The Gartner Supply Chain Podcast

• Power of the Profession Awards 2025

  This episode explores:An overview of this year’s Power of the Profession award categories and the connecting themes that its submissions shared. (1:43)Notable differences in the content of this year’s submissions. (4:09)Winners in each of the four categories. (5:15)Advice for innovating in organizations that are “just trying to keep the lights on.” (11:50)Host Lindsay Azim and Gartner VP analyst Maria Nieradka discuss this year’s Power of the Profession Supply Chain Awards, including its winners, standout entrants and prevailing themes. They explore the supply chain industry’s greater focus on people-centric investments this year, smaller organizations driving innovation and how manufacturing prevailed across topics and categories. Lindsay and Maria close the show with recommendations for supply chain leaders using innovation as a means to meet enterprise goals.About the GuestMaria Nieradka is a vice president, analyst in Gartner’s supply chain practice, providing research insights, advice and thought leadership to life sciences clients. Her research coverage includes supply chain strategy, environmental, social and governance (ESG), risk management, mergers and acquisitions and diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI). Based on previous experience as a chief supply chain officer, she provides expertise in end-to-end supply chain practices with deep knowledge in planning, procurement, manufacturing and distribution. Maria leads Gartner’s Power of the Profession program. She served on Gartner Supply Chain’s Executive Advisory Board through 2021.

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• Update on Tariffs and How CSCOs Can Prepare

  This episode explores:Updates surrounding U.S. tariffs since February. (1:18)Four reasons the U.S. administration is leveraging tariffs and their implications for chief supply chain officers (CSCOs). (2:11)Key announcements that CSCOs should understand leading up to 1 April. (9:22)Other supply chain challenges on the horizon. (11:56)How supply chain organizations can best prepare for tariff volatility leading up to and after 1 April. (15:59)In this episode of the Supply Chain Podcast, host Lindsay Azim discusses updates and new information around tariff implementation and supply chain uncertainty with Gartner Senior Director Analysts Brian Whitlock and Cori Masters. The three of them explore tariff volatility, what is to come for implementations and the changes to how supply chains can respond, as well as other items that will impact supply chain operations (like the SHIPS for America Act). Lindsay, Brian and Cori close the show with recommendations for how CSCOs can prepare their organization for potential disruption.About the GuestsBrian Whitlock is a senior director research analyst in Gartner’s logistics and fulfillment team. He is responsible for advising logistics leaders and the C-suite in strategy design and execution, and for building capabilities that improve the performance of their logistics function. Brian is also the key initiative leader responsible for the research plan for logistics and fulfillment. Brian joined Gartner in 2020. He has over 30 years of experience leading global logistics, transportation and trade management organizations with expertise in strategy, operations, finance, procurement and supplier development and trade management.Cori Masters is a senior director and high-tech analyst in Gartner's supply chain practice, providing research insights, advice and thought leadership to high-tech, electronics, telecom and public procurement clients. With over 25 years of experience, she provides expert coverage, including supply chain strategy, sustainability, risk management/resiliency and vendor management. Based on previous experience as a senior commodity manager across multiple markets, she provides expertise in end-to-end supply chain practices with deep knowledge in vendor management, end-to-end supply chain strategy, manufacturing technology development and ramp and manufacturing sustainability.("For more on the new U.S. administration's federal policy changes, visit Gartner's Guide to New U.S. Federal Policies.")

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  20:19
• Future-Proof the Supply Chain With Lenovo’s SVP, Che Min Tu

