In the Gartner Supply Chain Podcast, leading experts Thomas O’Connor and Lindsay Azim regularly sit down with Gartner’s best thinkers, researchers and innovator...
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
Tariff Volatility and Supply Chain Uncertainty
This episode explores:Chief supply chain officers (CSCOs) and supply chain leaders’ initial reactions to new U.S. tariffs and the uncertainty surrounding them. (1:54)Direct or indirect implications of the executive orders that supply chain leaders must account for. (3:22)Differences and similarities in trade volatility between the prior Trump administration and the current Trump administration. (6:14)How supply chains can respond to these tariffs, and what some organizations are already doing. (8:13)Some of the factors influencing current approaches to scenario planning for the Trump administration tariffs. (12:30)In this episode of the Supply Chain Podcast, host Thomas O’Connor speaks with Gartner analysts Brian Whitlock and Suzie Petrusic about how the new U.S. administration’s tariffs stand to affect supply chain operations. In the show’s first half, Brian explores some of these tariffs’ particular details and their effects on potential mitigations. In the second half, Suzie expands on these mitigation strategies across the short and long term, as well as the influences behind them.If you wish to learn more about Gartner supply chain's research tied to the topic of tariff volatility Gartner clients can access "Use Tariff Volatility to Drive Competitive Advantage" while non-Gartner clients can access "Navigating Tariff Uncertainty: Pathways for CSCOs".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.Suzie Petrusic, Ph.D., is the Gartner senior director analyst serving chief supply chain officers in all the areas of supply chain related to strategy leadership and execution. She has authored and co-authored research and case studies on topics such as risk, supply chain maturity, the future of the supply chain, customer enablement, supply chain constraints and inflation and recession. Suzie also leads Gartner’s research agenda for chief supply chain officers.
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15:42
Preparing for the Future of Supply Chain in 2025
This episode explores:Drivers that made this year’s Future of Supply Chain Report different. (1:04)Capabilities CSCOs are pursuing to prepare for the future. (3:24)The multiple pathways to success that organizations can take. (7:07)How CSCOs can choose the best pathway for their organization. (15:16)Advice for CSCOs preparing their supply chains for the future. (16:31)In this episode of the Supply Chain Podcast, host Lindsay Azim sits down with Pierfrancesco (Pier) Manenti, Gartner research vice president for supply chain strategy, to discuss Gartner’s yearly Future of Supply Chain Executive Report. As lead author of the report, Pier discusses how this year’s report — Supply Chain Executive Report: Future of Supply Chain 2025 — focuses on the capabilities chief supply chain officers can pursue to meet the future it outlines. Lindsay and Pier explore the various pathways organizations can take to build these capabilities before closing the show with recommendations for CSCOs pursuing those pathways.About the GuestPierfrancesco (Pier) Manenti is research vice president for the Gartner supply chain strategy team. Pier provides insights and advisory support to chief supply chain officers (CSCOs) and heads of strategy of global manufacturing and retail corporations, especially with regards to future trends and key challenges affecting end-to-end supply chain strategy. He focuses on strategic transformation, digitalization, agility and design for profitability.
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19:26
The Road to a Fully Autonomous Supply Chain at Kraft Heinz
This episode explores:Kraft Heinz’s use of operational excellence programs to perfect their manual processes before adding digital tools. (1:06)How Kraft Heinz executives engage in servant leadership to remove roadblocks on digital project roadmaps. (5:00)Kraft Heinz’s future goals for a self-driving, end-to-end supply chain. (7:13)Standout use cases for generative AI at Kraft Heinz. (10:25)Recommendations for chief supply chain officers (CSCOs) driving digital transformations in their own organizations. (14:06).In this episode of Gartner’s Supply Chain Podcast, host Thomas O’Connor speaks with Senior Vice President and Head of North America Operations at the Kraft Heinz Company, Helen Davis, about the digital transformation efforts Kraft Heinz is undertaking for its supply chain. They discuss Kraft Heinz’s commitment to creating strong foundations in manual processes, including the tools it uses to capture and maintain employee and executive buy-in. Thomas and Helen then explore Kraft Heinz’s vision for an autonomous supply chain, and then close the show with recommendations for CSCOs that want to undertake similar journeys.About the GuestHelen Davis has over 27 years of global supply chain experience, successfully transforming supply chains in several countries and in a variety of different industries. She is currently Senior Vice President and Head of North America Operations at the Kraft Heinz Company. Helen has also held senior supply chain roles at Unilever, Estée Lauder, Reckitt Benckiser and Coca-Cola, where she led the transformation to the “Factory of the Future” and spearheaded the “Touchless Supply Chain” concept through use of decision intelligence.
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17:13
Craft Robust Decision-Making Processes With ‘Decision Shapers’
This episode explores:“Decision shapers,” supply chain planning leaders that leverage three personas to guide supply chain planning leaders’ decision making through informed, data-driven recommendations. (1:22)The skills decision shapers leverage as part of the “codebreaker” persona to analyze and capitalize on key data points. (4:25)How the “alchemist” persona, a combination of business acumen, adaptability and AI readiness that decision shapers use to turn data into intelligent insights. (7:56)Ways the “storyteller” persona packages data and insights to meet audiences where they’re at with language that resonates with them. (13:42)Essential recommendations for supply chain leaders that want to become decision shapers in their own organizations. (19:35)In this episode of the Supply Chain Podcast, host Lindsay Azim discusses the impact “decision shapers” have on supply chain planning (SCP) with guest Noha Samara, a Gartner senior director analyst. The pair explore their shared research into the current state of SCP, and how SCP leaders can evolve their approach to it through data analysis, intelligent insights and robust communication. They close the show with recommendations for SCP leaders that want to affect similar changes in their own org.About the Guest:Gartner Senior Director Analyst Noha Samara covers several areas of supply chain planning. She has authored and coauthored numerous research on supply chain planning processes’ evolution, supply chain planning organization design and talent, and supply chain planning transformations. She joined Gartner in 2020 after a long career at several multinational organizations such as Procter & Gamble and Microsoft where she was leading different supply chain teams. Noha has been leading the supply chain planning track agenda at Gartner Symposium for the past couple of years and currently chairs the upcoming Supply Chain Planning Summits in 2025 and 2026.
In the Gartner Supply Chain Podcast, leading experts Thomas O’Connor and Lindsay Azim regularly sit down with Gartner’s best thinkers, researchers and innovators to share with you the strategic insights and tactical tips supply chain leaders need to drive organizational success.
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