Jose Paredes Hernandez

A Shift in the Narrative for 2026 In a recent conversation, Scott Luton spoke with Mark Gilham, Vice President & Head of Global Advisory at Enable, about what supply chain and commercial leaders should expect from the year ahead. While many annual outlooks attempt to forecast the next major disruption, Gilham offered a different lens: 2026 may become the “year of no excuses.” After years defined by a global pandemic, inflationary shocks, geopolitical instability, supply shortages, and the rapid rise of AI, organizations have already endured extraordinary volatility. Businesses not only survived, but in many cases adapted and grew. According to Gilham, that reality weakens the argument that disruption alone explains underperformance. Disruption is not disappearing, he cautioned, but leaders can only lean on it for so long.   Why a Calmer Year Raises the Bar Gilham argued that if external conditions stabilize even slightly, the pressure on leadership actually increases. A less chaotic environment removes convenient explanations and shines a brighter light on internal shortcomings. Process gaps, misaligned incentives, and execution failures become harder to ignore when the world is not on fire. Rather than waiting for certainty, Gilham believes leaders should act decisively. This does not mean radical…

This post is written by our friends at e2open. E2open is the connected supply chain software platform that enables the world’s largest companies to transform the way they make, move, and sell goods and services. Moving as one.™ Learn More: www.e2open.com.   Supply chains are entering a pivotal stretch of highway into the future. It’s a route marked by regulatory detours, geopolitical potholes, and rising expectations for speed, intelligence, and resilience. The journey ahead demands connected data, embedded AI, and agile decision-making. Below are the five major “mile markers” defining the road to supply chain transformation, and how e2open helps organizations navigate the way forward with confidence.   1. Tariff and non‑tariff compliance risks: avoiding costly road hazards Tariff volatility and non‑tariff barriers create regulatory road conditions that can change quickly. For cost-focused leaders, this unpredictability can feel like driving through dense fog. One wrong move can result in delays, penalties, or unplanned expenses. Forward‑thinking organizations are installing automated guardrails: integrated trade compliance systems, dynamic landed‑cost modeling, and synchronized import/export workflows. These tools help reduce blind spots and ensure companies don’t veer into costly territory. The e2open Global Trade suite puts the world’s most comprehensive, continuously updated regulatory content directly…