The strength of any profession can be found in the engagement and enthusiasm of its newest recruits – and supply chain is no exception! And with the world adjusting to virtual events and networking, bringing them together and building communities of interest is easier and more sustainable than ever.

Jenny Froome is the Chief Operating Officer at SAPICS, the professional body for Supply Chain Management in South Africa. She is joined for this conversation by Kholofelo Mabila, Data Analyst with the People Shop, Lubinda Lubinda, a pharmacy student at Eden University, and Zethu Dlamini Duty Manager Administration with Worldwide Flight Services. They represent the Young Professionals and Student Conference hosted by SAPICS earlier this year.

In this session with host Scott Luton, they share their inspirations and professional aspirations:

• Some of the technology gaps and challenges that exist in South Africa

• How supply chain knowledge and experience contribute unique value to each industry

• The importance of active mentorship in each person’s professional journey

Intro/Outro (00:03):

Welcome to Supply Chain. Now the voice of global supply chain supply chain now focuses on the best in the business for our worldwide audience, the people, the technologies, the best practices, and today’s critical issues, the challenges and opportunities. Stay tuned to hear from Those Making Global Business happen right here on supply chain now.

Scott Luton (00:32):

Hey, good morning, good afternoon, good evening, Scott Luton and Jenny Froome here with you on Supply Chain. Now welcome to today’s episode, Jenny. How you doing?

Jenny Froome (00:41):

Doing really well, Scott. We’ve got beautiful sunshine and I’m here at a golf day, the Safe Fix Golf Day, which is very exciting. First one in three years,

Scott Luton (00:50):

Man, I am so jealous that I can’t share with you my terrible golf game, uh, today, maybe next year. But hey, you know, uh, beautiful day where you are. We’ve got a beautiful panel here full of perspective, uh, that I can’t wait to dive into. Uh, so big thanks for your facilitation as always, Uh, great guest. So, and we’re continuing our long running series now, a supply chain leadership across Africa that of course we coordinate and collaborate with you and this Apex team on. So always a pleasure to knock out conversations like this with you.

Jenny Froome (01:24):

Oh, is so much fun and such a privilege to be able to shine the light on some of the great people working on this continent.

Scott Luton (01:30):

Yeah, a absolutely. Um, and you know, some two people out there across the billions may not know just two that you serve. Uh, Jenny, a COO of cix, which again is doing wonderful work from a professional standpoint, professional development standpoint, rather a networking, programming, events, You name it, Golf Tour. I’m gonna add to that <laugh>, uh, across Africa. And you can check, uh, you can learn a lot more about sap@sap.org S A I C s.org. Okay, so Jenny, uh, are you ready? I’m gonna introduce each of our panels, uh, panelists here today. You ready? I’m

Jenny Froome (02:07):

Very ready,

Scott Luton (02:09):

<laugh>. Let’s do it. Okay, I’m excited too. Uh, so with that said, I wanna welcome in Coello Mala Data Analyst with the People Shop Coello. How you doing?

Kholofelo Mabila (02:21):

I’m fine, thanks. And how are you Scott?

Scott Luton (02:22):

I’m doing wonderful. I’m doing wonderful. Great to have you here with us. Uh, you’re joined by Zay two, Delini, Duty Manager Administration with Worldwide Flight Services, Zay two. How you doing?

Zethu Dlamini (02:36):

I’m super good. Good. How are you doing?

Scott Luton (02:38):

I am doing wonderful and I can’t wait. I gotta figure out how to be super good, Jenny. I tell ya, that means I 10 plus day, right. Uh, but great to have here. What’s that say too?

Zethu Dlamini (02:51):

I’m saying absolutely. It’s always great to have a super day

Scott Luton (02:54):

<laugh>. You are so right. Um, and finally, we’re joined by Lunda Lunda, a pharmacy student at Eden University. Lunda, how you doing?

Lubinda Lubinda (03:06):

I’m fine, I’m fine. Thanks Scott. And how are

Scott Luton (03:08):

You? I’m doing great. I was hoping you were gonna say super good. Lunda

Jenny Froome (03:12):

<laugh>,

Lubinda Lubinda (03:13):

Uh, you already mentioned. It’s super good.

Scott Luton (03:15):

<laugh>. All right, Well, good, good, good. Hey, welcome to each of you. Uh, I’m really looking forward to learning from, from you and, and, uh, hearing your perspective. But Jenny first question goes to you here today. Um, I really appreciate your facilitation and all these and, and all the great work you do, uh, passion fueled leadership. But, you know, we, our supply chain now team was really excited to be able to contribute on some level to the young professional and student conference that the SAP team hosted a couple months ago now. Um, and I’m a big fan of engaging these folks that we can learn so much from, right? That are, that brings so many new ideas and, and capabilities into our profession. So how did that conference go?

