Bicara Supply Chain is a platform where you will be able to get insights from experts and leaders in the field of supply chain. 

Proudly presenting in association with the VCARE Academy , we focus on presenting guidance for solving complex supply chain challenges which help you transform your cost chain into the profitable value chain.

At Bicara Supply Chain, we driving global perspectives to embrace technological adaptation in improving process efficiencies.

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Bicara Supply Chain

Guest Name: Ramit Maharjan, Head of Customer Service Experience IMEA at Henkel, Language: English, Publication date: March, 11. 2023
Ramit has over two decades of experience in various facets of Supply Chain leadership. He has led SCM operations in country clusters within IMEA/ APAC regions and has also worked in Europe managing global Business Transformation projects. 
He received Lean Six Sigma Black Belt certification while working with GE and A3 certification at Henkel. He has exposure to multiple business cycles – growth, maturity and restructuring. Ramit is a published author and sought after speaker at various international forums. He is passionate about the topics of Leadership and Supply Chain.
A highlights questions:
From the supply chain’s perspective, what is the meaning of customer service? And how do you see the evolution of customer service?
How can we manage the CSE (Customer service expectation)? What are some key factors to be considered?
How to use CS (Customer service) to enhance the performance of supply chain management?
Talking a bit on tools & technology, what would you think about the role of technology in the customer service? 
Connect with Ramit on Linkedin here.

193. Customer service experience

Guest Name: Francisco Cervantes, Recruitment Manager - Supply Chain & Procurement at Volt - International, Language: English, Publication date: Feb, 18. 2022
Francisco is currently a Recruitment Manager - Supply Chain & Procurement at Volt - International, and based in Singapore. His mission is to add-value to both candidates and clients in the Supply Chain & Procurement practices.
Before moving into Recruitment, Francisco worked as a Sourcing Buyer for the world's largest EMS organisation. At this position, he liaised with electronic components’ manufacturers, distributors, prospective and active clients, in competitive bids to serve a variety of prospective clients within the medical device, industrial equipment, and consumer electronics markets.
Volt (an Innova Solutions Company) is a multi award-winning, global workforce solution provider. Volt propels businesses and careers forward with expert momentum. Volt’s 35,000 employees work across 85 offices worldwide to provide workforce management and talent acquisition solutions to businesses and job placement services. Visit the website : https://www.voltinternational.com/
A highlights questions:
Generally, in SEA regions (Indonesia, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand & others….), how do you see current trends & markets for supply chain & procurement roles? 
Which industry do you believe will continue to perform well in terms of job demand?
This is a bit technical, but I wanted to know your advice about skills & competencies; What are the most important skills for supply chain professionals?
For the C-level & executive positions, have you observed any significant changes in the company's or organization's supply chain and procurement roles?
What advice would you give to supply chain professionals looking to advance their careers? Probably you have some "MAGIC WORDS" here?
Connect with Francisco on Linkedin here

192. Career in supply chain & procurement

Guest Name: Stephane Morel, The Global Process Owner Strategic Procurement at NOVARTI, Language: English, Publication date: Feb, 04. 2022
Stephane Morel, Procurement & Business Leader. He is currently the GPO - Global process owner strategic procurement, reporting to the Global Procurement Business Lead and part of the Novartis Lean Digital Core (LDC) program. Prior to this role, he spent more than 15+ years in various role at Novartis, such as: Global procurement strategy & transformation manager, Head of procurement capability & change management, Procurement transformation lead (Europe) and Head of procurement - CPO (Spain).
In addition, he is also passionate about personal development, having spent over a decade as a trainer, mentor, blogger, book author, and speaker. One of his missions is to assist procurement & salespeople in developing their skills. Since 2009, Stephane is a regular trainer at IQS, EADA, STARTIFY, CEU, Adolfo Ibañez University (Chile) on Procurement & Business Partnering for Procurement & Sales professionals. In 2014, He published the book "la transformación de compras: una aventura retadora" (spanish language) explaining the 6 workstreams to manage in order to upgrade the Procurement function.
A highlights questions:
How would you describe the current procurement situation in 2023 ?
You were just explaining to an evolution, VUCA as well as increased collaboration when we see tougher competition everywhere, can you explain a bit more on that point ?
How do see the collaboration between procurement and supply chain? As a concept, it looks great. But how do see that ?
Coud also mentioned about a 3D performance management framework at the beginning, could you explain us a bit more there ?
Connect with Stephane on Linkedin here.

