Bicara Supply Chain

Guest Name: Ragnar Lorentzen, Chief Commercial Officer at HICX Language: English, Publication date: April, 29. 2022 Ragnar Lorentzen is Chief Commercial Officer of HICX. Ragnar joined in October 2018 and leads the sales, pre-sales, business development and alliances teams and overseas commercial strategy, process and performance. Ragnar chairs the newly formed Supplier Experience Community. This is a forum in which procurement technology leaders can share ideas, interact and learn how to become supplier centric, to aid digital transformation. Prior to HICX Ragnar was part of the founding management team of Procurement Leaders’ research and advisory business and led the business unit growth to over 500 clients. He holds a Bachelor of Science in International Business from Norwegian Business School and an MBA from Durham University and is a regular contributor at Procurement and Supply Chain events. Ragnar lives in London his with wife and 3 young children and loves spending time outdoors, exercising or reading.   Here are some of the highlights from the podcast: It’s no secret that supplier data is an ongoing challenge for large multi-national manufacturers. Could you expand on this data challenge? What does bad data look like, and how does it impact organizations and their suppliers? HICX is pioneering the Supplier Experience Management movement. Could you please explain what this entails? How does Supplier Experience Management (SEM) differ from Supplier Relationship Management (SRM) ? Connect with himr on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ragnar-lorentzen/

Guest Name: Dr. Erlijn van Genuchten, Global Changemaker at Environmental sustainability, Language: English, Publication date: April, 23. 2022 Dr. Erlijn van Genuchten is Global Changemaker in the field of sustainable living. She is part of the UN ECE Task Force on Digitalization in Energy, part of the advisory committee for the UN Environmental Program West Asia Frontiers Report, and member of the advisory board of the International Sustainability Forum. In her project “Fascinating facts about nature and sustainability” (https://medium.com/@ErlijnG), she makes scientific work available in easy to understand articles. This makes it easier for us to put scientific insights into practice and use them to make a positive difference for our planet. On Twitter, she shares how living more environmentally friendly makes us happier, healthier and wealthier. In her 365 Sustainable Decisions Challenge, she shares simple ideas on how she makes her daily life more environmentally friendly (https://Twitter.com/@ErlijnG). Her mottos: “A better world starts with yourself” and “together we can achieve more”. Here are some of the highlights from the podcast: What is your view on the current trend of sustainability? What is the relation between AI development and sustainability goal?  How can AI enable a sustainable future? What support do we need in order to utilize the implementation of AI in the sustainabillity project? Connect with her on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/erlijn-van-genuchten/

Guest Name: Max Kent, VP of Global Procurement at Compleat Software, Language: English, Publication date: March, 12. 2022 Max is Vice President of Compleat Software and is responsible for the Compleat Procure (Digital Procurement) division. He oversees the Strategic, Divisional and Global relationships with clients, partners, the senior leadership team and the wider business. Compleat offers Invoice Automation, Data Capture and Spend Analytics tools. Here are some of the highlights from the podcast: What does sustainability mean in procurement? How digital procurement can help to build sustainability ? What advice can you offer to the business leader on how to integrate their digital transformation into sustainability goals? How do you see the trends of procurement sustainability in recent days? Is there any major developments in term of technology, market, policy, challenges & opportunity? Connect with Max on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/maxjkent/

Guest Name: Aleksandr Sidorec, Advisory Partner @ Cognizant, Industry 4.0 & Digital TwinsLanguage: English, Publication date: March, 01. 2022 As Industry+ Partner @ Cognizant, Aleksandr Sidorec is on a mission of boosting industrial and manufacturing revolution by supporting companies on their value chain transformation journey leveraging technology, Internet of Things (IoT) and Big Data. Before shifting to the technology sector, Aleksandr delivered global and regional supply chain turnaround, digitalization, and optimization initiatives for the top Fortune 500 companies: Olam International, Holcim, Johnson & Johnson, Zeppelin / Caterpillar, and Procter & Gamble. Aleksandr is actively involved into startup ecosystems and blends this with his own PhD work related to design of autonomous supply chain systems and leverage of inventive problem solving in domain of supply chain engineering. Here are some of the highlights from the podcast: Industry 4.0 has been a major force framing the society, economic and technological environment after 2010. What industry trends do you see developing over the next five to ten years? What are the driving factors of enterprise transformation? What are key challenges & opportunities for the industry transformation? Could you please share a few example of stories when you did sucessfully manage the transformation project with the team? Do you think that tool/technology play an important role for the transformation? How does it work? Connect with Aleksandr at: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alxsidr/

