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August 27, 2021
This Week In Supply Chain Now: August 23rd – 27th
Stay up to date on all the latest conversations, interviews, and episodes we released this week here at Supply Chain Now. We started our week off by publishing a Digital Transformers episode hosted by Kevin L. Jackson. This week he welcomes special guest Trina Limpert with RizeNext. On This Week in Business History, Scott shares a special story that is near and dear to his heart. This episode highlights Scott’s grandfather Dick Rutland. Scott highlights his grandfather’s experiences with Winn-Dixie and Kimberly Clark. On Tuesday, we released an episode of TEKTOK with hosts Scott Luton and Karin Bursa. These two had the amazing opportunity to interview Matthew Harding SVP of Data Science & Engineering, and Ben Cubitt, SVP of Consulting and Network Services at Transplace. For this episode of Supply Chain Now Scott and Greg had the opportunity to interview two important UPS figures: Daniel Gagnon, Vice President of Global UPS Healthcare Marketing and Strategy, and Tim Fosnough, Senior Director of UPS Global Freight Forwarding. During this conversation, UPS responses to the COVID-19 pandemic were discussed. On Thursday, we also released another episode of the Supply Chain Buzz featuring Aaron Meredith from Verusen. Scott, Greg, and Aaron covered all the…
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July 25, 2025
The Future of Supply Chains Starts With Better Questions
Special Guest Blog Post written by Stela Jaqueta In today’s fast-changing world, Africa’s role in global supply chains is at a tipping point. For too long, the continent has been viewed primarily as a source of raw materials rather than as a strategic partner in value creation. But what if we reimagined everything, from policies and technologies to mindsets and sustainability practices, through an Africa-centered lens? In this blog post, I explore five questions that challenge conventional supply chain thinking. From redefining Africa’s place at the global negotiation table, to elevating cultural intelligence from “soft skill” to strategic necessity, to designing climate-restorative logistics and embracing the digital revolution in a way that includes youth-led and informal businesses, each question is a call to rethink, redesign, and re-center. 1. What would a truly Africa-centered global supply chain look like? A truly Africa-centered global supply chain would shift from a model of extraction to one of empowerment and value creation. It would prioritize investment in local manufacturing, infrastructure, and knowledge transfer, ensuring that raw materials sourced from Africa are processed, packaged, and innovated on the continent. African-led businesses are seen as power players, with a voice and authority at the negotiation…