Christine Barnhart

“The term ‘influencer’ has become quite ubiquitous in the online space, especially in social media marketing. What was previously being done by celebrities is now taken over by regular people with large followings on social media platforms,” said Influencer Marketing Hub. The Denmark-based company says it “specializes in producing how-to guides, courses, and research reports in the social media and influencer marketing industry.” How far we’ve come – to the point where there’s an actual influencer marketing industry. Influencer Marketing Hub did say that industry experts and thought leaders “can also be considered influencers in their respective industries. These key opinion leaders have gained respect because of their qualifications, position, or experience in their topic of expertise.” It added that “the opinions of these influencers hold significant weight regardless of their social media follower count.” Supply Chain Media is Transforming to Fit the Needs of a Changing Industry Thankfully, it is the industry experts and thought leaders who are influencing supply chain media rather than TikTok “stars” and the Kardashians. There is now a wealth of supply chain-focused programming keeping industry professionals abreast of the latest trends and innovations. Three Supply Chain Influencers to Watch Vin Vashista, Sofia Rivas, and…

At the 2025 Gartner Supply Chain Planning Summit in Denver, Scott Luton sat down with Fred Baumann, Senior Industry Principal at Kinaxis, one of the world’s most recognized leaders in supply chain planning and orchestration. Kinaxis has spent over four decades shaping the planning landscape and has been named to the Gartner Leaders Quadrant an extraordinary 11 consecutive times—a testament to its execution strength and long-term vision. Baumann’s role at Kinaxis centers on helping chief supply chain officers and senior leaders shape their strategic transformation roadmaps, quantify value, and build the business cases necessary to achieve breakthrough outcomes.   From Episodic Disruptions to Continuous Turbulence When asked about old and new challenges facing supply chain planning teams, Baumann observed a major shift: disruption is no longer episodic—it’s continuous. Historically, companies faced major disruptions every few years. Today, volatility and constraint-related challenges—whether driven by tariffs, sourcing changes, geopolitical shifts, or supply shortages—are unfolding weekly or even daily. This environment demands a new way of working. The speed of global business is accelerating, and uncertainty is at historic highs. As Baumann noted, organizations must now adjust their supply chains “much faster than they had to even last year.” The shift isn’t only…