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.