonishing rate over the last few years.

Describe in detail the values and the work culture that drives your organization.

I mentioned the collaborative approach that Ruby Has Fulfillment has taken in working with our clients, and I think that shows the type of organization we are. It’s not our way or the highway; it’s identifying solutions in ways that make the most sense for your business. We are all in this to help our clients grow.

simple as that. It makes my job as marketing VP easier to be able to say that Ruby Has is a technological leader and that we are committed to investing in technology.

If given a chance, what change would you like to bring in the Inventory Storage & Management industry?

I would like to see Inventory Storage & Management companies put more of an emphasis on listening to their clients, engaging with them, and encouraging them to engage with their end customers to learn from them. In an effort to streamline pick and pack services, there has been a one-size-fits-all approach in the past, but rising ecommerce brands didn’t get where they are by acting like everyone else. We can learn as much from them as they learn from us.

What, according to you, could be the next big change in the Supply Chain industry? How is your company preparing to be a part of that change?

The way I see it, Ruby Has, and other fulfillment companies like ours are making it easy for brands to open new sales channels, so they’re no longer dependent on one channel, whether that’s brick and mortar stores, wholesale, Amazon, other retail marketplaces or direct-to-consumer. I don’t know what the next big thing will be, but I’m sure Ruby Has will be one of the first to bring it to our clients.

Where do you envision yourself to be in the long run, and what are your future goals for Ruby Has Fulfillment?

I love helping brands grow. My goal for Ruby Has is to continue to grow its presence as a global brand that is known for caring for our clients and making ecommerce fulfillment easier. That goes for U.S. companies selling overseas, as well as overseas brands hoping to break into the U.S. market.

What would be your advice to budding entrepreneurs who aspire to venture into the Supply Chain sector?

I would say there is plenty of room for new ideas and new people in this industry. It is rapidly growing, and there will always be a need for moving things around. The methods may change but that’s what makes it exciting.

Undeniably, technology is playing a significant role in almost every sector. How are you leveraging technological advancements to make your solutions resourceful?

Ruby Has is committed to investing in technology, robotics, and automation as long as it makes sense for our clients. If it isn’t going to help our clients grow, we don’t do it. It’s as

March 2022 | 22 | insightssuccess.com

Jessica Burgess Director of Business Development Ruby Has Fulfillment

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The 10 Most Influen al Women in Supply Chain, 2022

Jessica Burgess

Strengthening the Roots in the Supply Chain Industry

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oordinating overall logistics with an intent to minimize cost and maximize the efficiency of the supply chain, Jessica Burgess redefines the way of thinking about sales, business development, and revenue growth. As the Director of Business Development at Ruby Has Fulfilment, she empowers her team to become the best they can be and drives to create a positive culture grounded in a companywide vision of success.

Insights Success caught up with Jessica in its search to find “Most Influential Women in Supply Chain, 2021”. We got into a conversation with her to understand how she utilizes consultative and solution-based selling while delivering and sustaining revenue and profit gains within multiple markets.

We are constantly adding new technology and new partners to stay ahead of the needs of our clients.

Below are the highlights of the interview: Brief our audience about your journey as a business leader until your current position at Ruby Has Fulfillment. What challenges have you overcome to reach where you are today?

I began in this industry nearly a decade ago and worked my way up from a representative to the Director of Business Development. One of the biggest hurdles throughout this journey occurred several years ago. I had to step out of my comfort zone and move myself and my 2-year-old son 8 hours away from our friends and family. Balancing motherhood, a career, and personal life is never an easy task, but doing it without any support is something else entirely. During this trying year, I truly learned what I was capable of (and gained an incredible appreciation for my mother).

Tell us something more about your company and its mission and vision.

At Ruby Has, our mission is to be true partners to our clients. To deliver an unparalleled service to brands as they scale and to maintain real relationships with our clients. No brand is a number to us, everyone has a name, and we excel because of those relationships. Our vision is to maintain these best practices while we continue to grow and expand both domestically and internationally.

Enlighten us on how you have made an impact in the Logistics & Supply Chain niche through your expertise in the market.

Logistics and supply chain is very similar to any other business field in that it is male-dominated. Simply being a woman leader in this space is impactful, but I would say my biggest impact has been on those who have, or currently do,

March 2022 | 25 | insightssuccess.com

report to me. The experience and knowledge that I gained on my way up the proverbial ladder have proven to be critical to my ability to lead and mold a successful team.

My ultimate professional goal is not tied to numbers or quotas but rather to cultivate a happy, motivated team of experts who are equipped to go out and kill it every day.

companies delay making this transition until it is too late.

Barcode everything and plan your packaging accordingly from the beginning. That is the message I would like to get to anyone even considering going into the ecommerce space because it will greatly impact their inventory management capabilities.

Describe in detail the values and the work culture that drives your organization.

Ruby Has is a company that values its employees. I strive to place a similar emphasis on a healthy culture amongst my team. We reward hard work and a job well done, and we also correct and mentor with empathy and compassion.

People first is the motto of Ruby Has and it applies to both our clients and our staff.

What, according to you, could be the next big change in the Supply Chain industry? How is your company preparing to be a part of that change?

I think online shopping and direct-to-consumer sales are both here to stay, so the next big changes will be improvements in transportation, both globally and domestically, that ease some of the problems we’ve seen and increase shipping capacity. There will always be something changing; it’s the nature of the business. Ruby Has is here to help facilitate change and growth for our clients.