Guest Name: Izin Akioya, Editor and managing partner at Supply Chain Africa, Language: English, Publication date: Feb, 12. 2022 Izin Akioya is a Multidisciplinary Consultant & Entrepreneur. She is a fellow of the royal society of arts, manufactures and commerce, non-profit vice president marketing and board executive, co-host of the Africa Futures podcast and editor at Supply Chain Africa. A Nigerian native, maximalist fashion and travel lover, she is obsessed with her life’s mission: change through transformative, empathic and sustainable contributions. Here are some of the highlights from the podcast: What is your view on Africa's position in the global trade market? Have you seen any major developments in the last few decades? In march 2018, African countries signed a landmark trade agreement, the African continental freetrade agreement (AfCTA); What is the objective of AfCTA ?  How can the African countries take advantage of the benefits for the trade agreement? Are there any opportunities to leverage e-commerce and digital goods for competitiveness? Connect with Izin at : http://izinakioya.com/

Guest Name: Philip Auinger, Supply chain career coach, Language: English, Publication date: Jan,26th. 2022 Philip Auinger is known as the Career Companion, a coach specialized on supply chainers. He worked in various SCM positions for 8 years and now as solo entrepreneur, he offers online coachings and trainings to supply chain professionals. Here, they learn the soft skills and the mindset which enable them to make their next career step with topics like dealing with choleric sales reps, building your own professional brand, or motivating a team to thrive.  Philip also supports young SCM talents to get their first job by offering interview coachings. Feel free to connect on https://www.linkedin.com/in/philip-auinger/  Here are some of the highlights from the podcast: How did you exactly fall in love with supply chain? What are the key challenges of supply chain management in 2022? What is the role of supply chain manager ? How importance this role in the organization for driving the competitiveness of company? Tell us a bit about the DNA of a great supply chain manager?

Guest Name: Jean-Paul Rodrigue, Professor in Transport Geography, Language: English, Publication date: Jan, 18th. 2022 Jean-Paul Rodrigue received a Ph.D. in Transport Geography from the Université de Montréal (1994) and has been at  Hofstra University since 1999, initially at the Department of Economics & Geography and then at the Department of Global Studies & Geography. Dr. Rodrigue sits on the international editorial board of the Journal of Transport Geography, the Journal of Shipping and Trade, the Asian Journal of Shipping and Logistics,  and the Cahiers Scientifiques du Transport. Dr. Rodrigue was a member of the World Economic Forum Global Agenda Council on the Future of Manufacturing (2011-2016). In 2013, the US Secretary of Transportation appointed Dr. Rodrigue to sit on the Advisory Board of the US Merchant Marine Academy, a position he held until 2018.  Dr. Rodrigue has authored 5 books, 32 book chapters, more than 60 peer-reviewed papers, numerous reports, and delivered more than 150 conferences and seminar presentations, mostly at the international level. Another his new book (With Co-authors: Theo Notteboom, Athanasios Pallis) "Port Economics, Management and Policy" just been released this year. This book provides a comprehensive analysis of the contemporary port industry, showing how ports are organized to serve the global economy and support regional and local development. Learn more here. Here are some of the highlights from the podcast: What are the major trends in e-commerce industry for the last five years, particularly in the U.S and worldwide? What exciting development of logistics footprint do you see in the future? The footprint of retail sector is shifting from commercially-accessible locations toward the transportation-accessible location. Tell me a bit about it? What are the key factors that determine the success of Amazon's logistics network? Connect with him on Linkedin - https://www.linkedin.com/in/jean-paul-rodrigue-30780511/

