Welcome to Supply & Demand Chain Executive’s 20-Year Anniversary issue. And, let me tell you, this one is special.
That’s because SDCE introduced the new Women in Supply Chain award, honoring female supply chain leaders and executives whose accomplishments set a foundation for women in all levels of a company’s supply chain network.
Here’s what I really loved about this award. We received over 300 nominations. Of those 300, 136 were crowned winners, and of those 136, 26 nominations came from men. That’s a little over 5% of the winners being recognized by their male counterparts. This is huge.
I’ve been in the B2B publishing world for close to 14 years; in the supply chain and logistics space for eight of those years. I’ve witnessed the industry evolve from me being the only “girl” in the room to now applauding my female industry friends as they get promoted and move up the ranks.
These women are doing it all—they’re innovating, developing, building, learning, educating and mentoring. They’ve overcome obstacles, moved mountains and closed the door on non-believers.
They continue to make a difference in the supply chain industry, even amid the Coronavirus disease (COVID-19). And, I couldn’t be prouder to be a part of this journey with them.
Congratulations to our overall winner, Bindiya Vakil, founder and CEO of Resilinc. Vakil looks great on paper, but I had the pleasure of talking with her via our LINK Live Facebook Livestream, and she’s even more fascinating “in person.”
Because we now work, live and function in an almost completely digital world, it’s more important than ever that we—women—continue to support each other, embrace each other and lift each other up. Leave the shaming at the door. Let’s mentor, collaborate, teach, learn and grow together. Let’s cut each other some slack.
And, thank you to the men who took the time to nominate the female leaders in their workplace, who continue to support women in general, all while holding the door for us (both literally and figuratively).
So, women, let’s straighten each other’s tiaras and share the seat at the table.
I look forward to seeing what the future holds for all of the women included in this award, in addition to the future female leaders in the making.