Undeniably, technology is playing a significant role in almost every sector. How are you leveraging technological advancements to make your solutions resourceful?

Cutting-edge technology is a requirement for any fulfillment company that expects to be reliable at scale. Our combination of automation, robotics, and actual boots on the ground is key to our success. The technology behind our strategic robotics systems allows us to get orders picked and packed at a rate that no team of workers could accomplish; however, those workers allow us to offer more flexibility than most companies our size. We have orchestrated the perfect balance and have entire teams responsible for staying current on the next advancement in the space.

If given a chance, what change would you like to bring in the Inventory Storage & Management industry?

I would like to see increased education for entrepreneurs who are just getting started. So frequently, we see brands that have grown quickly but whose packaging and labeling haven’t grown along with their business. Nearly all fulfillment companies that are technologically advanced require barcodes, but brands are often caught off guard when they hear this. Even medium to enterprise-size

Where do you envision yourself to be in the long run, and what are your future goals for Ruby Has Fulfillment?

I am positive that Ruby Has Fulfillment will continue to evolve along with the ecommerce industry. We are constantly adding new technology and new partners to stay ahead of the needs of our clients. I envision myself being right here, assisting in that growth by bringing new clients through the door and growing a team of professionals who are motivated to do the same.

What would be your advice to budding entrepreneurs who aspire to venture into the Supply Chain sector?

Do it! Even if you have to start at the bottom and work your way up, you should dive in headfirst. This is an industry that is growing at an unbelievable rate, and it isn’t going anywhere. Imagine if you could have gotten into the auto industry early on or the cell phone industry back when they were the size of handbags! Every year, more and more people buy more and more of their items online, and there has never been a better chance to get in on the excitement.

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Empowering Influence

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nnovation has brought people closer. It has improved various ways businesses operate and, more specifically, how products, information, work, and funds flow throughout the supply chain. Leading in the supply chain industry is an arduous task as it constantly faces new challenges through several internal and external factors.

Although, there are several burning issues to be resolved with efficient and effective solutions. Leaders, especially women, are experts at managing customer expectations, suppliers, maintaining quality and sustainability, access to data, and risk mitigation. Even in difficult times like the Pandemic, these women leaders efficiently contributed and led from the forefront. The question arises of how the supply chain is led under women's leadership. Let us dive in deep through this article.

Combination of Charm and Courage Today, there is much talk about the companies led by women, and the supply chain is no exemption to it. This shift of women into fields like supply chain gives the industry new ideas to take the field forward. It is also because of their solid technological background, through which they have been able to take charge of the supply chain companies. This change in the supply chain industry brings positivity and more energy among the team members. That's the influence of women in the supply chain, or in the overall professional workplace for that matter.

Their key strength is to create bonding with the clients, team members, and the organization's internal management.

They make sure everyone feels included and create growth opportunities for everyone. Due to their performance, we could proudly say that today no industry is male-dominated; women in business have climbed the ladder of challenges making it to success. And, if there has to be a synonym for 'hard work,' it would be 'women' because women have adapted to the supply chain with their hard work and dedication.

Living the Dream Women have proved that no job is impossible; all you want is support from your team and, of course, from the family members. And, this is where work-life balance comes into the picture for them; whether it is the personal or professional life, women are handling their roles and responsibilities perfectly. Ideally, if I would think to

manage such a tight work-life balance, it would be a disaster for me, so we got to appreciate how women handle things with their best efforts.

The Big Picture here is that we are entering the digital transformation era, and women in business and supply chain are just another example of it. Looking at their journey, we understand that it takes a lot of courage, dedication, and patience to become the leader in the supply chain. It is so because you are involved in endless business meetings, decisions, handling inventory, and multiple things simultaneously. So, businesswomen have risen and established as perfect leaders to take all the work carefully related to the supply chain.

Shift of Greatness Over the last few years, we have seen this trend of women entering all the industries, and this change is good. With their experience and knowledge today, their presence is enough to take the companies up and above. You only learn in the leadership process because risks, challenges, and success go on till the very end of the leadership journey. So, businesswomen understand that they have to create as many opportunities as possible to come into this field.

Leadership is quite a journey indeed; never giving up and staying motivated is the key here. Learn from your mistakes and make the world yours. We are all surrounded by the miraculous leadership of women, and we are very much excited about what they bring to us.

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Sharpen your Perceptions with

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Maria Villablanca Co-Founder & CEO Future Insights Network

The 10 Most Influen al Women in Supply Chain, 2022

Maria Villablanca Navigating the Complexities of Changing Business Models in Supply Chain

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he intricacies in the supply chain are increasing with each passing day; even though technological advancement and data bring additional value to the process, the skill gap keeps expanding. Organizations need diverse talent to manage the supply chain to push performance and profitability further. Having insights and information about the supply chain can provide organizations a refreshing perspective which is what Maria Villablanca delivers with her venture Future Insights Network.

As the Co-founder and CEO, as well as the host of a successful podcast, Maria creates a workplace culture that inspires and motivates. She is an effective, energetic, and visionary leader who believes that “good enough” is never good enough. With her leadership at the forefront, Future Insights Network is driving manufacturing and supply chain innovation through; thought leadership, virtual workshops, live, collaborative events.

Insights Success caught up with Maria in our endeavor to find “Most influential Women in Supply Chain, 2021”. We talked with her to have a deep understanding of how she is driving a transformational change by connecting supply chain leaders.