Guest Name: Lebogang Letsoalo, Supply chain coach & mentor, Founder at Sincpoint, Language: English, Publication date: Jan, 8th. 2022 Lebogang Letsoalo ("Lebo") is a Supply Chain Coach, thought leader and currently a Chief Executive of Sincpoint, an organisation focusing on sustainable supply chain advisory, logistics and capacity development solutions. She founded the African Women in Supply Chain Association (AWISCA) (the first and only association in Southern Africa focusing on functional mentorship and coaching in supply chain to build skills and capacity in the sector) and has successfully integrated the industry, government institutions and academia to take a unified approach to upskilling. Lebo continues to be selfless & and an avid advocate for transforming Supply Chain in Africa and its global competitivess. She currently serves in 6 Boards and also continues to be a thought leader advocating on all portfolios of supply chain, from Procurement to Logistics ( various modes of transport), influencing positive change in supply chain within organisations. Her depth of knowledge and wisdom about socio-political issues has seen her give key addresses in different forums, on radio and printed media. Amongst other roles held by Lebo, includes coaching and mentorship for Entrepreneurs, Youth and Women. Here are some of the highlights from the podcast: How do you see the role of women in a global supply chains? What is the most important thing organization can do to more effectively advance women to  top leadership levels in the supply chain organization? Could you give a word of advice to the young supply chain professional? To learn more about Lebo, connect with her on Linkedin - https://www.linkedin.com/in/lebogang/

Guest Name: Johannes Kern, General Manager at Xiezhi Supply Chain Consulting, Language: English, Publication date: Dec, 21. 2021 Johannes Kern is an Affiliated Professor of Supply Chain Management at Tongji University and General Manager of Xiezhi Consulting, China. His research focuses on Supply Chain Management and International Management, particularly on Digital Transformation and on the impact of cultural influences on Buyer-Supplier relationships.  He teaches MBA and Master's students from around the world in Digital Transformation, Supply Chain Management, and International Management. His practitioner-oriented research is published with the OECD, Harvard Business School Publishing, and in books from Springer, Elsevier, and Wiley. Johannes supports international companies in China to improve their decision-making and increase their performance along the whole supply chain. Prior to that, he worked in various purchasing and logistics functions at the Bosch Group in Asia-Pacific, where he led teams and managed strategic projects in China, Korea, Thailand, Malaysia, Japan, and India. Johannes holds a Ph.D. from Technical University Darmstadt in Germany. Some of the highlights of questions from the podcast include: Why are skills in SCM a vital topic now? What skills in SCM are most important now and how to build up these skills? For a young supply chain professional, what advice you can offer to them to keep staying agile in response to the recent challenges? Connect with Johannes on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/johanneskern/ About Xiezhi Supply Chain Consulting - is a boutique consulting firm that helps German companies in China to optimize the whole Supply Chain, including Sourcing, Transportation, Warehousing, and Production. As a spin-off from TU Darmstadt and Tongji University, a systematic and analytical approach, incorporating state-of-the-art research is used. Xiezhi blends German quality with an understanding of the Chinese market and intercultural competency.

Guest Name: Masoud Talebi Amiri, Co-founder at Ponera Group, Language: English, Publication date: Dec, 03. 2021 Masoud co-founded Ponera Group in 2019. They are provider of a modular and digitally enabled industrial packaging solution to replace single-use pallets and crates. Their vision is to transform such consumable packaging material into intelligent assets, orchestrating an effective sharing economy and providing activity-based digital services to users from diverse industries, increasing the efficiency of processes linked to industrial packaging and shipment. He holds a PhD in Chemical Engineering from École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne. Throughout his research, he worked on design, modelling and development of sustainable processes to help industries move towards greener operations. Since 2017 that he started his entrepreneurial journey, he co-founded two startups with the focus on decarbonization of logistics sector. Some of the highlights of questions from the podcast include: What is meant by green logistics and how does it work? Why is green logistics matter today? What is the possible action that the company can start the initiative of green logistics?  Probably you can share your experience in the past when successfully delivered this project with Ponera Group? In a bigger portion, sustainable logistics is no longer optional. It's a necessity and becomes the norm. How do you see this statement? Connect with Masoud on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/masoud-talebi-amiri/ About Ponera Group - Ponera Group was incorporated in Switzerland on April 2019 by two colleagues and friends who believe that eco-friendly solutions are necessary to shape the future of the fast-growing world.  Ponera Group has developed a unique logistic solution based on an innovative design of pallets’ system which decreases packing costs by minimizing the transport inefficiencies. The flexibility of this innovation makes it applicable to wide range of industries.