The Gartner Supply Chain Podcast

This episode explores:The CSCO Community Outlook Survey’s focus on community sentiment, and how that sentiment manifested in 2024. (1:17)Trends that may have contributed to the survey’s findings. (3:41)CSCOs’ short-term, midterm, and long-term focuses in 2025. (5:01)Survey reports on generative AI’s potential outlook in 2025. (8:06)Recommendations for CSCOs in the coming year. (11:45)On this episode of the Supply Chain Podcast, host Tess Frenzel discusses CSCO priorities for 2025 with Wade McDaniel, a Vice President Distinguished Advisor at Gartner. They draw insights from Gartner’s 2024 CSCO Community Outlook Poll to discuss how CSCOs are feeling as they move into 2025, including their specific goals in the short term, midterm and long term, and the outlook on generative AI. Tess and Wade explore the nuances of these findings, including the trends that may have shaped them, then close the show with actionable recommendations for CSCOs in 2025.About the GuestWade McDaniel is a Gartner Vice President Distinguished Advisor supporting the global CSCO community through events and curated research insights. He brings more than 30 years of supply chain experience to the role.

This episode explores:Strategic misalignment and the impact on the efficacy of traditional supply chain tools. (2:58)The status quo contributes to strategic misalignment for the majority of surveyed supply chain organizations. (4:56)How CSCOs can address the short-term issues at the root of strategic misalignment. (6:59)The counterintuitive organizational design that helps CSCOs create strategic alignment. (11:31)Recommendations for CSCOs to maintain their newly secured strategic alignment. (15:14)In this episode of the Supply Chain Podcast, host Lindsay Azim sits down with Gartner Senior Director Analyst Suzie Petrusic to discuss the myriad impacts strategic misalignment has on supply chains. They explore the damage strategic misalignment inflicts on profit margins and supply chain capacity, as well as how CSCOs can approach the issue through counterintuitive organizational design.About the GuestSuzie Petrusic, Ph.D., is the Gartner Senior Director Analyst serving chief supply chain officers in all the areas of supply chain related to strategy leadership and execution. She has authored and co-authored research and case studies on topics such as risk, supply chain maturity, the future of the supply chain, customer enablement, inflation and recession, and supply chain constraints. Suzie also leads Gartner’s research agenda for chief supply chain officers.Learn more about Gartner Supply Chain Planning Summit 2024, the premier destination for supply chain planning leaders.Visit Gartner.com to learn more about Gartner for Supply Chain.

 This episode explores:The reason why 90% of supply chain professionals are currently in the midst of reorganization or are planning one in the near future. (1:16)How to design your supply chain for balance. (6:49)How to organize for strength. (10:06)How to design for speed. (13:19)Whether it is realistic to aim for designing for all three: balance, strength and speed. (15:39)Host Lindsay Azim sits down with guest Alan O’Keeffe of Gartner to discuss his latest Supply Chain Executive Report, which examines how supply chain leaders can radically rethink reorganizing their operations. With 90% of supply chain professionals currently in the midst of reorganization, or planning one in the near future, it’s important that they follow the right approach. Put another way, supply chain leaders should reorganize to achieve balance, speed and strength.About the Guest:Alan O’Keeffe is a Senior Research Director in Gartner’s Organizational Development team whose research covers global supply chain organization design, mergers and acquisitions (M&A) and organizational solutions, such as shared services and centers of excellence. Using in-depth cross-industry research and insight into trends, he provides advice to supply chain leaders on how best to engage people and organizations to address the growing complexity of 21st century supply chains. Alan has more than 20 years of supply chain experience, with six years in head-of-function roles in logistics, customs and physical supply chain, and four years in supply chain consultancy specializing in strategic network optimization. These roles have covered a range of sectors, including technology, fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) and mining, at global, regional and national scopes.Learn more about Gartner Supply Chain Planning Summit 2024, the premier destination for supply chain planning leaders.Visit Gartner.com to learn more about Gartner for Supply Chain.