Below are the highlights of the interview: Brief our audience about your journey as a business leader until your current position at Future Insights Network. What challenges you had to overcome to reach where you are today?

I have had a long trajectory spanning multiple continents, languages, industries, and roles over my nearly 30-year career. This path has allowed me to embrace change, diversity, transformation and has provided me with an opportunity to develop agility and adaptability. My greatest teachers throughout my career have been my failures, and I am very grateful for them.

Our purpose is to inspire and enable transformational change in the world’s leading companies.

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Tell us something more about your company and its mission and vision.

The Future Insights Network exists to provide our network of over 80,000 senior supply chain leaders with content, connections, and a community to help them solve their burning questions. Today, more than ever, this is important in helping to build agile, resilient, and sustainable supply chains.

Enlighten us on how you have made an impact in the Logistics & Supply Chain niche through your expertise in the market.

We try to bring stories and case studies with clear and actionable advice to the industry. There is too much hype, noise, and buzz out there, and we hope that we can deliver some clarity amidst the complexity and disruption of today.

We do this via the Transform Talks with Maria Villablanca podcast and our events.

Describe in detail the values and the work culture that drives your organization.

We strive to create a culture of agility, flexibility, learning, and diversity. As a woman-led, woman-owned business, we aim to give voices to underrepresented groups in our industry and further the values of diversity, equity, and inclusion. Equally, I think it’s important to ensure we create a culture where all our team feels comfortable in bringing new ideas to the table.

Undeniably, technology is playing a significant role in almost every sector. How are you leveraging technological advancements to make your solutions resourceful?

The pandemic meant shifting our business from one where we delivered physical events to a purely digital offering.

This meant learning new skills and implementing new technology, including AI, into our business. Without it, we would not have been able to weather the last 18 months successfully. Not only has this technology allowed us to grow during the pandemic, with almost triple-digit revenue and community growth, but we have been able to widen our nets to grow into new markets that were previously unavailable in their physical form.

1) to drive more diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives and bring more people with different backgrounds to the industry but also 2) drive sustainable change. The pandemic has fast-tracked digital transformation. It would be great to see us develop new and more sustainable business models too.

What, according to you, could be the next big change in the Supply Chain industry? How is your company preparing to be a part of that change?

The next big change will be around digital transformation technologies and sustainability. Both will have an impact on how we define the supply chain and how businesses operate. Every single role in Supply Chain will change. I hope for the better. Our role in this new world is to continue to bring stories of positive change to the industry.

Where do you envision yourself to be in the long run, and what are your future goals for Future Insights Network?

In the long run, I hope to continue growing the business, the community, and the network to include a wider group of Supply Chain executives from the moment they start their careers in this industry until the moment they retire. I hope to continue bringing them content, connections, and a place where they can dialogue and debate the latest trends and issues.

What would be your advice to budding entrepreneurs who aspire to venture into the Supply Chain sector?

Do it! There has never been a more exciting time to join the industry. I believe Supply Chain professionals can change the world!

If given a chance, what change would you like to bring in the Inventory Storage & Management industry?

Ideally, I would want to see two changes,

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Mariam Saad Director of IT, Technology Services, Professional Services Procurement TELUS March 2022 | 34 | insightssuccess.com

The 10 Most Influen al Women in Supply Chain, 2022

Mariam Saad

Maximizing Profitability in Supply Chains

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he transition in the supply chain industry is near. To realize this change, it’s essential to understand the end-to-end supply base mapping and focus on sustainable efforts. Implementing several aspects in the workplace will align with the massive shift caused by the pandemic concerning global consumer mindsets towards environmental issues. Preparing for this change is Mariam Saad, a multi-lingual leader with 20 years of highly skilled experience in procurement, operations, and sales, across multiple global and national organizations in telecommunications, mining, and information technology.

As the Director of IT, Technology Services, and Professional Services Procurement for TELUS, Mariam leads towards an extensive transformational initiative as the company seeks to grow and mature its capabilities. She is recognized for effectively leading and managing concurrent initiatives while consistently achieving strong results.

TELUS is building a better future for all Canadians by using its technology for good and giving back to its communities. Its social purpose is at the heart of everything it does as a world-leading technology company, and TELUS continues to set itself apart to make the future friendly together.

The Initiation Mariam graduated with an International Business Commerce Degree from Concordia University in Montreal, with a Minor Degree in Marketing. Following the Degree from Concordia, she then pursued a 1.5-year Leadership Certificate at the Executive McGill MBA Program.

Having worked across multiple industries, including

Information Technologies, Natural Resources, and Telecommunication, she developed extensive experience in IT sales and procurement operations. Throughout her career, she focused on revenue generation, cost savings, delivery, and value creation. She took the opportunity to utilize the experience and expertise with each successive role to sharpen her focus on value generation.

Throughout Mariam's career, she faced numerous diversity and inclusiveness challenges. In her early sales career, she was the only woman amongst a team of 10 men. As a result, she constantly felt that she had to work twice as hard to prove herself.

Moreover, she faced additional adversity coming from an immigrant ethnic background, which she had to overcome throughout her journey. She says, "Whether working in IT or the mining industry, there were very few women, and almost none existed as you moved up the ladder. “Mariam expresses that support for women was incredibly lacking during the first few years of her career. There were no forums where women could connect, receive support or share experiences. She had many female colleagues that constantly reached out to her to share their challenges.