191. Taking procurement and supply chain collaboration to the next level

Guest Name: Justin Kyngdon, General Manager, Supply Chain Solutions at Expeditors, Language: English, Publication date: Dec, 01. 2022
Justin Kyngdon is the General Manager of Supply Chain Solutions for Expeditors, where he leads the practice in South Asia and is based in Sydney, Australia. Expeditors is a global logistics company headquartered in Seattle, Washington. 
Before joining Expeditors, Justin has worked  in several roles for LEP Logistics and Agility Logistics. He earned an Executive Masters in Business Administration from the Australian Graduate School of Management at the University of New South Wales (AGSM). 
A highlights questions:
How digital twin technology is transforming supply chain? 
What distinguishes a digital twin from regular supply chain model?
What are the key elements to form a digital twin?
Could you please share some success stories about how this model was used in your company to solve a client's supply chain problem?
Connect with Justin on Linkedin here. And to learn more about Expeditors, visit their website: https://www.expeditors.com/

190. Unlocking the potential of digital twin in supply chain

Guest Name: Kimberly Daniels, CEO of Mercantile Logistics & International Trade, Inc, Language: English, Publication date: Nov, 12. 2022
Kimberly Daniels has more than fifteen years of professional experience in international logistics. As CEO of Mercantile Logistics & International Trade, Inc. she assists business owners with the importation and exportation of their goods to various distribution locations, including fulfillment warehouses and foreign trade zones. As a small business owner, she is keenly aware of the needs of other small businesses to operate efficiently and effectively, creating her own program, CargoClear®, which smooths costs for clients in providing required customs services.
Kim holds a Master's of Business Administration, a Master's of Science in Law, a Customs Broker License, and a Certificate in Logistics, Transportation and Distribution (CLTD) from APICS. Kim has provided International Trade webinars through a variety of channels as a subject matter expert. Mercantile Logistics is a certified Veteran Owned Small Business (VOSB) and a Woman Owned Small Business (WOSB) since 2018. 
Highlights:
Could you share some key issues in international trade that could have a significant impact on the global supply chain? People may be thinking about Ukraine's war, but what else?
From the standpoint of supply chain resilience, what should be our top priorities (let's say our top three priorities) in anticipating the changes and challenges of international trade?
Let's focus on cross-border trade, which has faced numerous challenges and undergone significant changes as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic. Lockdowns were everywhere at that time and causing supply disruptions and other problems. What do you think will happen in 2023?
What are some of the most important skills to be an expert in international trade, for being a specialist of trade?

189. The challenges of international trade

Guest Name: Pedro Caceres, Leading expert in supply chain, Language: English, Publication date: Nov, 01. 2022
Pedro J. Caceres is an American business executive that has held executive positions in several global corporations, such as Hasbro (Senior VP Operations - Hasbro Games), Newell Rubbermaid (Global VP Operations & Supply Chain - Lenox Division), and Petmate (Chief Operating Officer).As a published author, he released “The Thundering Voice" (2009) a book that introduces a moral approach to Corporate Social Responsibility, and “Operational Success” (2012) to introduce practical operational models to drive Lean Transformation.
He is also the creator of "MyInventory.AI” a System of Intelligence to optimize global supply chains. Pedro is also involved in community activities and has been Chairman of the Board of Advisors of the Division of Business Excellence (Affiliated Chambers of Commerce of Greater Springfield in Massachusetts), member of the Advisory Board for the National Ergonomic Conference and Exposition (NECE), and Vice-Chairman of the Board of Directors of Junior Achievement of Western Massachusetts.  Visit his website www.operationalsuccess.com.
Some of the questions we asked Pedro during our conversation:
What is the primary distinction between the Homeostatic value chain and other approaches?
How can we use these value chain models to respond to recent supply chain challenges where there has been a lot of uncertainty, complexity, and ambiguity in various aspects of SCM?
How do you see technological advancements like the Internet of Things, Smart factories, Intregated cloud-systems, and others playing a role in improving supply chains?

