Supply Chain Management Review Podcast

Worker wellbeing is often treated as a compliance or ESG responsibility. Carmel Giblin, president and CEO of the Ethical Supply Chain Program, argues that it should instead be viewed as an operational capability. In this episode of Talking Supply Chain, Giblin explains why audits alone cannot provide continuous visibility, how trusted grievance mechanisms reveal risks workers may not disclose during an audit, and why more reports do not necessarily indicate a worse supplier. She also discusses measurable returns from worker-wellbeing programs, the role AI can play in identifying patterns and why human interaction remains essential when workers are vulnerable.

Over the past two decades, supply chain has moved from a largely behind-the-scenes operational function focused on cost and efficiency to a strategic enterprise capability that touches everything from growth and customer experience to geopolitics, sustainability and national security.
Few people have had a better vantage point on that transformation than Abe Eshkenazi, CEO of the Association for Supply Chain Management (ASCM). On this episode of Talking Supply Chain, host Brian Straight speaks with Eshkenazi about how the profession has changed during his tenure, why COVID represented a turning point for supply chain, the rise of the chief supply chain officer, AI and the continuing importance of people, and the challenges the industry still has not solved.

Supply chain disruptions are no longer exceptional events. They are part of the everyday operating environment—and that means the way companies manage risk has to change with them.
On this episode of Talking Supply Chain, host Brian Straight speaks with David Weeks, director and supply chain industry practice lead at Moody’s, about how supply chain risk has evolved and why many of the approaches organizations have traditionally relied upon are no longer enough. Weeks brings experience from both sides of the equation, having worked in supplier quality, auditing, procurement, continuous improvement and supply chain risk management before advising organizations on building more resilient supply chains.

Procurement organizations have invested heavily in artificial intelligence, automation and digital transformation, but technology may be exposing a problem that has been hiding underneath those investments: The processes themselves aren’t always ready for AI.
On this episode of Talking Supply Chain, host Brian Straight speaks with Ryan Polk, chief of research for procurement at Gartner, about findings from Gartner’s latest chief procurement officer survey, including the finding that 63% of procurement leaders say their own business processes are preventing them from achieving their top priorities.

Supply chain leaders have invested billions in visibility platforms, automation and AI. Yet many organizations continue to struggle with execution, revenue leakage and increasingly complex operations. On this episode of Talking Supply Chain, Brian Straight speaks with Mahesh Rajasekharan, president and CEO of Cleo, about the findings from the company’s 2026 Global Supply Chain Executive Report and why supply chain orchestration is emerging as the next competitive differentiator. The discussion explores how leading organizations are moving beyond resilience, redefining supply chain performance and using AI to connect planning with execution rather than simply automating individual tasks.

The rapid growth of the secondhand economy is forcing logistics providers to rethink how supply chains are designed. While traditional transportation networks have been optimized for speed, efficiency and automation, oversized, one-of-a-kind products require a different approach—one centered on care, transparency and customer expectations.
In this episode of Talking Supply Chain, Brian Straight speaks with Sean Wu, CEO of uShip, about the rise of recommerce, the logistics challenges of moving unique items and why digital marketplaces are making nationwide resale more accessible than ever.

Six months after first discussing the possibility of a U.S. manufacturing renaissance, Talking Supply Chain host Brian Straight welcomes Brian Higgins, U.S. sector leader for industrial manufacturing at KPMG, back to the Talking Supply Chain podcast to assess what has changed.
While investment in domestic manufacturing continues to grow, Higgins argues that the real challenge has shifted from announcing projects to executing them. The conversation explores how tariffs, geopolitical instability, labor shortages, AI adoption and supply chain resilience are reshaping manufacturing strategy, while emphasizing that success will depend less on predicting disruption and more on building organizations capable of sensing and responding faster than competitors.