Instead of seeing this as an obstacle, she thought about taking charge and making a difference. To that end, Mariam co-founded the first women network at her previous company and opened the first chapter in Montreal. Mariam received an overwhelming response, and people worldwide became involved asking to join the Montreal chapter. As a result, she negotiated a budget to launch 10 other local chapters worldwide. Today, Mariam enjoys mentoring young women and new immigrants to help them integrate into or succeed in their workplace.

When you're with TELUS, you're part of a network of giving.

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The Impactful Expertise Mariam expressed that sharing and collaboration are integral parts of learning and growth. At TELUS, she strives for continuous improvement and value creation, ensuring that she is constantly learning and educating herself, her team, and the business on the latest technologies. She is also sought after to speak at events such as Supply Chain Digital or round tables with Procurement Leaders, Supplier Diversity events, or within IT Summits to discuss the latest issues and trends in the IT and Digital space.

She surrounds herself with a great network of colleagues, and team members, enabling learning and professional growth; she believes that giving back to her team, TELUS, network, and suppliers is a privilege and a responsibility to give back what others have done for her.

Most recently, Mariam had the opportunity to speak at many events sharing her thought-leadership about the effects of the pandemic and its role in accelerating digital transformation and about Cloud transformation, evolving strategy between private, public, single, and multi-cloud vendors. Mariam is proud to be a thoughtful contributor to these critical discussions.

Value-Driven Methodology Mariam states that TELUS has key pillars from a cultural evolution focused on innovation, growth, change, teamwork, and risk. TELUS drives a collaborative work environment that fosters growth and development in individual and team culture and innovative perspectives.

This environment encourages team members to look for new opportunities while approaching risk-taking with an opportunistic and experimental mindset. Everyday innovation is focused on nurturing the mindset, behaviours, and environment required to inspire the courage to drive innovation to a cultural standard across all levels and value chains at TELUS. Innovative Technological Solutions With respect to leveraging technology to drive business objectives, Mariam highlted that TELUS is committed to making the future friendly by connecting Canadians through technological solutions that create value within communities and connecting with technology partners to advance the digital transformation journey.

world with communication capabilities. TELUS fosters the exchange of digitized information to help all parties operate more efficiently. Connected solutions for farm management, optimized profitability, increased efficiency, and insights.

Healthcare: TELUS is streamlining health records and data, building powerful digital healthcare tools for hospitals, doctors, pharmacists, and more, to help support healthcare providers. TELUS heavily invests in virtual care to access all Canadians to receive quality care anytime and anywhere. TELUS has invested over $2.5Billion in healthcare in the last decades; it has $12Million Canadians covered by TELUS Health Benefit management solutions.

Partnerships: TELUS's ecosystem of partners is crucial to Mariam. The company has built strategic partnerships, allowing it to build some of the world's fastest, highest quality networks to lead in the Healthcare Technology and Customer First approach.

Over the Horizon Mariam loves her work and envisions herself constantly learning and growing in her space, helping shape and change the supply chain industry to advance it and solve real problems. She is proud to assist "feeding the world" by improving TELUS' food quality and safety by leveraging technological innovation and human compassion. She is excited to be a part of the healthcare initiative that will impact the world positively. She sees herself mentoring supply chain professionals, fostering a diversity and inclusiveness culture, and soon leading a procurement or supply chain organization.

Bequeathing Budding Entrepreneurs Mariam advises up-and-coming entrepreneurs to prepare themselves for a wonderful ride. She says, "You are going to witness some of the greatest evolution in this space. We are entering the fourth industrial revolution that will challenge current ways of working and the need for some of the most pressing issues in the world. It is where entrepreneurs can use their experience and expertise to witness or drive some of the greatest changes in the supply chain space seen in several decades.”

Agriculture: TELUS is on a mission to tackle some of the most significant social challenges of the generation using technology for good and empowering growth in agriculture and feeding the world by connecting the underserved rural

March 2022 | 36 | insightssuccess.com

The 10 Most Influential Women in Supply Chain, 2022

Monique Alblas Vice President of Consul ng

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Monique Alblas Exemplifying Resilient Leadership

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he supply chain is a traditionally male-dominated field. Therefore, being a leader in the supply chain field is not as easy as it sounds for women. It takes courage, zeal to learn, and resilience to be in this field and make a difference. Today, many brave and resilient women leaders have entered this space, are making notable contributions, and are setting inspirational standards for other women. One such inspirational leader in the supply chain industry is Monique Alblas, the Vice President of Consulting at GEP Worldwide.

Let’s shed some light on her journey as a business leader.

Gaining Learning Experiences and Being Best at Consulting After graduating, Monique joined a small company for which she was asked to set up a separate IT contingent labor company. Being an entrepreneur at such a young age was a tremendous learning experience for her, covering all aspects of a business in which, of course, she also made more than her fair share of mistakes that she had to overcome.

After that, Monique joined a global high tech firm with responsibility for a triple-digit spend portfolio of professional services companies. During this time, she worked with C-suite executives in a male-dominated engineering environment and learned to stand her ground. Working with a wide variety of consultants and seeing the difference they could make in relatively short periods made her realize that being a consultant would fit her like a glove. She notes, “Being a consultant means you always have to bring your A-game. You’re hired to achieve meaningful results. It’s never easy, but I love it.”

Supply chains have also seen a lot of unprecedented challenges over the past years, and Monique joined GEP Worldwide, just as when the world was dealing with the pandemic. One of the major areas of concern, especially in the first few months of the crisis, was the overdependence on China and the inability to procure materials from there and several other parts of Asia. Many enterprises were

forced to look for an alternative, and likely more expensive suppliers and solutions.

