According to a commentary on fortune.com, “supply chain professionals are poised to become the most powerful executives in the world.” The author — Nader Mikhail, CEO of Elementum, a supply chain orchestration software company – predicts that companies will increasingly turn to “leaders who have made careers out of translating the big picture and thousands of moving parts into executional reality.”
In proving his point, Mikhail points to the career achievements of three supply chain leaders – all of whom are active in the AWESOME community. He writes: “Think of the operational mastery necessary for McDonald’s CSCO Francesca DeBiase to work with thousands of suppliers to produce billions of renewable cups, straws, and wrappers a year. Consider Starbucks’ chief procurement officer Kelly Bengston, who is responsible for the strategic sourcing processes of more than 500 million pounds of ethically-sourced coffee beans from all over the world to serve 12 million customers each day at 24,000 stores worldwide. Or look to Johnson & Johnson’s CSCO Kathy Wengel, who manages more than $25 billion in COGS to bring more than 350,000 healthcare products to consumers and patients around the world.”
He adds, “Supply chain isn’t about potential; it’s where the rubber hits the road—relentless execution, consistent performance, and an ability to juggle thousands of complex and constantly changing details to deliver customer delight.”