The reopening of the Strait of Hormuz is welcome news for global supply chains, but according to Eric Fullerton, vice president of data insights at project44, the industry’s focus should not be on returning to normal. Instead, supply chain leaders should be asking what they learned from the disruption and how they can build more resilient operations before the next crisis arrives.
In a recent episode of Talking Supply Chain, Fullerton joined Supply Chain Management Review Editor-in-Chief Brian Straight to discuss project44’s data on shipment diversions, port congestion, supply chain recovery, and what separates organizations that successfully navigate disruptions from those that struggle.

For decades, supply chains were managed as a series of interconnected but largely independent functions. Planning, sourcing, manufacturing, logistics, and fulfillment each operated with their own objectives, metrics, and decision-making processes. But according to Graeme Carter, chief global supply chain officer at Coty, that model is no longer sufficient in a world defined by volatility, geopolitical uncertainty, rapidly changing consumer preferences, and accelerating digital transformation.
On this episode of Talking Supply Chain, Carter introduces the concept of the “Supply Biome”—an adaptive, interconnected ecosystem that continuously senses signals from across the business environment and responds in near real time. Drawing on leadership experience at Coty, Amazon, Unilever, Avon, and Procter & Gamble, Carter explains why supply chains must evolve beyond linear processes and siloed functions toward operating models enabled by AI, collective sensing, and integrated decision-making.

Artificial intelligence has dominated supply chain conversations for years, but many organizations are still trying to determine where AI is delivering measurable operational value versus where it remains stuck in experimentation mode. In this episode of Talking Supply Chain, Petra Schindler-Carter, head of retail and consumer packaged goods at Amazon Web Services, joins host Brian Straight to discuss how leading retailers and CPG companies are moving AI beyond dashboards and pilots into real-world execution.

Supply chain disruption is no longer episodic. In this episode of Talking Supply Chain, Bob Daymon, head of client services for Uber Freight, joins host Brian Straight to break down how logistics organizations are adapting to an environment defined by tariff uncertainty, tightening capacity, and compressed planning cycles. The conversation centers on a fundamental shift: companies that win today aren’t the ones with perfect forecasts, they’re the ones that move fastest with imperfect data.
Drawing from Uber Freight’s 2026 Logistics Playbook, Daymon outlines how leading organizations are restructuring planning, embracing real-time decision-making, and building agility into their operating models to stay ahead of volatility.

Artificial intelligence is widely expected to accelerate global trade, improve decision-making, and unlock new efficiencies across supply chains. But beneath that promise lies a reality few are grasping, and it is one that might result in more market barriers than anticipated.
In this episode of Talking Supply Chain, host Brian Straight is joined Dravida Seetharam, a fellow at the Center for Global Enterprise, and Sarah Lahti, who is the Director of Operations and Program Management for the Digital Supply Chain Institute, to help make sense of AI and whether AI is truly leveling the playing field or quietly creating new barriers. From infrastructure and talent gaps to regulatory fragmentation and cyber risk, the discussion highlights how AI may be reshaping not just supply chains, but who gets to compete in them.

Procurement has long been viewed as a tactical function focused on cost savings and compliance, but Sam Jenks believes that mindset is outdated. In this episode of Talking Supply Chain, the Kodiak Hub CRO and host of the Way We Source podcast, makes the case for treating supplier relationship management (SRM) as procurement’s equivalent of CRM in sales.
Jenks explains why many procurement teams are still relying on spreadsheets and fragmented systems to manage supplier relationships, even as their responsibilities expand to include resilience, ESG compliance, innovation, and risk management. He argues that SRM should serve as the “operating system” of procurement—integrating supplier onboarding, risk management, performance tracking, and collaboration into a continuous lifecycle rather than a point-in-time process.

Cargo theft in the United States has entered a new phase, shifting from localized truck stop thefts to sophisticated schemes orchestrated by international crime networks, according to Scott Cornell, vice president of transportation risk and strategy at LogistIQ Insurance Solutions and chair of TAPA Americas.
In a recent episode of Talking Supply Chain, Cornell explained that cargo theft incidents increased roughly 93% between 2021 and 2024, while strategic cargo theft—fraudulent schemes involving brokers, carriers, and falsified documentation—surged more than 1,400%.