At GEP, Monique supported several clients with make-orbuy decisions to prevent big losses. She led a team that looked into setting up local and regional production for some of the materials that they could not get via the regular supply chains because of logistical issues caused by COVID-19, as well as collaborations with other third parties to bundle their buying power.

Collaborating and Negotiating With Suppliers Monique believes that procurement can no longer just focus on volumes and driving down costs to help achieve the company’s larger objectives. Procurement and supply chain leaders need to look for innovative solutions to play a strategic role in achieving company goals. Leaders need to genuinely collaborate with their ecosystem — with their suppliers and suppliers’ suppliers and evolve from a transactional vendor-style relationship.

GEP Worldwide is a leading provider of supply chain and procurement software, consulting and managed services to Global 2000 enterprises

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worldwide.

She says, “To develop an informed perspective on what's going on in the market, and to understand what's possible, it’s paramount that procurement and supply chain leaders collaborate with suppliers and other organizations. This means stepping outside our comfort zones and boundaries of negotiating prices, quantities and lead times to also focus, and assist, suppliers with tracking their environmental impact, cutting waste, sustainability, innovating activities, adopting new digital platforms to share data more easily and gain greater visibility across the entire, multi-step, global supply chain.”

Last year, GEP’s employees spent more than 20,000 hours undertaking local activities to support women’s development, address hunger, and provide children with access to basic education.

Driving Great Value to Customers and Stakeholders Globally Founded 22 years ago, GEP is a leading provider of supply chain and procurement software, consulting, and managed services to Global 2000 enterprises worldwide. Its mission is to integrate strategy, software, and managed services so its clients can transform and optimize their supply chains and drive greater value to customers and stakeholders.

Today, companies need redundancy and resilience, as well as speed and cost efficiency, to better manage supply disruptions, inflation, scarcity, and cyberattacks. Companies are also shifting from measuring to cutting the environmental impact of their entire complex supply chains. Furthermore, procurement is now strategic and essential to get costs in line with inflation running more than 7%.

With more than 5,000 employees across 24 locations in Europe, Asia, Africa, and the Americas, GEP is continuing to grow by double digits as global companies are accelerating their investment in remaking their supply chains.

Giving Back to Society Talking about the values and culture of GEP, Monique mentions that it is a privately held, minority, and womenowned business, where giving back is an integral part of its purpose and its DNA. GEP was founded on six core values, including delighting customers, excellence, and caring. By caring, it means caring for each other as colleagues, for the communities where they live, and for the environment. Monique asserts, “Caring is integral to our culture because it connects our thousands of employees across every office with a common purpose to improve people’s lives.”

Besides, it won Best Places to Work in nearly every other country it operates. Its approach combines a top-down corporate-led program and enables employees to create activities for their communities. It identified four specific social areas for its employees to help address: empowering women; enabling basic education for children; alleviating hunger; and sustainability initiatives to cut its environmental impact. Each year, GEP Worldwide spends between 5% to 10% of its annual profit through direct contributions and matching employees’ initiatives.

Building Resilient and Sustainable Supply Chains Monique opines that GEP’s future is bright. It is an exciting time for the company because supply chains and procurement are now a boardroom- and investor-level issue.

Companies are accelerating the transformation to build resilient, agile and sustainable supply chains.

GEP invests heavily in product development, led by ML/AI for advanced data analytics in everything, from real-time demand forecasting — enabling clients to react quickly and be demand-led — to identifying savings and determining what components and services “should cost” to evaluating the performance of suppliers. GEP continues to roll out control towers to identify potential disruptions and issue resolution.

Playing a Pivotal Role in Supporting Companies In conclusion, Monique expresses, “This is an exciting and important time to be consulting for companies about their global supply chain, and GEP, as a global leader, is ideally positioned. Disruptions in logistics and drastic changes in consumer expectations have sparked an unprecedented focus on supply chain management for C-suite executives.

We are now seeing the shift from logistics and supply chain primarily being a back-office function to a boardroom priority. It is only the start as supply chains will continue to grow in complexity. The future survival for organizations now depends on effectively managing the 5Vs of supply chain success: visibility, volatility, velocity, vulnerability and viability. GEP is growing very rapidly, and I’m excited to be playing a pivotal role in supporting companies reimaging their supply chains and adopt new technologies to become more cost-effective, resilient and sustainable.”

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Women: Ar cle 2

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Choose to Challenge

The New TRAILBLAZERS in SUPPLY CHAIN T

he 2021 International Women’s Day theme is “Choose to Challenge.” Challenging for bringing change in the world by being aware of the opportunities to create a gender-balanced society in all the sectors. The supply chain industry has been traditionally male-dominated, and it is challenging for women, especially in leadership positions. But trailblazing women leaders are revolutionary in their approach and choose to take up the challenge of being in the supply chain industry and impacting the industry with their courage, passion, guts, and leadership skills.

Women are fearless and believe in their potential, setting exemplary standards for other women leaders and setting the standards for future generations. It takes a lot of knowledge, awareness, bravery, and ability to deal with complex challenges in the supply chain industry to be a trailblazing women leader. Therefore, becoming a trailblazing women leader in the supply chain industry is a laudable feat. Such women leaders become an inspirational example for other women leaders and future generations.

Women leaders are making their presence count and are ready to take on the challenge and proving themselves that they can work productively to make a difference with their skills and abilities. Due to the value women bring to the table, many companies also include women in leadership positions to make better and inclusive decisions.