Jenny Froome (03:56):

I think it was fantastic. You know, it’s always, I say to people it’s the, sometimes it’s the shot in the arm that, that I need, You know, it’s easy to get bogged down with admin and all the boring stuff. And then along comes the young professional conference and I’m constantly reminded of the amazing, the amazing future that the profession has got. And I was just reading an article about how we are hemorrhaging apparently, um, supply chain skills at a junior level. Um, and I look, and I think I just, in a way, I hope that that paves the way for these amazing young people to forge stronger careers as a result of it. Cuz they’re, they really are a lot of awfully good young professionals coming through the ranks.

Scott Luton (04:44):

So true. Uh, you and I, big Kendra Spirits in that regard. And, and gosh, industry’s gotta continue to do a better and better job of engaging and, and hearing, uh, their ideas and hearing their questions. Probably most importantly, why low questions that start with why, Right? But you, um, talk to us, you know, you’ve rubbed elbows with all of our panelists in different ways. Tell us more about that.

Jenny Froome (05:08):

So the, so with the online conference, and I just want to say, um, Li’s in Zambia and the three, the other three of us are in South Africa, and there you are in Atlanta. Um, and this is what I think we’ve all realized that we are so lucky that Covid taught us about the online capability. And I think now we’ve got the privilege of being able to be back in person. It’s also really cool to be able to connect virtually at other times. And I was in Zambia two weeks ago, which is where I met laba. Um, and I wouldn’t have been able to do that over the last two years. But now to be able to introduce him to you, to Cappello and to Zeti Zeto, um, virtually, it’s just really amazing. And that’s what I found incredible about the Young Professional conference, was that we were able to break down the barriers of travel of expense because young professionals can’t get often funding to be able to go to an event like this.

Jenny Froome (06:14):

Um, and so for me it was super special to be able to provide an online event with networking capabilities. Um, and it’s really, you know, thanks to organizations like yours that we’re able to do this. Um, and I hope that, you know, one day we’ll get loads of people with loads of money giving us lots of opportunities. Um, but it, it is, and I think it’s, you know, it’s that what, what is it? It’s from little acorns, big trees grow and every little effort all of us can make to nurture and encourage one young professional to, to, to make a difference and to grow. I think it’s, um, we’ll, we’ll have a stronger profession at the end of the day.

Scott Luton (06:55):

Oh, um, a hundred percent, uh, completely agree. And, and you know, you and I both have these conversations and build this platform cause there’s so much goodness in these conversations and ideas and, and passion. Some of the smiles we’ve seen, they could light city blocks. So I, I can’t wait to learn all of our, learn more about our panelists. Uh, and thanks for that, um, those comments on the front end. So, uh, alright, so panelists, we’re gonna get to know all of y’all a little bit better with kind of a fun warmup question before we move into, uh, you know, learning about, um, some of which you are doing out in industry. So I wanna start with C fellow. So who is a, you know, we love talking leadership around here, especially real deeds, not words, leadership. So who is a role model in your eyes and why?

Kholofelo Mabila (07:43):

Oh, thanks Scott. Uh, so for me, uh, in my eyes, leader, uh, leadership, uh, is is I would say a leader is somebody who leads by example. First of all, somebody who lives their truths, you know? And so for me, on my side, I would say one of my leaders, uh, was my uncle who actually passed away, uh, last year. And he had a typical, um, disadvantaged background, I would say grew up in a poor household, but managed to gain some success and even started his own, uh, business, uh, based, uh, training youth in the township, uh, trade skills like welding and boiler making and such. But that’s not the reason why he’s my role model. The reason that he’s my role model is because, uh, he was a genuine lifelong learner. You know, I remember, uh, me and my mom visited him just before he passed, and he had this, uh, room with walls filled with all these qualifications.

Kholofelo Mabila (08:38):

And even still in retirement, he was still going strong, pushing, learning, you know. And so I asked him like, Why would you continue? I mean, you’re in retirement, you should be sitting on your arm chair, you know, smoking your pipe, <laugh> watching the grandkids play around. And he said it in, in our language, but I’ll try and translate. So he was like, you know, like the mind is like a flame that you always have to keep feeding or otherwise it dies out. So, and if the mind dies out, everything else just goes out the window. So he was somebody who lived his truth. He wasn’t doing it because he wanted a bigger salary or a promotion. He just continued learning because that’s who he was. You know, he was a lifelong learner. So I would say that’s my role model

Scott Luton (09:22):

Cola fellow man. What a wonderful place to start with this conversation. Okay, Ed, too and Lida, y’all have your work cut out for you, right? I, what a great answer, and I’m gonna steal that. Uh, I’m paraphrase it, but the mind is like a flame. You gotta keep feeding it. Uh, wonderful answer. Okay. So is that too, along those lines? And, and by the way, Ello your uncle’s name. What, who, what was your uncle’s name?

Kholofelo Mabila (09:46):

Uh, he was Bob, Bob Maga.