In the latest episode of Talking Supply Chain, host Brian Straight sat down with Dave Pennino, CEO of LogicSource, to explore why procurement is no longer just a cost-control function, it’s becoming a strategic lever for financial resilience.
Pennino doesn’t mince words about what’s changed. In an era of tariff uncertainty, inflation, geopolitical instability and shifting consumer demand, CFOs are under relentless pressure. But the real risk, he argues, isn’t just volatility, it’s underinvestment in procurement.

Artificial intelligence is often pitched to procurement teams as a straightforward productivity win—save time, automate work, and move faster. But in this episode of Talking Supply Chain, host Brian Straight digs into why those promised time savings don’t always translate into better decisions or cleaner execution. Joined by Erin McFarland, VP of Operations at Fairmarkit, the conversation quickly moves beyond hype into the operational friction that emerges when AI is layered onto outdated processes and governance models.

Cybersecurity has become one of the most material, and least understood, risks facing modern supply chains. In this episode of Talking Supply Chain, host Brian Straight sits down with Tim Freestone, chief strategy officer at Kiteworks, to unpack why AI-driven automation, agentic workflows, and digital collaboration tools are rapidly expanding the supply chain attack surface well beyond traditional IT environments.

Pallet building is one of the most common activities in distribution centers, yet it remains largely untouched by modern optimization efforts. In this episode, Talking Supply Chain host Brian Straight speaks with Kyle Franklin, senior solutions consultant for Lucas Systems about why palletization has historically been treated as a manual, experience-driven task rather than a strategic lever for efficiency.

As supply chain leaders confront rising labor costs, workforce shortages, and global uncertainty, automation is increasingly seen as both an opportunity and a risk. In this episode of Talking Supply Chain, host Brian Straight speaks with Jeff Bornino, president of North America at TMX Transform, and Nick De Klerk, senior director, about why automation decisions must start with feasibility, not enthusiasm for the latest technology. The discussion emphasizes that rushing into large capital investments without fully understanding operational needs often leads to costly mistakes that can burden organizations for decades.

In this episode of Talking Supply Chain, Brian Straight speaks with Brian Higgins, partner, U.S. sector leader for Industrial Manufacturing in KPMG’s U.S. supply chain and operations practice, about whether the recent surge in U.S. manufacturing investment represents a true renaissance or a fragile moment shaped by tariffs and geopolitics. Higgins notes that while headlines may exaggerate some announcements, underlying data—from manufacturing construction spend to foreign direct investment—shows real momentum, particularly as companies reassess resilience, proximity to customers, and supply chain risk.

For years, product returns have been dismissed as an unavoidable cost of doing business—an operational burden buried deep in the supply chain. But as e-commerce growth stabilizes and margins tighten, that blind spot is becoming too expensive to ignore. Returns represent not only a massive financial drag but also a powerful, underutilized source of intelligence that can transform forecasting, inventory planning, product design, and customer experience.
In this episode of In Transit, host Vishnu Rajamanickam from The Logistics Report speaks with Chuck Fuerst, chief commercial officer at ReverseLogix, about why the industry’s mindset around returns must fundamentally change.

AI may be reshaping every corner of the supply chain, but nowhere is the shift more profound—or misunderstood—than in planning. In this week’s Talking Supply Chain, Gartner Director Analyst Jan Snoeckx explains why autonomous and agentic AI are no longer abstract promises but practical capabilities gaining traction inside large enterprises. Gartner’s latest research shows that autonomous planning has officially passed the “peak of inflated expectations,” moving out of hype and into measurable value. That shift, Snoeckx notes, reflects a deeper mindset change: companies aren’t asking if AI can help planners anymore; they’re asking how it should.

This week’s episode of Talking Supply Chain takes a very real look at something most procurement teams aren’t talking about: the biggest AI risk next year isn’t the technology, it’s the people guiding it. As Sudhir Bhojwani, co-founder and CEO of Oro Labs, told Talking Supply Chain podcast host Brian Straight, “People are still trying to figure out what they want to do with AI … but what people don't know is how to truly solve their end-to-end process problems.”
His point is clear: organizations are racing toward AI without knowing how to use it well and the consequences are coming fast.