Trailblazing women leaders play a vital role in ensuring diversity, equality, and inclusion in the supply chain industry and are more judicious in ensuring good overall operations and productivity from all the employees.

Women leaders doing good in the supply chain industry naturally significantly impact other women leaders, and it is more inspiring for them to follow such leaders. The women leaders in the supply chain industry should be open to changes in the industry. They should be ready to change themselves with the transformative shifts by innovating various tactics making sound judgments with pre-existing solid knowledge.

Trailblazing women leaders in the supply chain industry prepare themselves well enough to handle the challenges in the supply chain industry and make the best situational decisions. They should resolve the difficulties with fortitude and work hard with all their team members. They should learn from their seniors and pass on what they have learned to others. No two days are the same in the supply chain industry.

Those women who want to enter the supply chain industry should be adaptable and flexible with the continuously changing dynamics in the supply chain industry. They should have the great approach of learning and grasping things quickly, all the constant changes happening in the industry, and accordingly developing the ability to handle all the situations with diligence and making their best contribution by becoming a trailblazing leader in the industry. They should be strategic and have a lot of firefighting ability every day to make the greatest impact in the industry and prove themselves as illustrious leaders in the supply chain industry.

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Sarah Barnes-Humphrey Leading with Perseverance and Giving Voice to Supply Chain Community

Sarah Barnes-Humphrey CEO Let’s Talk Supply Chain (LTSC)

The 10 Most Influen al Women in Supply Chain, 2022

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ince the start of the pandemic, the supply chain industry has been facing issues such as an onslaught of shortages, disruptions, and delays. But competent leaders in this industry are continuing to navigate challenges in the supply chain industry by using their knowledge and experience. Female leaders in the supply chain industry continue to emerge and make an impact in the industry with good momentum and adopting best practices. By building robust supply chains and reforming the supply chain sector, women leaders in this sector are fueling innovation in this industry. They are creating a brighter path for the success of the supply chain community. It is important for the supply chain community to communicate their message to a larger audience about their services. Through Let’s Talk Supply Chain, Sarah Barnes-Humphrey is building a platform that gives a voice to the supply chain community, sees the visual impact of diversity and inclusion, and finally creates safe spaces for everyone to feel heard.

Sarah has spent the past 20 years in the logistics and supply chain industry learning everything she can. Perseverance led Sarah to become one of the top women leaders in the Supply Chain Industry. She doesn’t believe in giving up.

She runs “Let’s Talk Supply Chain (LTSC),” and it is the hottest supply chain podcast on the market. She is obsessed with the supply chain and believes that “Collaboration is the future of business”, and we can all win together.

Introducing Stories of Women in Supply Chain In its Let’s Talk Supply Chain Women in Supply Chain series, LTSC introduces the female leaders who are dominating the supply chain now and unleashing better, smarter outcomes. LTSC shares the obstacles these woman leaders have conquered, giant leaps of faith, and the beginnings that ultimately brought them where they are today, leading businesses across the global supply chain.

Focusing on the Work that Needs to Be Done Sarah worked for the family business for 20 years, took courses online while she got hands-on experience in logistics working in operations, sales and then ultimately ended her career there as Director of Sales and Marketing.

Being the oldest, she overcame jealousy from employees because she was the “Boss’ daughter”, she had trust issues as everyone she met had an agenda or wanted something from her as the “Boss’ daughter”. The ultimate challenge came from the day her father closed the doors of the business. She felt for all company’s employees and

customers. She felt so much loss, including the fact that she wanted to run the company one day, ever since she was 16, and that day was the worst day of her life.

Sarah had already started the podcast and had clients counting on her, so every day thereafter, she just kept everything going. She learned social media, graphics design, website design, and editing and woke up every day by focusing on the work that needed to be done.

Communicating Value Proposition of Supply Chain Brands LTSC features brands within that sector of the supply chain on the podcast, and now it is lending its platform for brands to have their own shows with a built-in audience. Sarah believes that it is very important for brands in the supply chain sector to tell their story and really communicate their value proposition for those they can help. Supply chain professionals know what is out there, and LTSC brings that to the market.

Being a certified Women-Owned Supply Chain community facilitator, LTSC values diverse perspectives. Being openminded, leaning in to understand, always learning, and trusting each other to want what needs to be done for everyone’s success is how it drives the organization forward and stays innovative.

We use tech whenever and wherever it makes sense, always looking for new ways that we can support the brands in our industry to tell the best story and give the best information to our audience and our listeners.

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Being Focused on Diversity, Inclusion, and Collaboration LTSC’s Non-Profit – The Blended Pledge is working hard to see the visual impact on stages in audiences at industry conferences and in digital content, so it is very focused on Diversity and Inclusion. Through its second podcast, called the Blended Podcast, it brings 5 people from different walks of life together to talk openly and authentically about various DEI topics. LTSC is also focused on Collaboration being the future of business, bringing the players in the industry together to bring more transparency, visibility, and cohesive chain.

Being Part of Change by Building Learning Platform Sarah states that organizations will be looking at where they want to have risks in their supply chain in the future. They will base their future strategies on competing on supply chains against their competitors, not just product marketing.

LTSC is preparing to be part of that change by building the platform for voices to be heard so they all can learn from each other's mistakes, challenges, and successes. Sarah envisions building more, creating more, and being change agents in the industry.

