Top 10 CEOs
30 Jan

Top 10 CEOs Who Have Had Roles in Supply Chain

From tech giants to manufacturing leaders, the top 10 CEOs in the supply chain industry have blazed a trail of success. Explore their stories and accomplishments, and be inspired to become an effective leader in your own right.

 

Don’t forget! We have tons of other interesting blogs with valuable insights related to the supply chain field, such as the following:

 

Not to mention you will also find best practicestools, and a list of helpful supply chain resources on the website!

 

The Top 10 CEOs Who Have Worked As Supply Chain Professionals

 

Top 10 Supply Chain CEOs

 

1. Tim Cook

 

Tim Cook, the CEO of Apple, has a background in operations and supply chain management. He began his career at Compaq and joined IBM’s Personal Computer division. In 1998, he joined Apple as Senior Vice President for Worldwide Operations.

 

During his tenure as a supply chain professional, Cook has been credited with developing and implementing a new efficient supply chain system, sourcing and building relationships with key suppliers and manufacturing partners, developing and implementing new logistics and distribution strategies, managing the rapid expansion of Apple’s retail presence and playing a key role in Apple’s efforts to improve working conditions and labour standards at its suppliers’ factories. Cook’s experience and expertise in supply chain management helped Apple become one of the world’s most successful and profitable companies by increasing its efficiency, cost savings, and customer satisfaction and establishing a competitive advantage in the technology industry and earned himself a spot on this list of some of the most formidable top 10 CEOs.

 

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2. Mary Barra

 

Mary Barra is the Chairman and CEO of General Motors, a Fortune 500 auto-manufacturing company. Barra has mentored young people while they studied science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) and diligently climbed the corporate ladder from an entry-level engineer to an influential leader in the automotive industry. Her focus on growth through innovation has also propelled GM to become one of the leading innovators in autonomous vehicles.

 

During her tenure as a supply chain professional, Barra has been credited with implementing a new global purchasing and supply chain system, which helped GM reduce costs and improve its supply chain operations. Additionally, she was key in implementing lean manufacturing principles and practices, leading initiatives to improve sustainability and building strong relationships with suppliers. Her supply chain management work helped General Motors become a successful and profitable company in the automotive industry, with a competitive advantage and high value.

 

3. Brian Cornell

 

Brian Cornell is the CEO of Target Corporation, an American retail company. He has over 35 years of experience in retailing and supply chain management. Brian Cornell’s achievements as a supply chain professional include leading Target’s supply chain transformation through the implementation of new technologies and automation, building strong relationships with suppliers to increase access to new technologies and innovative ideas, developing a new logistics system to improve efficiency and speed of Target’s supply chain operations, and leading the company’s efforts to improve sustainability in its supply chain operations by reducing waste and increasing use of renewable energy. His supply chain management expertise helped Target improve efficiency, cost savings, and customer satisfaction and establish a competitive advantage in the retail industry. 

 

4. Doug McMillon

 

Doug McMillon is the CEO of Walmart, and during his tenure in this role, he has been credited with several achievements as a supply chain professional, including leading Walmart’s efforts to improve the efficiency of its supply chain operations through the implementation of new technologies and automation, developing strong relationships with suppliers and partners to increase the company’s access to new technologies and innovative ideas, implementing new logistics and distribution strategies to help Walmart get its products to market more quickly and efficiently, leading the company’s efforts to improve the sustainability of its supply chain operations, including reducing waste and increasing the use of renewable energy, and improvement in working conditions and labour standards at the suppliers’ factories. In addition, McMillon’s experience and expertise in supply chain management have helped Walmart to improve its supply chain efficiency and agility, which helped the company to increase its efficiency, cost savings, and customer satisfaction, landing him a spot on this list of top 10 CEOs .

 

5. Brian Krzanich

 

Brian Krzanich, a former CEO of Intel Corporation, served in this position from 2013 to 2018. During his tenure as a supply chain professional, Brian Krzanich has been credited with improving the company’s supply chain efficiency and agility through the implementation of new technologies and automation, leading Intel’s efforts to improve the sustainability of its supply chain operations, building strong relationships with key suppliers and manufacturing partners, implementing new logistics and distribution strategies and leading Intel’s efforts to improve working conditions and labour standards at its suppliers’ factories. His experience and expertise in supply chain management helped Intel to become one of the most successful and profitable companies in the technology industry by increasing its efficiency, cost savings, and customer satisfaction and also helped Intel to establish a competitive advantage in the technology industry and become one of the most valuable companies in the world.

 

6. Alan Mulally

 

Alan Mulally is best known for his tenure as the CEO of Ford Motor Company, where he led the company through a period of significant financial and operational turnaround. He is not primarily known for his work as a supply chain professional. Still, during his tenure at Ford, he is credited with implementing new logistics and supply chain management strategies, including consolidating suppliers, streamlining production processes, and improving inventory management. He’s one of the top 10 CEOs and many more whose efforts are proof that they helped the company to reduce costs, improve efficiency, and increase productivity, which played a key role in the company’s financial recovery. Additionally, Mulally led Ford’s efforts to improve the sustainability of its supply chain operations, including reducing waste and increasing the use of renewable energy.