This episode explores:What it takes to lead a supply chain organization in 2024, and how Dow CSCO Nestor de Mattos’s background helps him do so. (1:08)How CSCOs can help their teams adapt to changing realities around risk and driving business value. (5:08)The impact that evolving talent profiles have on hiring net-new supply chain employees. (7:40)Potential opportunities for CSCOs to hire from new talent pools in the wake of a slowing economy and a softening job market. (10:04)Recommendations for CSCOs to effectively lead their organizations in the face of challenging economic conditions. (12:02)Supply Chain Podcast Host Thomas O’Connor sits down with guest Nestor de Mattos, Corporate Vice President and Chief Supply Chain Officer of Integrated Supply Chain (ISC) for Dow. The pair leverage Nestor’s non-traditional career background as a lens to discuss best practices for CSCOs leading organizations through challenging times. Topics include leveraging new or unexpected talent pools and profiles, driving upskilling throughout the supply chain and the opportunities that challenging economic conditions can provide. Nestor de Mattos is Corporate Vice President and Chief Supply Chain Officer of Integrated Supply Chain (ISC) for Dow. He oversees the global end-to-end supply chain, including (but not limited to): planning and scheduling, international trade, sustainability, systems solutions and innovation to advance Dow’s strategic growth. He also co-chairs a team of executive leaders responsible for setting the strategic direction and implementing digital and end-to-end transformation for Dow. In his role, Nestor is responsible for driving an integrated end-to-end customer fulfillment experience across more than 150 countries to more than 35,000 delivery locations, all in coordination with more than 1,800 logistics service providers. Integrated Supply Chain supports Dow’s market-driven, industry-leading portfolio of advanced materials, industrial intermediates and plastics businesses. Together, these functions deliver a broad range of differentiated technology-based products and solutions for customers in high-growth markets that include packaging, infrastructure, and consumer care.Learn more about Gartner Supply Chain Planning Summit 2024, the premier destination for supply chain planning leaders.Visit Gartner.com to learn more about Gartner for Supply Chain.

This episode explores:The growing demand for CSCOs to take a proactive approach to risk management. (1:47)Why there’s no perfect answer to how much resilience organizations “really need.” (2:22)How (and why) investments in capabilities like resilience, visibility and agility are failing to provide better proactive mitigation. (6:47)What CSCOs can do to address misalignment and siloing in their risk management activities. (8:08)Key takeaways for CSCOs to apply these practices in their own organizations. (15:45)In this episode of the Supply Chain Podcast, host Lindsay Azim and guest Suzie Petrusic, Gartner Senior Director Analyst, discuss the significant misalignment between supply chain’s risk mitigation activities and investments with the ROI they should drive. Suzie’s recent research into the topic revealed how factors like siloed capabilities and general disagreement on mitigation priorities are resulting in wasted time and resources — in some cases creating pure overhead instead of ROI. Lindsay and Suzie explore these challenges’ root causes and impacts, as well as how CSCOs can address them in their own organizations.Suzie Petrusic, Ph.D., is the Gartner Senior Director Analyst serving chief supply chain officers in all the areas of supply chain related to strategy leadership and execution. She has authored and co-authored research and case studies on topics such as risk, supply chain maturity, the future of the supply chain, customer enablement, inflation and recession, and supply chain constraints. She also leads Gartner’s research agenda for chief supply chain officers.Learn more about Gartner Supply Chain Planning Summit 2024, the premier destination for supply chain planning leaders.Visit Gartner.com to learn more about Gartner for Supply Chain.

