Share:

Ronny Elfassy

More

October 22, 2021

This Week In Supply Chain Now: October 18th – 22nd

Stay up to date on all the latest conversations, interviews, and episodes we released this week here at Supply Chain Now! We kicked this week off with a new episode in our Supply Chain Real Estate Series produced in partnership with Prologis. Scott Luton and special host Ward Richmond welcomed Managing Partner Will O’Donnell and Vice President Todd Lewis from Prologis Ventures. For Monday’s This Week In Business History episode, Scott tells an interesting story of one of the most captivating and influential movie rental businesses in American history. On Tuesday, we released a new episode of TEKTOK, with host Karin Bursa. In this episode, Karin talks with Ben Cubitt, SVP of Consulting and Network Services for Transplace. They discuss the future of supply chain logistics into next year, from continued network disruptions to taking smart steps today to regain a proactive footing. On Wednesday’s Supply Chain Now episode, Scott and special guest host Crystal Davis welcomed the Vice President of Transportation for Home Depot, Sarah Galica, to the show. She gives insight on some of the improvements that resulted in $34 billion dollars in growth for The Home Depot. For Thursday’s Supply Chain Now episode, Scott and guest host…
innovation
December 18, 2025

Coupa’s Nari Viswanathan on Autonomous Spend, AI Accessibility, and the Future of Planning

At the Gartner Supply Chain Planning Summit in Denver, Scott Luton sat down with Nari Viswanathan, a veteran innovator in the planning and procurement technology space and a key leader at Coupa. The two reconnected after several recent collaborations—including webinars, industry sessions, and conversations in Dallas—and discussed the new realities of supply chain planning and how organizations are embracing technology like never before.   Coupa and Autonomous Spend Management For those less familiar with Coupa, Viswanathan explained the company as the global leader in autonomous spend management—a framework that brings together direct and indirect spending to help organizations manage total spend more intelligently. Direct spend, of course, is where supply chain operations come into focus, making planning, design, and cost optimization central to the value Coupa delivers. Viswanathan leads Coupa’s global supply chain strategy, shaping how the company positions and scales its solutions across the market. After years spent in supply chain planning technology, he now sits at the intersection of procurement, supply chain, and advanced analytics—an area he believes has never been more exciting or more critical.   Old Problems, New Pressures—and a Greater Willingness to Innovate When asked about the biggest challenges facing planners today, Viswanathan emphasized a…