our customers. I certainly asked a lot of
questions at the beginning of my career,
and my team can confirm for you that
I still do today! By hearing what others
have to say, on the corporate level, on
the manufacturing lines, and especially
on the customer side, we can gain a better understanding of the vast health-care
landscape and make decisions that are in
the best interest of the company and our
employees.
More specifically, I’d tell a newcomer
that when an interesting opportunity
presents itself, raise your hand! I’m an
advocate of stepping outside of your
comfort zone and taking opportunities
or positions that may seem different or
unusual; in my experience, that’s when
you learn the most. Each new opportunity and relocation pushed me to new
perspectives and helped me to grow as
a leader. Those are the moments that
define you, teach you, and set you apart
from others.
QYou’re active in a number of indus- try associations and university programs. Why do you feel that’s important?
AIt is critical to spend part of your time outside of your own organization’s walls. We do not exist in a vacuum.
We’re part of a vast—and constantly
evolving—global health-care ecosystem,
where the effects of even minor regula-tory or process changes can reverberate
throughout our operations.
That is why I’m proud to serve as
chairman of the board of GS1 Global,
an organization that sets and maintains
global standards for the exchange of critical business data to ensure patient safety
and supply chain efficiency. I also sit on
the board of the National Association of
Manufacturers in the U.S. and am on
the advisory board of AWESOME. And I
very much enjoy spending time with university students getting ready to embark
on supply chain careers.
I see all of these activities as part of my
responsibility as a leader to find and support the next generation of supply chain
leaders. They are the ones who will usher
in the next technology breakthroughs to
meet the changing needs of a market that
we can only imagine today.
AOver the years, I have seen an increase in the number of
women in supply chain management roles and supply chain overall, but there are still too few of
us in leadership positions. This is
reflected in the very small percentage of women (approximately 5%)
who occupy the top supply chain
spot in Fortune 500 companies.
Supply chain is such an interesting and exciting place to be, and
there are many talented women
leading and innovating—I know
thousands of them! We can all do
a better job in telling that story and
supporting younger women who
have the interest and drive to succeed in this space.
I’m very proud to have a gen-
der-balanced (50/50) globally
diverse supply chain leadership
team here at Johnson & Johnson.
We need visible and vocal women
in supply chain roles who can
inspire the next generation of sup-
ply chain and STEM2D (science,
technology, engineering, math,
manufacturing, and design) pro-
fessionals. That is why I dedicate
a portion of my time to serving as
the executive sponsor of Johnson
& Johnson’s “Women’s Leadership
& Inclusion” and “Women in
STEM2D” initiatives.
QWhat advice would you give to someone who is just
starting a career in supply chain
management?
AI’m asked this question a lot, and I’ve realized that the
lessons we learn early on in our
careers will influence the way we
work and lead teams, often for
decades. I always encourage people to ask lots of questions to help
understand the overall context of
a situation and where it sits in
the priorities of the business and
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