  This episode explores: Lenovo’s strategic investments in future-proofing its supply chain operations. (1:26)How Lenovo delivers its supply chain strategy centered on “global reach with local excellence.” (2:47) Challenges that Lenovo faces in executing its supply chain strategy. (6:46)The role of digital transformation and AI in future-proofing Lenovo’s supply chain. (13:09)Recommendations for CSCOs planning to future-proof their own supply chains. (15:19)In this episode of the Supply Chain Podcast, host Thomas O’Connor discusses Lenovo’s attempts to future-proof its operations with Che Min (Jammi) Tu, senior vice president and group operations officer at Lenovo. The pair explore the benefits and challenges associated with Lenovo’s “global-local” approach to managing its supply chain’s global footprint: They dive into how this strategy enables Lenovo to future-proof its operations, as well as how the organization’s long-standing use of AI and other digital transformation tools contributes to this effort. Thomas and Jammi close the show with actionable advice for CSCOs embarking on similar efforts to future-proof their supply chains.Che Min (Jammi) Tu is Senior Vice President and Group Operations Officer of Lenovo, which consists of teams spanning Global Supply Chain, Digital Transformation, Total Experience, Sales Operations, and Strategic Alliances. This diverse organization serves a global group of internal and external stakeholders with the mission of driving Lenovo’s operational excellence, the companywide digital transformation and harmonizing end-to-end business processes and tools across all Lenovo operations to deliver the best end-to-end customer experience. He is also a member of Lenovo’s Executive Committee. Jammi joined Lenovo in 2012 as chief financial officer for the EMEA region. Most recently, he led the finance team as the CFO for the Personal Computing & Smart Devices (PCSD) Group, e-commerce, and Global Accounts organizations and was the chief operating officer of Lenovo’s Intelligent Devices Group (IDG), playing a crucial role in leading that organization to record performance.   

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  18:36
• Supply Chain Strategy Predicts 2025

  This episode explores:How Gartner’s Supply Chain Predicts functions as a framework for evaluating and addressing short-, medium- and long-term market implications. (1:06)An overview of the chief supply chain officer’s (CSCO’s) evolving role in driving profitable growth in the short term. (6:33)Potential workforce evolutions that AI investments could drive in the midterm. (9:45)Factors influencing enterprises’ ability to meet their interim goals for greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in the long term. (13:32)Recommendations on how CSCOs can use Gartner’s Supply Chain Predicts as a foundation for future-proofing their supply chains. (17:24)In this episode of the Supply Chain Podcast, host Lindsay Azim and Gartner VP Analyst Simon Bailey discuss Gartner’s 2025 Predicts for Supply Chain Strategy. They use the research as a foundation to explore expectations that CSCOs will drive profitable growth in the short term, AI’s evolving role in supply chain talent management in the medium term and enterprise progress on GHG emissions in the long term. Lindsay and Simon close the show with recommendations for how CSCOs can use the Predicts 2025 research as a baseline for future-proofing their supply chains.About the GuestSimon Bailey is a VP analyst in Gartner’s CSCO enablement team, supporting CSCO’s strategy development in areas, including customer centricity and ecosystem orchestration. He is also the lead author for Predicts 2025: Supply Chain Strategy — Growth, People and AI, and Commitments, Focus Supply Chain on Reducing Customer Effort to Boost Profitable Growth and Supply Chain Top 25: 2025 Methodology Changes and Invitation for Input for 2026.

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  20:24
• Adapting to Geopolitical Disruption at Johnson & Johnson

  This episode explores:Johnson & Johnson’s (J&J’s) approach to growing geopolitical complexity. (1:11)Key capabilities that enable J&J to work through these compounding challenges. (3:54)Real-world examples of programs and capabilities J&J pursues to increase supply chain resilience. (7:23)J&J’s responses to global shifts in the regulatory and legal environment surrounding supply chains. (11:34)Recommendations for chief supply chain officers (CSCOs) leading in this turbulent geopolitical environment. (16:02)In this episode of the Supply Chain Podcast, host Thomas O’Connor discusses risk management and resilience with Kathy Wengel, executive vice president, chief technical operations and risk officer for Johnson & Johnson. Thomas and Kathy explore J&J’s pursuit of resilience in the face of today’s turbulent geopolitical climate, including some of its specific strategies and real-world examples of its evolving capabilities. The pair close the show with actionable guidance for CSCOs.About the GuestKathryn E. Wengel (Kathy) is executive vice president, chief technical operations and risk officer for Johnson & Johnson, as well as a member of its Executive Committee. She has significant healthcare, operations and global business expertise – with more than three decades of experience in leadership positions at Johnson & Johnson. In her current role, Kathy leads key technical operations functions like engineering and property services, the office of sustainability and cross-sector supply chain teams, and critical risk functions like quality and compliance and healthcare compliance. Kathy also plays an important role with external stakeholders to advance critical risk management, resilience and technical operations priorities on behalf of Johnson & Johnson and the healthcare industry.

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  20:53

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