 

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7. David Taylor

 

David Taylor is one of the former CEOs of Procter & Gamble (P&G) who began his career as a supply chain management trainee at the company. During his tenure as CEO, he has been credited with several achievements in the area of supply chain management, including implementing a new supply chain strategy which has helped P&G to increase efficiency and reduce costs, building strong relationships with key suppliers and partners to ensure a steady supply of components and materials for P&G’s products, leading P&G’s efforts to improve the sustainability of its supply chain operations, including reducing waste and increasing the use of renewable energy, implementing new logistics and distribution strategies to help P&G get its products to market more quickly and efficiently, and playing a key role in P&G’s efforts to improve working conditions and labour standards at its suppliers’ factories.

 

Overall, Taylor’s experience and expertise in supply chain management have helped P&G to become one of the most successful and profitable companies in the consumer goods industry.

 

8. AG Lafley

 

AG Lafley is another former CEO of Procter & Gamble. During his tenure as a supply chain professional, he has been credited with leading Procter & Gamble’s supply chain transformation through the implementation of new technologies, automation, and data analytics to improve the efficiency of its supply chain operations, building strong relationships with suppliers to increase Procter & Gamble’s access to new technologies and innovative ideas, developing a new logistics system that helped to improve the efficiency and speed of Procter & Gamble’s supply chain operations, leading the company’s efforts to improve the sustainability of its supply chain operations, including reducing waste and increasing the use of renewable energy, implementing new logistics and distribution strategies to help Procter & Gamble get its products to market more quickly and efficiently.

 

As one of the top 10 CEOs on this list, Lafley’s experience and expertise in supply chain management helped Procter & Gamble to improve its supply chain efficiency and agility, which helped the company to increase its efficiency, cost savings, and customer satisfaction.

 

9. Mark Parker

 

Mark Parker is one of the former CEOs of Nike, who joined Nike in 1979 as a footwear designer and worked his way up through the company over the years. Before becoming CEO, he served as the company’s President and Chief Operating Officer. Parker is also a member of the Board of Directors for the company. 

 

Parker has been credited with several achievements as a supply chain professional. During his tenure at Nike, Parker has been instrumental in leading the company’s efforts to improve the sustainability of its supply chain operations, including reducing waste and increasing the use of renewable energy, implementing new technologies and automation to improve the efficiency and agility of Nike’s supply chain operations, building strong relationships with suppliers and manufacturing partners to ensure a steady supply of components and materials for Nike’s products, developing a new logistics system that helped to improve the efficiency and speed of Nike’s supply chain operations, and improving the company’s supply chain efficiency through data analytics and supply chain visibility.

 

10. Revathi Advaithi

 

Revathi Advaithi is the CEO of Flex, a global technology company that designs and manufactures products for various industries. She has been with the company since 2019, and in her role as CEO, she is responsible for the company’s overall strategic direction and growth. Advaithi has a background in engineering and has held leadership roles at several technology companies throughout her career. Before joining Flex, she was the COO of the Silicon Valley-based semiconductor company Lumentum Holdings. Advaithi is known for her experience in operations and supply chain management and has been recognized for her leadership in the technology industry.

 

She started as a Plant Manager at Eaton and then became the VP of Global Sourcing at Honeywell International. Later, she also served as the Chief Operating Officer at Eaton, responsible for the company’s global electrical business. She oversaw the entire manufacturing operations, as well as the sales, marketing, technology and product development side of the business. Her career journey is inspiring, making her a worthy candidate to be a part of this list of top 10 CEOs.

 

Conclusion

 

In conclusion, supply chain professionals are valuable assets to any company. These top 10 CEOs have all started their careers in supply chain and have gone on to achieve great success in their respective industries. From improving efficiency and reducing costs to building strong relationships with suppliers and implementing sustainable practices, these individuals have significantly impacted their companies.

 

An interesting fact to note is that a lot of these CEOs had an educational background in engineering or started out as engineers. After a poll conducted by our founder and CEO Dr. Muddassir Ahmed, Ph.D, it was found out that 30% of supply chain professionals come from engineering backgrounds, whereas 40% started off in the production and operations field.

 

Supply Chain Professionals

 

Check out this video to see the top 6 tips on how you can shift careers to supply chain management!

So, next time you’re wearing a pair of Nikes, or using a Proctor & Gamble product, remember that the person at the company’s helm may have started their career just like you in the supply chain or might have had a pivotal role in the field. One day, you, too, could be the CEO of a major corporation!

About the Author- Dr Muddassir Ahmed

Dr MuddassirAhmed is the Founder & CEO of SCMDOJO. He is a global speakervlogger and supply chain industry expert with 17 years of experience in the Manufacturing Industry in the UK, Europe, the Middle East and South East Asia in various Supply Chain leadership roles.  Dr. Muddassir has received a PhD in Management Science from Lancaster University Management School. Muddassir is a Six Sigma black belt and founded the leading supply chain platform SCMDOJO to enable supply chain professionals and teams to thrive by providing best-in-class knowledge content, tools and access to experts.

You can follow him on LinkedInFacebookTwitter or Instagram