Scott Luton (09:48):

Okay. Well rest in peace, uh, Uncle Bob. So thank you for sharing that. Okay, so Libin, you know, we love talking food here at Supply Chain House, one of Jenny and my favorite things to talk about. So what’s <laugh>? What’s one of your favorite things to eat?

Lubinda Lubinda (10:06):

All right, so I have a long list, but talk about my favorite. No, I won’t, I won’t. Um, I, I I love to take mac and cheese with fried chicken alongside. There has to be some, uh, lemon squash. That’s what I’d love to take. And I, I, I take that quite often. Lemon squash, mac and cheese, and some fried chicken. You get me on my tummy all the time,

Scott Luton (10:37):

Man. You’re talking my language. Luda, I can eat fried chicken every day if my, uh, my dear wife Amanda would let me. Uh, and I love marrying, to your point, lemon squash. Uh, I like that. I like lemon zucchini, you know, squash and zucchini are so closely related, and I love that, um, that citrus flavor with, uh, onions and, and either there’s zucchini or a squash. So, hey, let’s go meet after today’s conversation. Let’s go have lunch. How about that? Lida? Yeah, <laugh>. Um, now some folks may not know. So on the front end, as, as Jenny mentioned, don’t say goat, uh, if you aren’t with us depreciation like our listeners aren’t, um, Lida, you’ve got a goat just within arm, well, maybe just outside the window or something. And he or she was looking to contribute to our conversation. So that’s where Jenny’s comment, don’t say goat, uh, comes from. Um, okay. So Jenny, your quick comment, uh, on what, uh, c fellow or Lunda has shared here already.

Jenny Froome (11:36):

Yeah, I, I love C Fellow’s contribution to, to that both of them. I mean, Mackin cheese, you can’t do that and fried chicken. Fantastic. Um, I think that, uh, the lifelong learning, um, aspect is something that we all forget about and you’re never too old to learn. So that I really took, took that away with me. So thank you for that, chaps, really good contribution.

Scott Luton (12:00):

Agreed. Agreed. Okay. So Cola Fellow and Lubin, uh, thank you for sharing your, your responses, giving us a little insight into who you are and some of your, uh, you know, some of your personality there. All right, so big thanks, uh, Colo Fellow and Lubin for your answers there. Uh, what to bring you all back and talk a lot more food. And, uh, as co fellow talked about that value from his uncle of always learning no matter where you are in life. I love that. Um, so Jenny, we unfortunately have lost one of our pan panelists, and this happens in this, you know, remote world of technology these days, but we believe we lost ET two due to some of the load shedding that’s taking place where she lives. And, and Jenny, I think some of our listening audience, much like I was not too long ago, aren’t familiar with, with what that is, what that means and it’s impact, especially as it relates to, you know, bridging the technology cap. Can you share a little, um, insights around that?

Jenny Froome (12:57):

Yeah, it’s, um, so load shedding technically is rolling power outages. Um, and basically in South Africa, we don’t have enough electricity to cope with demand. We’ve also got, unfortunately, infrastructure that hasn’t been maintained well. So it collapses every now and again. And so they’re having to ration power and that they’re doing that and it’s actually really well organized, which is kind of spec, I feel a bit hypocritical saying that, but they, um, so they, the power is cut for two and a half hour periods, depending on what’s, what level we are on at the moment, we’re on level four, which means that we have three, two and a half hour outages per day. So that’s seven and a half hours without electricity in various different, um, different time zones. And it’s having a huge impact, as you can imagine, on manufacturing, on retail, um, diesel, because people are having to buy more diesel to power generators.

Jenny Froome (14:02):

Uh, it’s, it’s getting a bit out, not outta control. We’re all managing and we’re all managing with a good sense of humor. But it’s opportunities like this that if you don’t have a generator, if you don’t have a big and, and a UPS system, you can’t keep on line with the internet, right? And it’s made us all realize just how, um, it really, the internet really is our, it’s our lifeblood. It’s what connects us all. And you can’t, you can’t do stuff without it often. So it’s been a, it’s a, it’s a real eyeopener. We’ve all become much better organized. I mean, you’ll see she tried to, to get herself somewhere where there was electricity, obviously it’s been cut again. So yeah, it’s one of those, those things.

Scott Luton (14:52):

Well, what, uh, thank you for sharing that. I, I, you know, again, I think that’s in the blind spot for many, many of our listeners, no matter where they are. And it is certainly an obstacle, uh, to taking advantage of a wide variety of growth opportunities and, and, uh, ventures and just you name it. So hopefully something we can continue to, to address as a global, um, uh, society, uh, in the years ahead. Um, and you mentioned ups, so some, our listeners may not know the acronym. Uninterrupted,

Jenny Froome (15:19):

Uninterrupted Power

Scott Luton (15:21):

Supply Supply, right? So not

Jenny Froome (15:23):

The company, right? Uninterrupted Power Supply

Scott Luton (15:25):

<laugh>. Okay. So we’re gonna continue on, we’ll have Zay two back. I, I look forward to having her back on a, a future episode. She’s got so much to share, much like, uh, our other two guests here. So Jenny, with that said, let’s dive into our next question with co fellow.