Staying Motivated, Flexible, and Pursuing Goals Sarah advises budding entrepreneurs who aspire to venture into the Supply Chain Industry to buckle up because she says that it is quite the ride. She suggests them to choose something that they really enjoy because she believes that success in this industry doesn’t happen overnight, and they need to overcome doubts, unwanted advice, naysayers etc.

She advises them to believe and love what they are doing that will keep them motivated.

Sarah herself has started and stopped many ventures from getting where she is today. She suggests budding entrepreneurs, “Stay motivated, don’t quit, take small steps toward your goal every single day and stay flexible/open minded.”

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The 10 Most Influential Women in Supply Chain - 2022

Shimon Gowda

Manager, Supply Chain Design+ Chainalytics and Founder Supply Chain Unified

Shimon Gowda A Passionate Leader in the Supply Chain Space or the last few years, the supply chain industry has witnessed women taking up leadership positions and thriving in their roles. Women have steadily advanced within the logistics and supply chain sector with their passion, talent, and knowledge. Today, many women are playing a significant role in shaping the future of the industry.

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milk from the cows was stored and diligently transported to the dairy for pasteuriza-tion, where it undergoes various processes before it is sent out to stores for sale. I was always inspired and awed by this mechanical yet very efficient chain of supply. This inspired me to develop a penchant towards Supply chain and the various processes governing them.”

One such woman is Shimon Gowda, Manager, Supply Chain Design at Chainalytics and the Founder of Supply Chain Unified, a networking platform for like-minded people and peers who are in the first decade of their career and are exploring what their true ‘mojo’ is.

Having a bachelor's and a master's degree specialized in Supply chain exposed Shimon to the essentials of supply chain almost 9 years ago. She has come to realize that optimization of the supply chain is a cyclic process. The principle of Lean Six Sigma that states, "there is always scope for improvement and potential to reduce costs", fuels Shimon’s eternal passion in this field.

Let us unveil her journey as a business leader.

An Invaluable Learning Journey As Shimon looks back and ponders her journey up until now, she sees and realizes how every experience has been invaluable learning and steppingstone. The current situation is also a learning experience and a window of opportunity of what she hopes to achieve, contribute, and give back to society and continue inspiring the way she has been inspired.

She expresses, “A career in supply chain was not by accident for me. As it is rightly said, family is the first school of every individual. Many of our career aspirations are strongly influenced by the envi-ronment in which we are brought up. My father, a doctor and a son of a farmer balanced his pro-fession well and took care of our agricultural land perfectly. As a kid, I would keenly observe the processes involved in running our estate. My initial brush with Supply Chain Process was when I saw how the

Besides, Shimon’s educational background and professional exposure have taught her to have a keen eye for optimization of process, labour, infrastructure, and distribution network including all nodes of supply and demand to increase the three "R's": Revenue, ROI and Relationship building.

Adversities Along Like numerous other immigrants who leave behind their hometown and move to a completely different land to see a better future for themselves, Shimon is yet another aspirant who traveled to the United States; first time abroad to pursue her higher education. This was her very first challenge.

Shimon met wonderful new people from different cultures, saw the world from a different perspective, and became more appreciative and grateful for her own culture and

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“

I hope to continue

learning and constantly

thrive towards making a

“

positive impact.

upbringing while respecting others and learning every day.

She asserts, “Life is not easy being an immigrant on a visa and an aspirant who was particular in having a career of her choice. When you are on a visa, your time and clock is always ticking and there is a constant urge to accept any opportunity that comes your way to stay afloat. I think that was one of the major challenges to me. The zeal and thirst to fight and wait for a career opportunity that you are passionate about. I cannot underplay the impact of a perfect combination of hard work and luck, that has bought me down the path.”

The second challenge for her was being a woman in a man’s world! She puts. “No matter how progressive the times are, I cannot emphasize the number of times I have been the only woman on the table. Having and choosing a career in supply chain also more often means you are inside a warehouse, factory and amongst trucks observing and auditing to perform root cause analysis of issues. It is not always a very glamourous profession. I have been fortunate enough to have worked with wonderful set of colleagues and cultures where gender equality is of the utmost importance and have felt indifferent despite being the only female in the room.”

Thirdly, one of the greatest adversity or challenge Shimon most recently faced was when she had to make a very tough decision to leave the United States, as she did not get ‘lucky’ in the lottery-based work visa. But she believes that

borders cannot stop you if one really wants to make an impact. She notes, “I feel more confident now because most companies are now global and the physical presence or location of a person cannot stop you from solving a problem, work in collaboration across na-tions and truly make an impact on what you are passionate about.”

Shimon owes her current success and position to all the mentorship and guidance from some amazing people she has met. She says, “The essence of being in consulting is, every project feels like a new learning phase. There are numerous business nuances that you learn and are constantly awed by.”

Imparting Wisdom Talking about the next big change in the supply chain industry, Shimon believes that there should be the acceptance and adaptation of more companies and supply chain professionals to keep a broader mind and attitude towards learning, accepting, and implementing AI/ML technology and algorithms. She marks, “This is to simplify and automate monotonous jobs and not to take away any jobs.

Human intervention will still be required in our industry at large. But by automating several tasks, we can now focus on innovation, empowering mental well-be-ing of workforce and all value to our everyday task without having to feel mechanical or redundant in our tasks.”

