A blog by Kathy Wengel, VP Johnson & Johnson Supply Chain and co-host of the 2015 AWESOME Symposium, recently appeared in Supply & Demand Chain Executive. She stressed that today’s supply chain is much more than manufacturing and distribution. “Supply chain managers have a broad set of responsibilities and work across global organizations to reach decisions that maximize fulfillment,logistics, customer service and related technologies that provide value for the customer. So shouldn’t it be logical that the composition of supply chain leadership better represent the gender population of our planet?”
She also said, “AWESOME helped us reenergize, reflect, redefine and reimagine what it means to run supply chains, both as women and as the next generation of leadership.”
Wengel elaborated on these takeaways from the Symposium:
- Progress still needs to be made for women in supply chain and corporate America.
- Gender balance is not just women’s responsibility.
- Women need sponsors, not just mentors.
- Women need to bring their whole self to work.
- There is value in a diverse supply chain.
Additional comment from AWESOME Executive Director Dr. Nancy Nix:
As a profession, we are in the process of a cultural transformation. In light of the growing need for supply chain talent, to be reflective of our customers in decision-making, and to bring diverse thinking to the challenges of the day, the importance of enabling women in supply chain to achieve their full potential has never been greater. With support from women AND men in the field, we are examining the structural and unconscious biases that separate women from the roles they are eminently qualified to perform. Through AWESOME dialogue and brainstorming, we are working to shed light on those biases, find solutions, and help leaders discover practical and philosophical ways to implement changes that will benefit the individual, the company and the industry. Now in our third year of bringing together some of the best leaders in the business — the challenge seems less daunting and more achievable. What has impressed us is the energy and enthusiasm supply chain leaders demonstrate for this endeavor — realizing that the result is improved collaboration, greater innovation and optimized performance. And the model of collaboration pioneered by Johnson & Johnson, DSC Logistics, and AWESOME as co-hosts of the 2015 AWESOME Symposium provides a platform that will accelerate our progress. Details about AWESOME and plans for the 2016 Symposium hosted by Nike at their headquarters in Oregon, are available at www.awesomeleaders.org.