Jenny Froome (15:39):

Yeah. So co fellow, what made you choose supply chain management as a career?

Kholofelo Mabila (15:48):

Thanks, Jenny. Uh, so, uh, before I begin, you know, it makes me think about this quote, uh, by Jordan Peterson where he says, uh, finding work that you love, uh, is a luxury by finding work that you find meaningful is an imperative. I’m paraphrasing. So for me, uh, while I cannot say that I’m head over heels yet with supply chain and logistics because I’m still starting out, but for me, I view it as a career path that’s meaningful. I mean, if you think about a supply chain and logistics is the lifeblood of any economy, you know, you cut that circulation, everything just falls apart. So for me, I’m still, we still dating, if you, if I could say that, you know, <laugh>, so we still getting to know each other, you know, So yeah, I’m gonna tell, I’m hoping that it’ll be a career path that I learn to love, but for now I see it as something that’s meaningful and that could be fulfilling. So that’s why I chose this career path.

Jenny Froome (16:45):

That’s brilliant. And obviously data is the hot topic at the moment, isn’t it? And it’s, that’s that data analytics. So you can have all the data in the world, but if you don’t do anything with it, so it’s people like you who, who are doing the stuff with it.

Kholofelo Mabila (17:01):

Yeah.

Scott Luton (17:02):

Yeah. So true.

Kholofelo Mabila (17:02):

That’s definitely true. And I, and I feel like I’m fortunate, uh, because, uh, right now, uh, like how I met my actual, how I got into my actual job was actually through SUEx. Uh, uh, uh, the, the lady who’s my boss right now actually did, uh, a webinar for us for young professionals, uh, a webinar that’s webinar series, if I may say so. So, uh, right now I would say that I might not be way exactly I want to be, because I’m not necessarily in logistics and supply chain. Like the People Shop is a recruitment agency that specializes in recruitment for supply chain and, uh, logistics professionals. So we do executive coaching, but the fact that I’m actually gaining and building those data analytics skills, so for when I actually do, when the opportunity does arises, I I, I see it as a placing, you know, it reminds you of that saying that, you know, you may not get what you want, but you may get what you need, you know, so,

Scott Luton (18:03):

Right. Yeah. And, and you know, as, as we all know, um, people are the, one of the most valuable parts of global supply chains. And, and for you in that experience, you’re gaining right now, kind of seeing the people side of global supply chain, what a great blessing. And it may, it may uncover eureka moment for you to say, Hey, okay, gosh, that’s exactly what I wanna do. Right? So I appreciate your perspective there, uh, Cola fellow, and of course, and we’ll dive a little deeper to, um, maybe the role SAP’s played in your continued journey. Um, okay, Jenny, Uh, I wanna talk to lada. I think, you know, um, some of what some of our shows we’ve done together have really focused on, you know, medical supplies. Um, not just in Africa, but, but everywhere, right? Cause, cause uh, as a famous guest, once, once said, uh, no pro, um, uh, no, no, no product,

Lubinda Lubinda (18:57):

No products, no program.

Scott Luton (18:59):

Yes, thank you Jenny. No product, no program, no supply chain. Nothing happens that, you know, the critical aid doesn’t reach, uh, where the people that, that need it the most, right? Or need it need it at all. Mm-hmm. <affirmative>. So Lida, I love that you are starting, you’re studying rather to be a pharmacist. So are you able to tie back in, you know, how critical that supply chain management competence and skills, and why they’re so valuable and imperative kind of in the pharmacy world and, and in that pharmacist’s role?

Lubinda Lubinda (19:33):

Yes. Um, to begin with, I would say, uh, about supply chain, two weeks ago, I, I, I had bad little knowledge on nothing, but I was privileged to, to attend, um, a meeting, or should I say a conference? That’s the pt d people that deliver conference. That’s where I actually met Jenny. Yes. So now I can com because I, I had a chance to, to, to talk to a lot of professionals in supply chain and management. And now I know that for a pharmacist, it’s, it’s not just the drugs that you get and you’re just there, You say you have the drugs, it’s also about where they’re coming from. There’s quality check. If, if you look at supply chain, the whole, the whole logistics system about supply chain, there’s control, check, quality check. And so all those skills that we can apply, they’re very important, um, in, in, in their pharmacy faculty because we don’t want to deliver drugs to people that are not of good quality.

Lubinda Lubinda (20:35):

So want to do some quality check. And so it’s important for us to, to have those, uh, skills because we would want to know where is the drug coming from and how is it going to be distributed? And if you’re going to distribute a drug, you have to understand, um, which place are you distributing your drugs to, is something you’d call, uh, disease B uh, disease burden. So you do all those research work and all those things are embedded in supply chain. So I think for me, it’s, it’s a great opportunity and chance that I was given to, to learn about this. And I would want to, to further my studies, even after pharmacists to, to venture in supply chain. I think it’s a great thing for me. Yeah.