188. Homestatic value chain

Guest Name: Albèrt Jourdan, GRC & CSR Adept, Language: English, Publication date: Oct, 19. 2022
Albèrt is a supply chain security and sustainability expert with over 30 years of experience in various logistics corporations including UPS, DHL, DPD and K+N. His specialties include Governance, Risk & Compliance, Business Process Management, QHSE, Sustainable Transport, and Corporate Sustainability. He's the author of a CSR book for SMEs in which he promotes his own 'get started' model for sustainable business and tries to be entertaining about serious topics. Connect with him on Linkedin here.
Some of the questions we asked Albèrt during our conversation:
What are your thoughts on the future development of last-mile delivery in the next 5 to 10 years?
What actionable steps would you recommend to a business leader to improve sustainability?
Albèrt, maybe you could share some stories about how local players particularly what you’ve seen in The Netherlands, How does their sustainable approach works?

187. Sustainability in last mile delivery

Guest Name: Charlie Saffro, Founder & President, CS Recruiting, Language: English, Publication date: Oct, 12. 2022
Charlie has over 14 years of direct recruiting experience within the Logistics, Transportation and Supply Chain space and started CS Recruiting from the ground up over a decade ago. Today, she leads a team of over 40 and manages a multi-million dollar organization. As the President and Founder of CS Recruiting, she focuses on making meaningful connections to empower others to discover their full potential. 
Charlie is a dedicated yogi and encourages her clients and team to practice mindfulness in the workplace and beyond. She is also the mother of three boys and active in her community, volunteering with organizations to help women in the workforce. Connect with her on Linkedin here.
Some of the questions we asked Charlie during our conversation:
How do you see the current supply chain challenges? and will there be any significant differences in the coming years?
What’s the best way to manage the team in an uncertain situation?
[Working from home or remotely is now a common phenomenon with Covid. However, we have seen that it is a difficult situation]. Is there going to be any new ways of working or collaboration tools?
What are your top three supply chain leadership qualities?

186. Leading in uncertainty

Guest Name: Jens Hentschel, Founder & CEO, FIVIS, Language: English, Publication date: Oct, 07. 2022
Jens is the Founder and CEO of FIVIS, a consulting and training company, which is based in London. He is the inventor of the FIVIS™ model, a customer centricity mindset approach that facilitates sustainable B2B relationship development.  Prior to this role, Jens has worked as Director, Senior Manager, Advisor and Consultant for some of the best organizations in that space. 
As a supply chain and procurement professional, he is passionate about customer centricity and considers it as the key enabler to sustainable business growth. Connect with him on Linkedin here.
Some of the questions we asked Jens during our conversation:
What are the possible gaps that frequently happen in the industry between sales and procurement?
How can we [as a salesperson], win with this more empowered, organized, and well-trained customer?
Could you please share some FIVIS success stories about how you helped the client win the procurement relationship?
What are the essential qualities of a good salesperson?

185. Build a winning relationship with procurement

Guest Name: Richard Martin, Founder & CEO, Thinking Machine, Language: English, Publication date: Oct, 01. 2022
Richard is the founder and CEO at Thinking Machine, it's a new breed of expense management focused on savings and consolidated billing where he created a special system with machine learning and AI technology dedicated to making complex contracts and billing reporting simple and accurate. With close to US$1M in funding by 2021, and experience working with invoices and contracts from 26 countries in 18 languages, Thinking Machine is rapidly becoming a must have solution for telecom companies and enterprises with large annual spend on Telco and IT services. Prior to this role, Richard was a Business Intelligence Lead at Tesla for over a decade. 
Some of the questions we asked Richard during our conversation.
What are the most common leaks that procurement overlooks when looking for cost savings?
How can a better CM (Contract management) improve savings?
If I were a founder of a new SME (Small business-entreprise), Will you still recommend using "the technology" to manage CM (Contract management)
What is the ideal CM (Contract management) in one sentence?
Connect with Richard on Linkedin by clicking here.