The Bid Picture with Bidemi Ologunde 110: Olayinka Ejirinde.
In this episode, host Bidemi Ologunde spoke with Olayinka Ejirinde, a longtime friend and brother of almost 20 years. He spent 8 years in the U.S. Army as a Logistics and Supply Chain Specialist, and he also holds an MBA degree from the University of Dallas. He currently works as a cleared acquisitions specialist with SAIC, a government contractor that works closely with the U.S. Central Command at MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa, Florida. We spoke about his career path from handling accounts payable, to procurement, and then on to logistics and supply chain management, basically going after and exploring his interests along the way. He pointed out that his end-to-end knowledge and experience of the supply chain led to his current role as a cleared acquisitions analyst.
He also shared some of the hard and soft skills that have sustained his career so far, such as negotiation, contracting, cost savings, balancing the interests of your organization as well as the vendors, data analysis, enterprise resource planning (ERP) skills, the ability to use different types of procurement software, attention to detail, being generally good with numbers, and crucially, emotional intelligence and the ability to remain calm under pressure.
He shared his thoughts on the interaction between education and experience, his advice for anyone trying to explore a career in supply chain management, and how cybersecurity impacts the supply chain and logistics industry.
We also discussed how he motivates himself, what his typical workday looks like, his favorite ways to relax, and his favorite inspirational quote.
Please send questions, comments, and suggestions to bidemi@thebidpicture.com. You can also get in touch on LinkedIn, Twitter, the Clubhouse app (@bid), and the Wisdom app (@bidemi).
Check out host Bidemi Ologunde's latest book, Feet of Clay: Democracy, Democratic Values & Destructive Influences, available on Amazon, eBay, and Barnes & Noble.
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