Scott Luton (21:18):

Wonderful. I love that. You know, you’re talking a lot about, uh, provenance, uh, you know, how can we have confidence in all the products that we use, but certainly the things we put in our bodies, right? Um, Jenny, I was reading in the Wall Street Journal, uh, over the last few days about, you know, the country of India is, I believe the world’s second largest drug manufacturing market. And they’ve had, unfortunately, uh, especially I think related like children’s cough medicine, they’ve had some, some big quality issues that speak to what you’re talking about. Uh, Lunda is so critical, right? And I, and we’re not pointing fingers, every industry has its challenges, but especially with medicine, various, some very unique challenges there. Jenna, your comments?

Jenny Froome (22:02):

Yeah, I think it was the same when I went to Benne. I went to a, um, a, a a, the university there, and there was a young lady doing a presentation about counterfeit drugs and the whole route cuz Benin was being used as a, as a outlet, the country, because it’s right on the coast. Um, and just that, that realization of how important the role of the pharmacist is, but in, in keeping us all safe, but also just how important it is that they are given the right skills to understand the whole science behind supply chain management. So it’s a, it’s a, it, it was, it’s a, we had a terrific team in Zambia of students from Eden University, and it’s, we’ll talk about Dr. Matto later, but one of his real passions is that these young pharmacists are educated in supply chain skills. Um, so Lidy, you’ve got a great journey ahead of you.

Scott Luton (23:05):

Agreed, man. Uh, they’re, I’ll tell you, uh, co fellow and Loda are light years ahead of where I was, uh, at their point, at my point, you know, at their age. So I love this. Um, okay, so Jenny, I, I think, you know, co fellow mentioned earlier, uh, the Stix organization and, and, uh, some of its impact on his journey. I think we wanna kind of dive in a little bit more there with him, right?

Jenny Froome (23:30):

Yep. So, so CFE is someone to whom I owe a big thank you. Um, he, he was dragged kicking and screaming into a role that initially he didn’t feel very comfortable in. And I hope you don’t mind me sharing this co cuz I think we know well enough that you’ve grown into it with such great ease. Um, and he’s been the chairman of the Saex Young Professional Committee for two years now, I think, or maybe even three with covid. I sort of forget. Um, and it’s, it, it’s just amazing to see the participation, the leadership in a quiet, controlled manner, um, and, and the little team that’s growing and the community that’s growing. So it’s fantastic. And the fact that you ended up working that cofi ended up working with an organization with whom Safe Fix has been aligned for a very long time. And Chantel CADing is, is one of those people who will drop everything to come and help or speak or mentor or whatever at Safe Fix. So it’s almost like, you know, future generation, current generation of favorite people are getting together, um, to make, to make something great, even if it’s just a foundational phase. But, um, I, we know that your safe experience, um, Kohl has really sort of, you know, helped, but do you wanna give people an, an indication of just what being part of the community has has meant to you?

Kholofelo Mabila (25:01):

Thanks, Jenny. So for me, uh, maybe I should start off with why I actually joined SUEx, right? So, um, how I got into supply chain was actually, uh, through my previous job. So I worked for a car rental agency, and the nice thing about it is that they always encouraged employees to learn as much as possible about the business. So even if you were just an uneducated sales agent and you were curious about what the guys in fleet management were doing, so you could go there, hang out with them, find out, uh, how does their work impact yours, how your work impacts theirs. So for me, I always loved the space. It was, it was always a fast dynamic, a high pressure environment. So one day I asked one of the analysts working there, like, if I wanted to pursue this career path, you know, and do what you do, what would I need?

Kholofelo Mabila (25:51):

You know, and she said, I would need like three things to start off. First of all, an education that goes without saying. Secondly, she said, I would need the right type of mindset, uh, because 90% of the job is problem solving, so you have to be a problem solver. And thirdly, she said that I would need a good mentor to bring it all together. So education, problem solving, acumen, and to perform beyond what is expected of me. And so that’s one of the reasons I actually joined SUEx, the mentoring part, you know, as a student, uh, the biggest challenges, uh, that, that I believe that we face is actually building a professional network. Because as a student, all, you know, are just other students, you know, and it reminds me of that saying that your network is your net worth, you know, And so I joined SUEx in 2020 and, you know, I was kind of like a silver lining because, because of, of Covid, we started having a lot of webinars, right?

