Episode 185: A Conversation with Kearney: Why is the Supply Chain Moving to the Center of Companies' Strategy?

<p>Kearney&#39;s Suketu Gandhi joins us to discuss why the supply chain is now central to corporate strategy—from COO growth optimism and resilience as a competitive weapon to AI industrialization and sustainability&#39;s renaissance.</p><p><br></p><p>=====</p><p><br></p><p>In this episode, we, together with Suketu Gandhi, unpack the Kearney COO Agenda report. Listen in to hear why 70% of COOs expect double-digit growth, how resilience has become an offensive competitive weapon, and why only 10% of companies close the execution gap. Or to examine with us AI&#39;s shift from pilots to industrialization, its net-positive effect on supply chain jobs, and how sustainability has moved beyond compliance into a genuine competitive advantage—quietly thriving without the marketing hype.</p><p><br></p><p>=====</p><p> </p><p><strong>Guest 1: Suketu Gandhi, Global Co-Lead and Chair, Operations and Performance, Partner, Kearney</strong></p><p><br></p><p>Based in Chicago, Suketu is a recognized industry leader on a wide range of operations topics, with an emphasis on end-to-end supply chains. “I’m strongly focused on the redesign of supply chains for four critical purposes: growth, cost, resilience, and sustainability,” he comments. “The key to maximizing their effectiveness lies in the combination of human intelligence, AI, and automation, underpinned by a deep understanding of how global operations work.” Across three firms, he has built and run innovation centers, bringing emerging tech to supply chains from design through manufacturing.</p><p> </p><p>A Global Leader in Consulting honoree for Excellence in Innovation, Suketu is the founder of the Kearney Supply Chain Institute and has published more than 100 articles on supply chain and AI in outlets such as <em>HBR, MIT Sloan Management Review</em>, and <em>The Wall Street Journal</em>. He is also the co-author of <em>Strong Supply Chains Through Resilient Operations</em>and is currently working on an HBR Press book titled <em>Intelligent Speed at Scale</em>.</p><p><br></p><p><strong>Host 1: Richard Howells, SAP</strong></p><p><br></p><p>⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Richard Howells⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ has been working in the Supply Chain Management and Manufacturing space for over 30 years. He is responsible for driving the thought leadership and awareness of SAP’s ERP, Finance, and Supply Chain solutions and is an active writer, podcaster, and thought leader on the topics of supply chain, Industry 4.0, digitization, and sustainability.</p><p><br></p