This episode explores:Generative AI’s (genAI’s) impacts from Google’s viewpoint. (1:12)How Google’s products and services, especially its supply chain operations, are evolving with genAI’s influence. (4:46)Key aspects of a strong supply chain organization foundation for genAI. (8:44)Supply chain talent management and upskilling for genAI. (11:10)Recommendations for supply chain leaders to better leverage gen AI in their organizations. (15:07)In this episode of the Supply Chain Podcast, host Thomas O’Connor and guest Ana Corrales, COO of Google’s Devices & Services business, discuss Google’s approach to generative AI (genAI) implementation across their various products and services. The discussion also explores how supply chain leaders can develop foundational capabilities like sourcing clean data and upskilling supply chain talent. Ana Corrales is the Chief Operating Officer for Google’s Devices & Services business. As COO, Ana leads the development process for Google hardware products —  Pixel phones with Google’s custom silicon, Google Tensor, Pixel Buds, Nest thermostats, speakers, displays and cameras, Fitbit smartwatches and trackers and more — and manages getting those products into the hands of customers. Ana also drives the end-to-end IT efforts and customer experience work across the Google Devices and Services business. Ana previously led Google Devices and Services’ first party channel growth with the Google Store e-commerce site and the first-ever retail store. Ana holds several leadership positions across Google. She is a member of the Women@Google board and is an executive sponsor for HOLA, Google’s Latinx Employee Resource Group. She also sits on Google’s Advanced Technology Review Council (ATRC) for AI Principles-related topics, and on the Trust & Compliance Steering Committee.Visit Gartner.com to learn more about Gartner for Supply Chain.

This episode explores:How the Top 25 and the supply chains it ranks have evolved over the past two decades. (1:10)The common themes and context among organizations that stood out this year. (3:38)Surprises and standouts among company rankings. (7:50)How the Top 25 leaders are incorporating environmental, social and corporate governance (ESG) into their operations. (12:50)Recommendations for supply chain leaders based on practices from the Top 25 organizations. (14:07)In this episode of the Gartner Supply Chain Podcast, hosts Thomas O’Connor and Lindsay Azim speak with Simon Bailey, Gartner VP Analyst and Top 25 Program Lead Author, on how both the program and supply chains have evolved in the last 20 years. Simon provides insight into this year’s rankings, macro trends, and specific examples of how organizations emerge as leaders across talent, sustainability, digitalization and risk and resilience. Simon also provides several recommendations for supply chain leaders seeking to drive value using transferable lessons from this year’s masters and supply chain leaders.Simon Bailey is a VP analyst in Gartner’s CSCO enablement team, supporting CSCO’s strategy development in areas including customer centricity, ecosystem orchestration and sustainability. He is also the lead author for Gartner’s Top 25 program and recent published work includes The Gartner Supply Chain Top 25 for 2024: Insights on Leaders, The Gartner Supply Chain Top 25 for 2024: Methodology and The Gartner Supply Chain Top 25 for 2024: Rankings. He has also lead the Supply Chain Strategy Predicts process for several years and recently published Predicts 2024: Reshape Supply Chain Strategy to Outpace Disruption, and Use Ecosystem Partnerships to Achieve Sustainability Goals and collaborated on A Three-Step Approach for Driving Growth via the Supply Chain.Learn more about Gartner Supply Chain Planning Summit 2024, the premier destination for supply chain planning leaders.

This episode explores:How, despite geopolitical instability, CSCOs can meet growing performance expectations by increasing their supply chain’s flexibility in key areas. (1:20)Definitions and applications of terminology associated with this process, such as “trust boundaries” and “supply chain elasticity.” (5:10)Concerns of increased complexity associated with supply chain elasticity. (8:30)Methods to assess geopolitical risks’ potential impacts on a supply chain. (13:18)Recommendations for CSCOs seeking to increase their supply chain’s elasticity. (16:35)In this episode of the Supply Chain Podcast, host Lindsay Azim and guest Pierfrancesco (Pier) Manenti, research vice president for the Gartner supply chain strategy team, discuss findings from Supply Chain Executive Report: Empowering Growth Through Geopolitically Elastic Supply Chains.As countries cloister their markets in response to various geopolitical tensions, accessing a global marketplace is becoming harder for CSCOs. Lindsay and Pier explore how “supply chain elasticity,” a concept explored in the Executive Report, can help CSCOs alleviate these market access issues while driving growth. The discussion includes key definitions and actions, success stories from organizations already applying these principles and recommendations for CSCOs to improve elasticity within their own supply chains.Pierfrancesco (Pier) Manenti is research vice president for the Gartner supply chain strategy team. Pier provides insights and advisory support to chief supply chain officers (CSCOs) and heads of strategy of global manufacturing and retail corporations, especially with regards to future trends and key challenges affecting end-to-end supply chain strategy. He focuses on strategic transformation, digitalization, agility and design for profitability.Visit Gartner.com to learn more about Gartner for Supply Chain.