Kholofelo Mabila (26:46):

And that’s where I knew I was in the right place because I was hearing from supply chain professionals all over the world while the pandemic was fault was unfolding, right? Talking about the experiences that they were having, the tough decisions that they had to make, and more importantly, the skills that would become a prerequisite for anyone going forward in this industry. So for me, that has been the most powerful experience, you know, to be a student and to be in that webinar with all these guys seasons, seasoned, seasoned professionals, you know, being able to actually ask them questions after their presentation. So for me, that’s what, apart it’s about building that community, that network of professionals. And as I mentioned earlier, the reason that I actually do have my job right now is through SUEx. Cause that’s how I actually met my boss. So it, it’s, it, it’s self evident, you know, that communities like these are important and can play an important role in students’ lives. And so, just in closing, the best way I could put it, it’s like being able, it’s like being for, from a student’s perspective, it’s like being in the industry before even entering it, by just being around these professionals. So for me, that’s what SEP is,

Scott Luton (27:59):

Man. Okay. Uh, Cola Fellow, you bringing it here today. I, I love that. And, and a lot of what you shared there, you know, that’s been my experiences. Yep. With SAPs going back years now, Jenny. So I love the role that y’all play. The, um, outcomes driven, the purpose driven, uh, programming, um, and all that you offer. So thank you for sharing a lot of that, uh, Ello. All right. Lida, I wanna go back, uh, to what you were talking about. You know, you’re studying to be a pharmacist and what’s gotta be a very complex trade and complex industry. Um, you’re kind of speaking to that a second ago about Providence as we were, we were chatting, but what, what made you want to be a pharmacist? Lida.

Lubinda Lubinda (28:45):

Okay, thank you for the question. And to begin with, I am going to say this, um, I looked at all the professionals. There’s medicine, there’s, uh, pharmacy, there’s nursing, and one here could also do clinical medicine. And then after looking at that, cause I personally a one person that does, uh, a little form of business, like around campus, I saw headphones, earphones, and everything. So I looked at something that could give me a privilege. If I joined, I could continue to venture in with, uh, with the same direction of doing business. And farmers came with the right, uh, atmosphere, came with the right conditions, the right place for me to, to to, to continue with doing business. And there’s, there’s, there’s a lot I could do. And 1, 1, 1, 1 more thing I could say is I was, I was ready cause I did a background check.

Lubinda Lubinda (29:39):

So I was ready. What I was going to find. The, the math, the sciences, I mean, has been kind of my, been my thing the whole time. But the actual thing that moved me was the after school stuff. The, the what I, the subjects, the math, the sciences, farmers practice, pharmacology. I’m okay with that. But after my school, what am I going to find? What do I want to do? That’s what I was looking at. Okay. And in, in, in pharmacy right now, I were looking at some, um, like supply chain. This is an amazing thing for me. And I want to go on with this and see where it’s going to take me. I don’t have more of the ideas, but with a continuous, um, a continuous way in which I continue participating in some of these things, conferences and meeting professionals like you, I think I’m in the right place and our continu venture in this. So that’s what actually motivated me to be a pharmacist, the afterlife.

Scott Luton (30:42):

Okay. So I heard a couple things there, Jenny. Uh, I heard number one, clearly Luda is talented in the science and math area, unlike some of us <laugh> that struggled, those areas. So that was a good fit. I heard impact, you know, Luda wanted to make an impact. And as we all do, we want higher ability. We wanna be able to train in something that, that we can, we can go out and make our mark and make a living. So all those things and, and more were reasons why he chose the, uh, pharmacy profession. So we look forward to seeing you matriculate through the program, especially with your appreciation for all things supply chain. So, Jenny, I know you had a question about mentorship for Lida, right?

Jenny Froome (31:23):

Yeah. And I think it’s something Colello also because he’s been involved with Safe Fix from the beginning of our mentorship program. Um, but you know, with Lida, I’ve seen, and I know, um, that the role that the, that Dr. Matto plays in the pharmacy, uh, in the pharmacist, um, at, at University of Eden. And, and the desire for the students to do more, to learn more, to be more, and to experience more. And I think that, you know, for for, for both Lida and Cella, it’s, it’s been really obvious that mentorship, it obvious to me is that mentorship has really enhanced their journey thus far. And I just wanted to find out from Lider if that really was the case or if I’m looking at the wrong picture.

Lubinda Lubinda (32:16):

Um, I, I, I’ll be direct at this. And Dr. Mato is just the right person we have, he’s the right man and he’s doing a great job. Cause I’ll tell you, he’s supporting us in a lot of things, let’s say, exposing us to the farmers who are out there because he’s one person who believes in, uh, after school, after all the school stuff. What you find out there in, uh, in the world is the practice could be a bit different. So as a man who is, uh, who has all the experience out there, he’s always there to train us, to show, to show us the right path. And he’s someone who, who you are, we all want to, to continue showing us the right path because he’s exposed and his exposure does not end with him. He brings it out for to, to us so that we can have the same experience and be ready for the world out there.

Lubinda Lubinda (33:11):

He would help us each time you have a winner, something he makes sure he, he helps you support that. And he makes sure, he helps you cheer up if you have your down moments. He, he always ensures you, you’re just having the best moments. And for him, it’s not just about school. Cause he’d want you to, to, to enjoy. Tomorrow. We’re going to be having Sports Day here at, at, at pharmacy. Something has, uh, something he has approved because he’s our dean. And that tells you that as a mentor, you’re not just so focused on whatever the person is doing, but you want to be not the best of, of, of the person healthwise, uh, educative and everything. And Dr. Mato is there doing all that for us, and we really appreciate and enjoy his company.