Artificial intelligence has taken hold across the enterprise, but nowhere does it face a bigger challenge than in third-party risk management. As explained in this week’s Talking Supply Chain, AI thrives on structure and consistency, yet supplier ecosystems remain fragmented and inconsistent across industries.
Dave Rusher, chief customer officer at Aravo, joins the discussion to explore why the lack of standardization in third-party risk programs makes this area a true stress test for AI.
Rusher notes that while AI has accelerated processes in finance and logistics, its adoption in risk management has been slower. The reason: compliance and security professionals are, by nature, cautious. Companies must weigh the promise of automation against concerns about data privacy, intellectual property, and regulatory exposure. As he explains, AI’s value isn’t in replacing humans but in helping analysts synthesize unstructured data into actionable insights.

In an era when most automation systems are designed in the U.S. but built overseas, Corvus Robotics is charting a different course. The company, winner of the NextGen Supply Chain Solution Provider Award for Robotics, designs and manufactures its autonomous warehouse drones entirely in America.
Co-founder and CEO Jackie Wu told Talking Supply Chain host Brian Straight that building domestically isn’t just about cost, it’s about control, innovation, and resilience. By keeping engineering and manufacturing under one roof, Corvus can respond to customer feedback quickly, make design adjustments in real time, and avoid the unpredictability of tariffs and global trade disruptions.
“Every country needs to be able to make some of its own things,” Wu said. “If there’s a will, there’s a way.”

This week’s Talking Supply Chain podcast tackles one of manufacturing’s most pressing challenges: bridging the divide between operational technology (OT) on the shop floor and information technology (IT) that runs enterprise systems.
Podcast host Brian Straight is joined by Fares Sakka, director of smart industry for Orange Business, who has spent his career helping companies modernize operations and bringing these two historically siloed domains together.

In this episode of Talking Supply Chain, host Brian Straight explores the growing importance of sustainable procurement—a practice that has quickly moved from a “nice-to-have” to a business imperative. As governments, investors, and customers increasingly demand accountability, procurement is no longer just about efficiency and cost; it is about building resilience, reducing carbon impact, and delivering long-term value across the supply chain.
Brian is joined by Dr. Luan Ho, Science Team Co-Lead at Tunley Environmental, a consultancy helping organizations embed sustainability into their procurement processes. Dr. Ho outlines Tunley’s evolution from an engineering-focused firm into a sustainability leader.

Most consumers see a box; fresh-food operators see a system. In this episode of Talking Supply Chain, Edible Arrangements’ supply chain manager Jay De Sieno breaks down why packaging is a strategic lever, not an afterthought. For a gift-centric brand, the container is the first touchpoint and a quality cue—so color, layout, and presentation must reinforce identity while safeguarding perishable product through the last mile.

Artificial intelligence isn’t just a buzzword in supply chain, it’s rapidly changing how products move from origin to destination. In this episode of Talking Supply Chain, host Brian Straight sits down with Stuart Ryan, senior vice president and general manager of the Americas for HERE Technologies, to explore how AI-powered mapping and location intelligence are reshaping transportation and logistics.

In a world filled with uncertainty—from tariffs to pandemics—many companies still rely on reaction instead of preparation. On the latest episode of Talking Supply Chain, Tom Strohl, president of Oliver Wight Americas, explains why integrated business planning (IBP) is the secret weapon for companies looking not just to survive disruptions, but to thrive through them.
“The difference between those that are successful today versus those that are not,” Strohl says, “is those that have good solid, robust planning processes that filter all the way up to the executive level of the organization.”