Episode highlights:What’s different about today’s volatility, uncertainty, complexity and ambiguity (VUCA) environment? (1:16)Geopolitical and climate change concerns for CSCOs. (3:04)The intersection of genAI and supply chains. (6:30)Sustainability, energy, and the impact on supply chains. (10:45)In this episode of the Supply Chain Podcast, host Thomas O’Connor sits down with new co-host Tess Frenzel and guest Stan Aronow, a Gartner Vice President Distinguished Advisor. The three of them dive into the volatile and uncertain factors affecting CSCOs, such as generative AI and sustainability concerns, with Stan providing direct insights on these topics from topics from across the Gartner Global Chief Supply Chain Officer community.Read Stan Aronow’s latest Beyond Supply Chain Blog post: Uncertainty-Proofing Your Supply ChainStan Aronow is a Gartner Vice President Distinguished Advisor supporting the global COO/CSCO community through events and curated research insights. He also chairs Gartner’s Supply Chain Executive Advisory Board. Before this role, Stan managed Gartner’s global Supply Chain Top 25 leadership research portfolio for several years.Visit Gartner.com to learn more about Gartner for Supply Chain.

This episode explores:Results and methodology of the 2024 Gartner CEO Survey. (1:03)Surprises from this year’s study, including changing trends. (3:47)How CSCOs should adjust their strategies to align with changing CEO priorities. (6:42)A deep dive into technology adoption rates, including real-world examples. (10:04)Three recommendations CSCOs can implement to work alongside their CEOs better. (16:44)In this episode of the Gartner Supply Chain Podcast, new host Lindsay Azim and guest Ken Chadwick, Gartner Distinguished Vice President Analyst, discuss results for the 2024 Gartner CEO Survey and how they impact CSCOs building out their strategic roadmaps. Ken dives into how these impacts manifest in tensions between current and future strategic priorities, economic conditions, energy supply, artificial intelligence, talent and much more. Lindsay and Ken close the show with several recommendations for how CSCOs can better work with CEOs and align to their top priorities.Ken Chadwick is a Gartner research distinguished vice president covering global supply chain organization design, governance, talent development, change management and organization behavior. Using in-depth cross-industry research and insight into trends, Ken provides advice to supply chain leaders on how best to engage people and organizations to address the growing complexity of 21st century supply chains.Visit Gartner.com to learn more about Gartner for Supply Chain.

This episode explores:The fundamentals of strategic decision making for AstraZeneca. (1:16)How AstraZeneca adapts its supply chain to drive both cost optimization and business growth. (4:20)Timing investments in new assets and their associated capabilities. (11:09)Methods to encourage talent to join change management journeys. (13:50)Recommendations for supply chain leaders working to understand their organization’s unique underpinnings for decision making. (16:30)Host Thomas O’Connor and guest Matt Winterman, AstraZeneca’s senior vice president of global supply chain and strategy, discuss AstraZeneca’s approach to strategic decision making in regards to resilience. They explore AstraZeneca’s focus on supply chain design as a vehicle for growth and cost optimization, as well as the trigger points that underpin their decision-making processes. They close the show with three recommendations for supply chain leaders to apply similar principles to their own organizations.Matthew Winterman joined AstraZeneca in 2023 and is the senior vice president of global supply chain and strategy, with overall responsibility for the development and execution of the end-to-end supply chain platform and product supply strategies. In addition, he is responsible for ensuring the strategic development of network designs and supply chain capabilities supporting AstraZeneca’s global operational network. He reports into the EVP of operations and IT and chief sustainability officer and serves as a member of the global operations senior leadership team. 

