Today we continue the Supply Chain Leadership Across Africa series as host Scott Luton and special guest host Jenny Froome are joined by Pam Steele, founder and CEO at Pamela Steele Associates, and Rebecca Alban, Senior Manager of Health Systems at VillageReach to discuss the gender imbalance in the global supply chain, particularly in the public health supply chain workforce. Listen in as Pam and Rebecca highlight the importance of achieving gender balance in the industry, not just for equity, but also for improving supply chain performance. They also discussed the barriers women face in the industry, such as cultural norms, biases, and organizational cultures, and ideas for addressing the issues. Join us for an inspiring conversation about the role women play in the healthcare workforce, and the transformational impact they can have on it.

In this episode of Supply Chain Now, hosts Scott Luton and Kim Reuter welcome Bobby Holland, Vice President/Director of Freight Business Analytics at U.S. Bank, and Heather Shilt, Director, Global Logistics at Fortive, to unpack Q3 2025 findings from the U.S. Bank Freight Payment Index, one of the industry’s most referenced trucking indicators, informed by tens of billions in transactions. The panel explores why volumes are down even as costs rise, how tariffs and manufacturing softness are reshaping regional performance, and where rate pressure and capacity tightness are showing up first. Together, they dig into nine key takeaways from the national and regional views (West, Southwest, Midwest, Northeast, Southeast): most significant sequential gains in the West in four years, persistent softness in the Southwest, and mixed signals elsewhere as consumer demand, housing starts, and labor dynamics tug the market in different directions. From shipper playbooks (carrier-mix depth, lane-level cost vigilance, and alternate modes) to practical watch-outs for Q4 and early 2026, this data-driven conversation equips operators to trend, plan, and pressure-test their assumptions in a volatile environment. This episode is hosted by Scott Luton and Kim Reuter, and produced by Trisha Cordes, Joshua Miranda, and Amanda Luton.   Additional Links…