Scott Luton (33:59):

I love that about Dr. Mato. And, and please give him our regards because I love, as you described at Lunda, it’s far beyond just the grades that, that, uh, he’s helping y’all, uh, attain. It’s, it’s your life. It’s the whole journey. It’s the holistic approach to making sure that, uh, that you’re getting the most out of, uh, this journey. Jenny, I think we were gonna pose, get, uh, co fellows, uh, thoughts about mentorship as well, right?

Jenny Froome (34:26):

Mm-hmm. <affirmative>. Yeah, absolutely. I’ll be interested to hear, and one of the things you know, is that mentorship doesn’t have to be from the people who are in the same career as you, because I know that, you know, co correct me if I’m wrong, but Claire has definitely given you a lot of mentorship and guidance in your role as, as chairperson of, of Safe Pick. So it’s also, it’s the informal mentoring as well as the formal mentoring. Do you want to comment on that?

Kholofelo Mabila (34:57):

Yes, so true. I completely agree with that. So on, on my side, I can also add on that and say that, uh, even though you don’t have, uh, let’s say, uh, a a close relationship with someone, but they can also be mentoring you in a way. Cause as I said, you know, when we, when we would have those webinars at SUEx, right? And, uh, and I would, and I would attend them, you know, I would take notes and, and, and listen, you know, and use what I learn from these speakers, from these gay speakers and professionals to map out my own career path, start starting to think about where I wanna go. You know, I never even imagined, uh, moving into data analytics with like a focus on supply chain. And it, it’s all because of subjects. It’s all because of subjects who I am <laugh>. So mentorship does not necessarily have to be somebody who’s just, it, it, it can be it, it can just be as simple as a webinar, you know? Because as they share their experiences, you learn from that and you take what you can take and you apply it to yourself. So yeah, I can definitely say that. Yeah, it’s been really a great experience

Scott Luton (36:01):

And reverse. I

Jenny Froome (36:02):

Permiss, I’m not paying him.

Scott Luton (36:04):

So <laugh>, no <laugh>, we know, and our audience knows, uh, Saex and Jenny fr and, and all the great work y’all put into and invest in a lot of the experiences at, at, uh, co fellows just been sharing. Um, one last thing about mentoring. You know, Jeanine, you and I have chatted about this on, on shows and, and sidebar conversations, you name it, Revo, uh, reverse mentoring is so valuable, right? As we’re sitting here learning from Lou Bend and Coello here today, frankly. Yeah, I’ve got my couple pages of notes from things that they’re sharing. You know, it, it’s not, it’s gotta be a two-way street. I think the most successful mentorship relationships are good two-way streets. Okay? So what we wanna do, uh, I hate to wind a conversation down, y’all bring so much to the table, and I really appreciate your, your, uh, pos both of you, your positive mindsets. You’re a lot like Jenny in that, this regard. Um, so how can folks, let’s make sure folks know how to connect with you both Lubin, how can folks connect with you and network with you?

Lubinda Lubinda (37:04):

Okay. I, I think for me the most easiest, uh, form of which people can connect with me, uh, is through LinkedIn and my account is Lubin Lubin, my, my names. But I think I can also, I think it’s okay if I could also share my contact on WhatsApp. It’s the easiest, the most easiest way. Cause I’m always online and I think it’s the easiest. So I’ll just share my contact. I can just, I think, is it okay if I can just share it out?

Scott Luton (37:32):

Sure. You’ll be the first Lubin, you’ll be the first person and approximately 1050 shows that have shared their WhatsApp here. So if you’re comfortable, I’m comfortable.

Lubinda Lubinda (37:44):

Ah, okay. Sure. So it’s plus cause I’ll give the codes name for Zambia for, that’s plus two 60 then 9 7 9 84 60 13. So I think that’s the easiest form of connecting with me.

Scott Luton (37:58):

Love that. And hey, uh, Jenny has taught me, I’m learning some new technologies like WhatsApp. So thank you so much, Lida

Jenny Froome (38:07):

America. I’ve never taught anyone anything technological in my life,

Scott Luton (38:11):

So thank you, Scott. You bet. Um, okay, so Lida, thank you so much and we look forward to getting an update on your journey to becoming a very successful pharmacist and making, you know, kicking your dent in our universe. Um, okay, co fellow, I really have enjoyed your perspective. Clearly you’re already given back, uh, you know, in your new role as industry, but still giving back via safe picks and some of your volunteer leadership activities there. I really admire that. How can folks connect with you as well?