This episode explores:The new reality of constant change and disruption for supply chain organizations, alongside its four main drivers. (1:44)Geopolitical disruption and its implications for supply chain organizations. (3:23)Climate change’s evolving influence on supply chain operations. (5:52)Technology’s rapid advancement, and how supply chain organizations can keep pace. (8:36)Generational shifts in employee attitudes towards their workplace and employers. (11:29)Host Thomas O’Connor and guest Sami Naffakh, CSCO at Reckitt, explore the myriad forms supply chain disruption takes in today’s highly volatile landscape. They broadly discuss the four main drivers behind this volatility, as well as individualized responses supply chain leaders can employ. Thomas and Sami close the show with Sami’s personal recommendations for supply chain leaders who are combating disruption.

This episode explores:The wide array of constraints currently impacting supply chain organizations. (1:17)Securing a long-term mandate for investment by resolving short-term issues for the wider organization. (4:18)Next steps for CSCOs who have secured their mandate for investment. (7:38)Internal challenges to combating constraints, such as skepticism and gaps in capability or knowledge. (10:16)Recommendations for CSCOs to overcome constraints. (15:06)Supply Chain Podcast host Thomas O’Connor and Gartner senior director analyst Laura Rainier discuss how supply chain leaders can combat increasing constraints to resources through the lens of Laura’s Supply Chain Executive Report: Thrive in a Resource-Constrained World. They explore how CSCOs can resolve short-term issues to secure investments and confidence in long-term initiatives for overcoming increasing constraints.

This episode explores:The digital elements driving General Mills’ supply chain transformation (2:39)General Mills’ technology solutions that link master, operational and transactional data (7:28)Human aspects of General Mills’ transformation: DEI, and initiatives to grow employee skill sets and community (13:47)Recommendations for supply chain leaders driving their own supply chain transformation (16:52)Host Thomas O’Connor and General Mills Chief Supply Chain Officer (CSCO) Paul Gallagher discuss the digital, functional and human elements of General Mills’ supply chain transformation. They explore the areas in which the complexity of General Mills’ supply chain breeds opportunity for growth in resilience, cost optimization and more. Thomas and Paul close the show with recommendations for supply chain leaders driving their own transformation initiatives.

This episode explores:The increasing scale of disruptions, and how an ecosystem approach is critical to ensuring continuity. (2:39)Intel’s top focus areas for ecosystem value. (6:58)Intel’s strategy for enabling and building relationships to drive ecosystem value. (12:26)Recommendations for supply chain leaders to drive value from their own ecosystems. (17:08)In this episode of the Gartner Supply Chain Podcast, host Thomas O’Connor and guest Jackie Sturm, corporate vice president of global supply chain operations at Intel, discuss Intel’s approach driving resilience through supply chain ecosystems. Jackie provides insight into Intel’s ecosystem priorities, and how Intel partners with its ecosystem members to achieve them. Thomas and Jackie close the show with several recommendations for supply chain leaders seeking to drive value within their own ecosystem, regardless of their size or place in it.

Host Thomas O’Connor and guest Ryan Polk, a Gartner senior research director, explore the concept of demystifying supply chain transformations through “designed simplicity.” They outline the benefits of removing layers of complexity and ambiguity from transformation processes to help staff better cope with today’s unparalleled rate of change, and highlight successful examples from Cargill and Bayer. The pair close the show with actionable recommendations for supply chain leaders who want to implement this approach in their own organizations, and the benefits for doing so.This episode explores:Definitions for “designed simplicity.” (1:08)How the increased rate of change pushes organizations toward this approach. (3:36)Where to begin implementing designed simplicity. (5:31)Tangible, real-world examples from Bayer and Cargill. (9:05)Actionable guidance for supply chain leaders pursuing designed simplicity in their own organizations. (14:01)Host Thomas O’Connor and guest Ryan Polk, a Gartner senior research director, explore the concept of demystifying supply chain transformations through “designed simplicity.” They outline the benefits of removing layers of complexity and ambiguity from transformation processes to help staff better cope with today’s unparalleled rate of change, and highlight successful examples from Cargill and Bayer. The pair close the show with actionable recommendations for supply chain leaders who want to implement this approach in their own organizations, and the benefits for doing so.

