Committee Spotlight – Supply Chain

How did I join the Supply Chain arena?

I started my career at L‘Oreal UK on their graduate management training scheme, with visions of a glamorous career in sales and marketing. My first rotation role was logistics and alas my analysis skills were better than my sales patter, so roles came thick and fast in supply chain after that!
The problem-solving and business improvement aspects inspired me, so I moved into consulting – first at KPMG in Australia then South Africa. I went from lipsticks to iron ore. The glamour was certainly lacking, but the practical challenges were no less facinating.
With nearly 20 years consulting experience now, I have an amazing diversity of clients, but the supply chain fundamentals are the same in terms of the plan-source-make-deliver cycle, and helping clients get products to market, balancing service, cost and quality.

Fortune always favours the brave, and never helps a man who does not help himself.

P. T. Barnum

What am I passionate about in SC?

• Supply chains are extremely practical: everything contributes to getting a product from A to B
• The basic practicalities do not change, but the services and tools continually evolve and it‘s exciting keeping up. E.g.:
  – New digital solutions, such as tools for planning, blockchain, temperature control, tracking, security, etc.
  – Online shopping – how to meet the high consumer expectations for deliver/return
  – Clients increasingly rely on complex networks of 3rd parties to bring products to market, which creates a need for new skills, commercial acumen and risk management in supply chain teams
• Every asignment is different and I still relish the problem solving, helping clients to drive a step-change in performance and cost, bringing best practice insights and even ideas from different industries

How did I join the Supply Chain arena?

I never intended to join the Supply Chain arena. In fact, I had no idea what I wanted to do during my education!

So, my first step was to do a degree in my favourite school subjects, English & History. The great thing about doing something, even if you don‘t know what you want to do, is that you start learning and meeting new people and along the way, you discover what you are capable of.

I worked from the moment I left school – throughout university (when I had two jobs) and straight after university. This drive meant that one role led to another and before I knew it, I had a Marketing qualification from the Chartered Institute of Marketing. Since then, I have made Marketing my career.

My entire professional career has been in male dominated environments; engineering, construction and now Supply Chain. There have definitely been some tough moments but there have also been many moments of joy and kindness throughout my time at CHEP. I have worked here for 9 years and am still thoroughly enjoying it.

Know what you are worth, believe you are capable and never give up. 

What am I passionate about in SC?

Some of the things I especially love about my job:

• Supply chains touch every part of our lives, which I had no idea about before I became a part of it, and at CHEP we want to use that network for good. We are in a position to change the impact of moving goods around the world and we are doing everything we can to make a difference.
• No day is the same. I have worked in three companies and I can still say that Marketing is interesting every day, no matter which sector you are in!
• Meeting interesting people from around the world. Because I am part of a global business, we employ people from every walk of life and I love it! We have 26 nationals in our Madrid office alone – the diversity of thought and approach is fascinating and enriching to me.

How did I join the Supply Chain arena?

My journey into Supply Chain was one of sheer luck…
I started my career as a Marketing Statistician in retail but after about 5 years, I got itchy feet and decided to take a sabbatical and go travelling.
Unfortunately, my boss wasn‘t quite as excited about the idea as I was and wouldn‘t give me the time off – so being a bold and fearless 20-something, I quit and went anyway!
A couple of weeks before leaving I met a guy who was setting up a new supply chain performance improvement team. We had a chat and he offered me a job upon my return! So, I got my first pair of steel toe boots, developed a love of Supply Chain & Operations and haven‘t looked back since!

Don‘t let the fear of striking out keep you from playing the game.

Babe Ruth

What am I passionate about in SC?

Some of the things I especially love about my job:

• The needs of our clients are constantly evolving and as a result, so too is my job – it never gets boring!
• I get to work with people – both internally and with clients from all over the world.
• Experiencing different cultures and visiting new places.
• I learn something new every day.
• I have worked with some fantastic people over the years, from colleagues in a position of leadership, who I can learn from, to the very best of our upcoming talent, who I can coach and mentor as needed.

How did I join the Supply Chain arena?

I joined Supply Chain by mere coincidence!

I studied Linguistics and Business Administration and wanted to go into Advertising or Marketing. Actually, what I was most interested in was Market Research, investigating the impact of specific measures and identifying the key drivers of marketing and sales strategies.

After finishing my studies, I joined Danzas Solutions (now DHL Supply Chain), supporting the Global Marketing & Sales FMCG team. My day-to-day was trucks and warehouses, cases and pallets, WMSs and forklifts!

I got to know the behind the scenes of the neatly filled store shelves, the shiny displays and the 2-for-1 bundles. I was able to see technology evolving, from paper-based sorting to scanning, RFID, voice-recognition, light-sensing and google-glasses. Nothing like I had imagined as a young girl – much more exciting!
Today, I stand strong with almost 20 years in Logistics and a successful track record in supply chain optimisation, operational excellence, continuous improvement, strategy development, and global account management. I work for Schenker, a global leader in Supply Chain, and am responsible for growing and developing the Consumer Retail Vertical in Contract Logistics globally.

Behind every great leader there was an even greater logistician.

James M. Cox

What am I passionate about in SC?