When hurricanes or other disasters strike, logistics become a lifeline for thousands, in some cases even millions of people. And the trucking, logistics and supply chain industries are always ready to help, often working side by side with FEMA and other organizations like the American Red Cross, to provide the supplies communities need not only to survive the immediate aftermath, but to rebuild. But, trucks don’t just arrive at the site of a disaster. They are part of a well-coordinated logistical plan and one of the key organizations involved in these efforts is the American Logistics Aid Network, or ALAN. In this 2024 Talking Supply Chain episode, ALAN Executive Director Kathy Fulton explains the process of getting aid to disaster sites, and what you need to know if you want to get involved.

The National Motor Freight Classification (NMFC) system, which has provided a standardized method of identifying and classifying freight for over 70 years, is undergoing its most significant overhaul in decades. Keith Peterson, director of operations at the National Motor Freight Traffic Association (NMFTA), joined the Talking Supply Chain podcast to explain the rationale and impact of these changes, which officially take effect on July 19, 2025. The revised system emphasizes density-based classification, streamlining the number of commodity codes and modernizing how freight is categorized for today’s shipping environment.

Resilience. Flexibility. AI. Workforce. We talk about these themes constantly—but few companies are as intentional in connecting the dots as Schneider Electric.
Agustin Lopez Diaz, North American supply chain officer at Schneider Electric joined the  Talking Supply Chain podcast to discuss Schneider Electric’s approach to its North American supply chain.
“We are investing roughly 700 million dollars of additional investment through 2027 to really expand our capability and take advantage of the manufacturing renaissance going on in North America,” Lopez Diaz said.

Shabbir Dahod, CEO of Tracelink, joins Talking Supply Chain host Brian Straight to discuss artificial intelligence in the supply chain: where it is today, where it is heading, and how companies can position themselves to take advantage of the potential of this innovative technology. 

In this episode of the In Transit podcast, host Vishnu Rajamanickam from The Logistics Report sits down with Colby Porter, lead analytical content manager at Sayari, to unpack how businesses can uncover hidden risks and strengthen their sourcing strategies using public records and trade data.
Porter walks us through how Sayari’s “outside-in” approach—leveraging data from over 250 jurisdictions—helps shine a light on murky supplier networks, especially in high-risk regions like Xinjiang. He explains how public corporate and customs records can expose concealed ownership chains, forced labor risks, and tariff vulnerabilities, arming compliance teams with the tools they need to act fast and decisively.

Kathleen Chan, founder and CEO of global sourcing and manufacturing platform Calico, joins Rosemary Coates of the Reshoring Institute on this episode of the Frictionless Supply Chain podcast to discuss the state of global manufacturing.

Guest: Rosemary Coates, president and founder of the Reshoring Institute
President Donald Trump views tariffs as a way to boost American industry and create manufacturing jobs. But can it happen? That is being hotly debated these days.
One of the people that has some unique insight into this conversation is Rosemary Coates. Coates is the founder and executive chairman of the Reshoring Institute, president and founder of Blue Silk Consultant, a columnist for Supply Chain Management Review, and host of the Frictionless Supply Chain podcast. She has spent much of her career working with companies that engage with China and other nations. And for the last 11 years, has led the Reshoring Institute in assisting businesses that are looking to bring manufacturing back to the U.S.

GUEST: Eric Walters, VP-Analytics & Performance, DHL Supply Chain
 
While many companies remain in the Generative Artificial Intelligence (Gen AI) pilot stage, mainstream adoption is rapidly approaching. Some companies, like DHL Supply Chain, are already incorporating the technology into everyday use, and are finding success. DHL Supply Chain’s VP-Analytics & Performance Eric Walters joins the Talking Supply Chain podcast to discuss how the company is leveraging Gen AI in real-world use cases today.

GUEST: Yikun Shao, head of B2B North American supply chain at Alibaba Group
 
The current state of the supply chain is causing a degree panic within businesses. Large enterprises may have resources and levers to pull to deal with the uncertainty, but for small and midsized businesses, those same levers may not exist.
On a recent episode of Talking Supply Chain, Brian Straight sat down with Yikun Shao, head of B2B North American supply chain at Alibaba Group, to explore how small and midsize businesses (SMBs) can navigate a changing global trade environment. Shao emphasized that SMBs are increasingly shifting toward supply chain diversification to mitigate risks tied to geopolitical disruptions, single-source dependency, and shifting consumer expectations.