This episode explores:The current state of innovation in supply chain (1:08)Examples from leaders in the 2024 Power of the Profession Awards (3:46)Hype around generative AI shifting toward reality (6:34)Recommendations for supply chain leaders driving business value through their innovation efforts (11:54)Host Thomas O’Connor and guest Maria Nieradka, a Gartner vice president analyst for supply chain, discuss this year’s growing innovations in supply chain through the lens of Gartner’s 2024 Power of the Profession awards. They dive into the thriving world of innovation within supply chain through standout submissions from Dell, Danone and General Mills. They also touch on generative AI’s heavy impact on the year’s innovations across all spaces, not just technology.Thomas and Maria close the show with recommendations for supply chain leaders who want to drive business value through their innovation efforts.

This episode explores:How an organization of L’Oréal’s scale stays sufficiently agile to meet customer needs. (2:52)L’Oréal’s view on e-commerce operations and their evolution. (6:23)Handling volatility across plan, source, make and deliver capabilities and the wider ecosystem. (10:59)Building products as “experiences” through additional services. (14:51)Recommendations to help supply chain leaders keep pace with and adapt to customer needs. (18:42)Host Thomas O’Connor and guest Damien Decouvelaere, global CSCO at L’Oréal, explore L’Oréal’s approach to profitably adapting to customer expectations despite significant volatility. Damien walks listeners through the five major trends impacting L’Oréal’s supply chain, most of which stem from evolving customer preferences. Thomas and Damien also discuss L’Oréal’s strategy for diversifying customer experience across distinct markets, especially through customization and e-commerce tools. The pair close the show with three recommendations for supply chain leaders to adapt their operations to customer expectations.

This episode explores:The “intangible” items supply chain leaders must manage, and why it’s been difficult to extract value from them. (3:08)Human economics, and what elements of “people productivity” supply chain leaders should focus on. (7:24)What’s missing from investments in digital economic value. (11:55)How supply chain leaders can enhance output from their resources. (14:54)Which of the three economic elements supply chain leaders should focus on first. (18:30)Host Caroline Chumakov and Gartner research vice president Ken Chadwick explore how supply chain leaders can extract value from “intangible”, off-book items like data and human knowledge. As presented in Executive Report: The Future of Supply Chain 2024, Ken broadly categorizes these intangibles into three “economics”: human, digital and resource. Caroline and Ken discuss what supply chain leaders should do to improve output and productivity from these three economics, including which one should be prioritized first. Download the Future of Supply Chain eBook

Host Thomas O’Connor and Gartner VP Analyst Dwight Klappich dive into Dwight’s Predicts 2024: Supply Chain Technology, a set of five predictions for growth and change in supply chain technology between 2026 and 2028. Thomas and Dwight explore the value these predictions hold, the research that drives them and the broad challenges they address, particularly in regards to workforce and talent management. They take close looks at two key predictions surrounding smart robots and employee engagement tools, respectively, then close the show with a review of past predictions in supply chain technology.Dwight Klappich has been with Gartner for 21 years and has over 40 years of experience in supply chain management applications and technologies, having served in various commercial and leadership roles at technology vendors in this market. Dwight focuses on warehousing and fulfillment technologies plus logistics automation processes, best practices, applications and emerging technologies, such as robotics.This episode explores:The value of Predicts 2024: Supply Chain Technology. (1:13)How Predicts 2024: Supply Chain Technology addresses broad challenges like geopolitical uncertainty, talent strain and improved customer outcomes. (2:39)A deep dive into the prediction that smart robots will outnumber frontline workers in manufacturing, retail and logistics by 2028. (9:04)Why 40% of large warehouse operations will deploy employee engagement tools by 2028. (13:09)A review of both accurate and inaccurate past predictions. (19:23)