MANUFACTURING TIDBITS
GARTNER SURVEY REVEALS 17% OF CHIEF SUPPLY CHAIN OFFICERS ARE WOMEN by TR CUTLER
Majority of Supply Chain Organizations Have Specific Goals to Enhance Gender Diversity Gartner clients can learn more in the report “2020 Women in Supply Chain Survey Highlights Consumer Value Chain Progress”. A complimentary webinar is available here. While supply chain organizations deal with the impacts of the coronavirus pandemic, they still pursue gender equality goals. According to Gartner, Inc.’s 2020 Women in Supply Chain Survey among 177 supply chain professionals, 17% of chief supply chain officers (CSCOs) are now women – a 6% increase compared to 2019 and the highest rate since the first edition of the survey in 2016. “The increase in women executive leaders over the past year is a positive sign, however the survey showed that women don’t consistently make
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Manufacturing Outlook / August 2020
it through the pipeline,” said Dana Stiffler, vice president analyst with the Gartner Supply Chain Practice. “Lack of progress is not something the industry can afford at the moment. Supply chain’s role in the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent recovery is crucial, with lives and livelihoods at stake. This is a pivotal time for many women in midlevel and senior management positions,” added Stiffler. The manufacturing sector representation in the survey results is split between the “consumer sector” (CPG, food & beverage, consumer durables), “industrial sector” (chemicals, A&D, automotive, high tech, industrial equipment, oil & gas, paper & pulp), and “Other” (various, includes life sciences manufacturing). Stiffler noted, “While the survey does not test for representation in manufacturing specifically, in our client work and over time we tend to see more women in consumer than in industrial or “other”/life sciences. We also see women more