Kholofelo Mabila (38:39):

Uh, well for me it’s LinkedIn. It’s just my name and surname, Ello and I should pop up. I think I’m the first on LinkedIn, so I need’s

Scott Luton (38:48):

<laugh>. We know we’re gonna make it easy. We’re gonna include based on, um, the information we gather from y’all will include that in episode notes. So our listeners will be one click away from connecting and enjoying conversations with you. So thank you. So co fellow, thank you so much for all that you’re doing and your time here.

Kholofelo Mabila (39:03):

Thank

Jenny Froome (39:04):

You. Amen.

Scott Luton (39:05):

Okay, so Jenny, uh, before we fo formally sign off, uh, two quick questions for you. Uh, first off, what was your favorite thing, at least one of ’em that was shared here today? Technology challenges and all, you know, hey, you know, the, the, uh, meaningful things in life aren’t ever easy. Um, and then secondly, let’s make sure folks I connect with you and say pick. So on the first one, your best favorite thing here, one of ’em.

Jenny Froome (39:30):

Uh, just being able to listen to these, these two young men who are, you know, they are the future. And I just think the, the, the wisdom and like you said, the reverse mentorship. That’s, that’s what keeps us going, isn’t it? It’s learning from others, but understanding that we can learn from those younger than us as well as those older than us. So I think that’s been a, a really, really great, um, education for me today.

Scott Luton (39:57):

So important. You know, we, um, we, one of our programs here, we’ve talked about for Jenny, the now generation, you know, we’re, we’re, we’re connecting with universities, especially those that really invest in their supply chain management programs. And one of my favorite questions to ask these professors of these, you know, these leaders of these programs is, Hey, what are you learning from the students? And that their eyes just sparkle much like, uh, our guests here. I mean, with all that they learn from that two-way street. So, but Jenny, uh, if folks wanna plug in the SAPs program and they wanna support a lot of the great work that y’all do, professional development, education, some of the events that Coello, um, and Lubin was talking about via y’all’s partnership with folks like people that deliver great organization. How can folks connect with you?

Jenny Froome (40:42):

Easiest for me is, is LinkedIn. Um, but otherwise, um, via say it’s very easy email address, Jenny safe dot, what is it? Org z. Um, but you know, also Vacot, he’ll know how to find me.

Scott Luton (40:57):

You bet. And if you have any challenges that you reach out to us, we’ll make sure it gets you connected. I will also have those links again in the episode notes. Uh, my heart is full. I love these conversations. I really do. I know we, we didn’t, you know, an hour. It’s tough to, and there’s so much we didn’t get to here today, but I really appreciate y’all’s time, uh, here today. So I wanna thank again our, uh, distinguished guests, Coello Mala, a data analyst with the People Shop Coello. Thank you so much for what you do.

Kholofelo Mabila (41:26):

Thank you, Scott, it was a pleasure.

Scott Luton (41:29):

We’ll have you back home soon. And then of course, Luda Lunda, a pharmacy student at Eden University, uh, that one that appreciates supply chain management that many, uh, aren’t, uh, don’t. So hey, you got a leg up already. Luda, thank you for your time here today.

Lubinda Lubinda (41:46):

Thank you. Thank you very much and thank you for the opportunity to speak here.

Scott Luton (41:50):

You bet. You bet. We’ll check back in you soon. Big thanks to ASU Lamini, we’ll have her back on a future episode. You know, um, as you know, Murphy’s Law and Technology is still, is still in play. And we’ll overcome that challenge on a future episode. Jenny, Jenny fr with SAP Pix, the one only Jenny Frum. Hey, thanks for all that you do on these conversations. Uh, I know you get as much of a kick out of it and your, uh, community and, and audience as much as ours. It’s always a pleasure and honored not, um, facilitating these conversations with you.

Jenny Froome (42:23):

Yeah, thank you so much again. You know, together everyone achieves more. That’s, that’s what I believe

Scott Luton (42:30):

That is. Um, I bet you have a tattoo of that acronym team together.

Jenny Froome (42:35):

No, I’m too scared.

Scott Luton (42:36):

<laugh>. Well, hey, thank you everybody. Thank you Jenny. Uh, co fellow, uh, Lunda Tu uh, thanks to all of our listeners, uh, really appreciate, you know, y’all lean into these conversations, uh, and we want to get your feedback on that. But what folks, whatever you do, right, whether it is pics, whether it is organizations like people that deliver, whether it’s your own, your own local non-profits that enable these experiences that our guests spoke to today, hey, lean in and invest in them, right? Deeds not words. Write those checks and spend that time. Uh, but whatever you do, uh, Scott Luden, on behalf of our entire supply chain now, team challenged you to do good, to give forward and to be the change. And with that said, we’ll see next time, right back here at Supply Chain now. Thanks everybody.

Intro/Outro (43:19):

Thanks for being a part of our supply chain now, community. Check out all of our programming@supplychainnow.com and make sure you subscribe to Supply Chain now, anywhere you listen to podcasts. And follow us on Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, and Instagram. See you next time on Supply Chain. Now.