GUEST: Tracey Ortiz, Director of Product Marketing, SPS Commerce
 
While much of the focus of tariffs is on the immediate cost and mitigating that impact, there are many hidden costs that come along with them, including higher warehouse rates and freight rate increases to meet customer delivery demands. SPS Commerce’s Tracey Ortiz joined the Talking Supply Chain podcast to explain the real-world impacts.

GUEST: Courtney Rickert McCaffrey, EY’s Global Geostrategic Business Group Insights Leader
 
The world is changing, and supply chains are at the front lines of that change. Whether it is trade winds blowing in new directions, tariffs on imported goods, product bans, or political leadership changes, the supply chain is expected to handle these changes smoothly and with ease, without adding cost.
How does it do that?
Courtney Rickert McCaffrey, EY’s Global Geostrategic Business Group Insights Leader, joined the Talking Supply Chain podcast to talk about the geopolitical challenges facing supply chains and how they can prepare to navigate an uncertain future.

GUEST: Luis Roman, VP MedTech Supply Chain, Johnson & Johnson
 
Supply chain digital transformations are all the rage, but for some industries, that transformation impacts more than just the supply chain. In the Medtech space, digital supply chain transformations are improving operations, lowering the bottom line, and saving lives.
To Luis Roman, vice president of MedTech Supply Chain at Johnson & Johnson, the digital journey represents more than just improving supply chain operations.

GUEST: Andy Moul, Director Warehouse & Distribution Solutions, A. Duie Pyle
 
A. Duie Pyle has an extensive warehouse operation to manage its customer’s inventory throughout. Andy Moul, director warehouse & distribution solutions, joins the Talking Supply Chain podcast to discuss the technologies and strategies that are working in today’s warehouse environment.

GUEST: Karen Murphy International Trade Advisor and Trade Compliance Expert
 
Listen as Karen Murphy International Trade Advisor and Trade Compliance Expert, and Rosemary Coates, Executive Director of the Reshoring Institute, discuss the current state of tariffs and trade.

GUEST: Jono Liu, vp of global sales & marketing at Dimerco Express Group
 
In this episode of the In Transit Podcast, Jono Liu, vp of global sales & marketing at Dimerco Express Group, joins host Vishnu Rajamanickam of The Logistics Report to discuss the complexities of evolving global trade dynamics in light of shifting U.S. trade policies.

GUEST: Andrea Klein, CEO of Rand Technology
 
In this episode, Andrea discusses her long and very successful career in technology and the changes and major shifts in the business environment, that have occurred over the past 30 years that she has been at the helm of Rand Technologies.

GUEST: Kevin Frechette, co-founder and CEO, Fairmarkit.
 
Artificial intelligence buzz gave way to Generative AI buzz which has now been overtaken by Agentic AI buzz. What does it all mean? Fairmarkit CEO Kevin Frechette joined the Talking Supply Chain podcast to cut through the buzzwords and explain where Agentic AI can help your organization.

GUEST: Peter Anderson, Global Supply Chain Lead, Genpact
 
Peter Anderson once had to move $380 million of goods to mitigate the impact of tariff. Now, as global supply chain lead at Genpact, he is sharing details on that experience and some of the strategies he employed with the Talking Supply Chain podcast audience.

GUEST: Frank Kennedy, Director of Industry Solutions, Cleo
 
For supply chains, achieving the Holy Grail of true end-to-end visibility has been out of reach for many. With supply chains stretching into dozens of countries or more, and the sheer number of suppliers surpassing tens of thousands for some firms, gaining full visibility is a daunting task.
 

GUEST: Eric Walters, VP-Analytics & Performance, DHL
 
DHL Supply Chain's VP-Analytics & Performance Eric Walters joins the Talking Supply Chain podcast to discuss how the company is leveraging Gen AI in real-world use cases today.