Some of the things I especially love about my job:

• It’s international – freight and logistics companies provide access to global trade, which is what my heart beats for. I travel a lot and work with people from different countries and cultural backgrounds. I also speak four languages and this allows me to use them every single day!
• It’s customer centered – I pride myself on listening to and understanding my customers, securing their satisfaction and gaining their trust.
• Being part of the digital transformation – at present, what captivates me most is the huge technological evolution we are going through, getting to know new technologies and helping to drive change.
• Despite all technology – logistics is a people’s business!
• Being able to collaborate with, motivate and lead other people to success – it is the most rewarding experience.

How did I join the Supply Chain arena?

My view of Supply Chain is slightly different. I haven‘t worked in Supply Chain directly but I have partnered with the function from an HR perspective.
In my opinion, Supply Chain is a very interesting function. It is at the core of most companies, for example, in consumer goods, without the products there is no company. The impact Supply Chain has, end to end, is huge – it makes it possible for us to have all of the goods that we use daily.

Be the change you want to see in the world.

What am I passionate about in SC?

• My passion is empowering women to become more confident in themselves and stand up for what they believe in.
• For me, this means doing my best to inspire the female supply professionals that I work with to be at their best and take their seat at the table – especially in a career which has typically been male dominated.

How did I join the Supply Chain arena?

It was by chance…

I have a Master’s in Human Resources from La Sorbonne and this qualification helped me to manage transformations, negotiate with unions and help people to grow on their own journeys in Supply Chain.

My first job was on a manufacturing site, putting supply cells in place and transferring products – from the administrative level up to the shop floor.

I then joined GSK as a training manager for the logistics department. Whilst organising projects on optimisation, still in the manufacturing sector, I learnt more on the flow of materials. I was then a certified CPIM from APICS and I began my career path, moving through various roles within Supply Chain.

I now combine all my experiences: helping team members to grow in Supply Chain, to perform in a sustainable manner and to focus on what adds value for our customers.

It‘s only crazy until you do it!

What am I passionate about in SC?

• What am I passionate about in SC?
• I get to work in a very diverse environment. I work with people from different backgrounds, from different cultures and with different experiences – this diversity makes the job very substantial.
• You need to be able to delve deep into the tiny details but also have the capacity to take on a bird’s eye view.
• You need to be customer oriented, understanding their needs.

How did I join the Supply Chain arena?

I joined the Supply Chain arena when I was asked to take over and develop a small Australian company acquired by Nielsen (an easy decision to make!).

Before that, I spent my entire career in marketing B2B data companies (Nielsen, Experian and Acxiom), creating and developing new areas of business for them.

To be honest, I had no idea about Supply Chain process and organisation in modern retail. My speciality was more focused on upstream topics for both Retailers & Manufacturers (assortment selection, merchandising policy, new stores localisation etc.).

Every success starts with the will to try.

What am I passionate about in SC?

Some of the things I especially love about my job:

• Supply is much more diverse than I initially thought. It’s related to the way people live and consume, with urbanisation and environmental issues, both short term and long term.
• Therefore, my Supply Chain contacts (at Retailers & Manufacturers) have a complete and sophisticated approach for their missions, integrating all the dimensions above in their decisions.
• No day is the same and any event can have a direct impact on Supply Chain processes. Either you love this crazy rhythm, or you immediately hate it! Personally, I love to be so close to my clients’ daily issues.
• Thanks to my global role (Nielsen has offices in 110 countries), I have the chance to meet passionate people from all over the globe – all of them with their own culture and own challenges…this continues to fascinate me.

How did I join the Supply Chain arena?

My career history spans more than 20 years now, but I spent the first 10 years of my career in strategic planning, financial performance management, business development and project management in FMCG and retail companies.

I joined the Supply Chain arena thanks to my project management experience with Supply Chain projects in the scientific retailing transformation of Teknosa, the leading consumer electronics retailer in Turkey. These project management roles led me to a leadership position in Category Management, in the domain of Supply Chain, working for a leading retailer in a dynamic and challenging market. Who wouldn‘t like to work in such a fulfilling environment?

Since then, my Supply Chain adventure has continued as I love that it is analytic, includes long term planning, requires collaboration and is, essentially, a maths game. Later, I transferred my expertise to the leading Turkish telecom company, Turkcell, and led the category management and supply chain activities for “Trade Model Transformation” consumer electronic devices of all the operator’s channels.

Today, I continue to share my knowledge of the Supply Chain arena by consulting, mentoring and providing training services to retailers and startup companies in the Turkish ecosystem.

“There are no limits to what you can accomplish, except the limits you place on your own thinking…
If you want to go fast, go alone, if you want to go far, go together.”

What am I passionate about in SC?

Some of the things I especially love about my job:

• Supply chain is about balance, not dominance.
• Skills and traits that are typically defined as “female” are often the ones that are most beneficial when it comes to working in Supply Chain.
• Collaboration and the ability to effectively negotiate and work with multiple stakeholders is essential for smooth and efficient Supply Chain management.
• Success in Supply Chain requires collaboratively working to achieve a common goal, therefore, increasing female leadership is crucial for better, faster and more economic management of the Supply Chain.