Encouraging Companies to Leverage Data We asked Shimon if given a chance, what change she would like to bring to the supply chain industry, to which she said, “I would encourage more small and mid-sized companies to educate themselves to understand how using data and seeking help from supply chain professionals can truly add to the bottom line and optimize their process. Secondly, increase awareness about the advantages of collaboration, not just within the organization but with all your partners across the organization involving suppliers, freight partners, 3PL and warehouse partners, retailers as well as customers.”

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Wendy Herrick

VP, Customer Excellence for North America Unilever

The 10 Most influential women in supply chain, 2022

Wendy Herrick An Excellent Example of "Learn-it-All" Mindset

T

he trait of substantial business leaders is that they are enthusiastic about learning, growing, and enhancing their skills and abilities in all situations.

They always have a learning mindset, and they transform challenges into opportunities with their positive attitude.

Such attitude helps them make a significant difference in the business they are leading. Wendy Herrick is one such business leader who is always eager to learn, grow and is substantially contributing to the supply chain industry.

Wendy was recently appointed as the VP of Customer Excellence for North America at Unilever after having 3 successful years as Head of Digital Supply Chain. Wendy has had many life-changing opportunities at Unilever, all of which have played a role in shaping the leader she is today.

These opportunities have influenced how she looks at challenges and obstacles. She sees challenges as beautiful opportunities in disguise. She says, "The best way to master your head (thoughts) and your heart (emotions) is through challenging situations that enable you to learn, grow and strengthen your leadership acumen.”

Let's have a look at her exhilarating journey as a leader.

Having a 'Learn it All' Mindset Wendy had several jobs in high school and college, which were all consumer-facing, so the learning started very early on. She was taught that the customer is always right and learned that being a manager/leader of people was a hard job but also most rewarding. Wendy's journey as a business leader started right out of college at Unilever International in Bristol, England. Since then, she has had the opportunity to work in both finance and supply chain roles and live in many different countries across the

globe. She believes in evolving from having a 'know it all' mindset to 'learn it all' mindset.

Making the World a Better Place for Future Generations As one of the world's largest consumer goods companies, Unilever is driven by its purpose to make sustainable living commonplace, with an ambition to be the global leader in sustainable business, showing that our purposeled, future-fit business model delivers superior performance.. This is engrained in Unilever's culture and expressed through its 400 brands that touch the lives of over 2.5 billion consumers every day.

Unilever aims to be a force for good – for people and the planet – and invites others to join it in making the world a better place for future generations to come. In its Climate Transition Action Plan it has outlined how it will achieve its commitment to zero emissions from its operations by 2030. Additionally, via its Climate Promise, it has invited suppliers to demonstrate their shared values and commitment to reducing their greenhouse gas (GHG) footprint as Unilever works to achieve its stretching goal of net-zero emissions across its value chain by 2039.

Leading with Self-awareness Wendy has lived and worked in many countries across the globe and taken on many stretching leadership roles. This has taught her the importance of being self-aware and motivating, inspiring, and leading the company's most valuable asset – its people. She believes this continuous learning and development of self, coupled with a servant leadership style, has enabled her to make an impact across the business.

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“Unilever aims to be a force for good – for people and the planet – and invite others to join it in making the world a better place for future generations to come.”

Being a Purpose-Driven Company Wendy proudly mentions that Unilever's values of integrity, respect, responsibility, and pioneering are the simplest statement of who they all are at Unilever. These shared values live in everything Unilever does.

As Wendy mentioned earlier, Unilever is a purposedriven company. Purpose starts at the top with Alan Jope and permeates throughout the organization. Every employee has a personal purpose statement that guides them on their work/life journey. Wendy's purpose "to inspire people to live, love, laugh and leave a legacy" has guided her throughout her career.

Making Sustainable Living Commonplace Unilever's supply chain is at the heart of the business of making sustainable living commonplace, which fits well with Wendy's personal purpose. Imagine being a part of this headline "Unilever changes the negative trajectory of our climate crisis - The world is safe for generations to come." That's a legacy Wendy wants to be part of !

Responding to Consumer Demands Sustainably and Cost-Effectively Wendy has experienced first hand how in today's world consumers have become accustomed to receiving any desired good within a few days, or even hours. Supply chains are having to reinvent themselves. Unilever is working towards "making today what it sold yesterday", in order to be able to respond to customer and consumer demands in the most sustainable and cost-effective way.

The disruption the global pandemic brought confirmed Unilever's belief that agility is critical. Mark Engel, Unilever's Chief Supply Chain officer, has driven strategies where "Agility trumps forecasting''.

Unilever has also had to make some key investments to enable end to end synchronization through digital transformation programs. Through its Digital Twins, it drives cognitive automation, leading to smarter, faster decisions. And of course, the company must invest in its most important asset, its people, by upskilling its talent and building digital fluency across the organization.

Unilever is consistently improving its Supply Chain agility to build capacity intelligently in its eco-system and focus on changing consumer needs and channel shifts. Finally, Unilever must ensure it nurtures an ecosystem of partners so that it innovates and builds resilient solutions to win in the marketplace and achieve its vision of making sustainable living commonplace.

Most Succinct Advice to Aspirant Entrepreneurs in Supply Chain In conclusion, Wendy imparts some excellent pieces of advice to emerging entrepreneurs: · Supply Chain sits at the heart of the business – the place to be · Approach everything you do with Passion and Purpose. · Understand the shadow you cast—Self Awareness. · Embrace Diversity and Value Inclusion. · Seize Opportunities that help you achieve your life's ambitions.

- Above all, always hold true to your Core Values.

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