Interview With Stephanie Wright - LogiChem 2025 Speaker

Stephanie Wright, COO of the US Center for Advanced Manufacturing, founder of Agora Leadership, with 25 years of supply chain experience and a long-standing Advisory Board member of LogiChem. Her leadership philosophy is centred on three key principles: integrity, intention, and collaboration.

She emphasizes the importance of approaching discussions and actions with intention and energy and believes emotional intelligence will be crucial in addressing the industry's growing challenges and moving forward effectively.

1. How can leaders in supply chain management foster resilient teams that proactively identify and mitigate potential risks, ensuring long-term stability and adaptability?

Resilience is a term we use often, but its meaning has evolved over time. Rather than simply teaching teams to be resilient, I believe leaders should focus on fostering excitement around risk-taking. Risk fuels curiosity, creativity, and energy, helping teams navigate challenges more effectively.

A key driver of progress in this area is consistently bringing diverse thinkers into our organisations. Diversity of thought strengthens decision-making by balancing intuition, logic, and adaptability. As leaders, we must embrace this duality and take intentional risks to build inclusive, innovative teams that can thrive in an ever-changing landscape.

2. How do you see the role of leadership evolving to align customer service strategies within supply chain management, and what steps can leaders take to integrate measurable KPIs into a customer-centric culture?

I believe leadership must evolve to ensure a customer-centric culture within the supply chain. It's not just about adopting digital technologies but about ensuring that every decision reflects the customer's needs.

Leaders need to focus on integrating measurable KPIs that track customer satisfaction, such as delivery times, customer feedback, and quality standards. More importantly, fostering a culture that values emotional intelligence, accountability, and a clear sense of purpose is critical.

This kind of culture will motivate teams to embrace change and align their actions with customer-focused objectives.

3. As the representation of women in supply chain leadership grows, what leadership practices and organizational changes are essential to promoting empathy, inclusion, and gender diversity across the industry?

To foster empathy, inclusion, and gender diversity, leaders should embrace diverse thinking, combining logic with emotional intelligence. It’s crucial to take risks by elevating high performers and those with emotional intelligence who can drive a positive culture.

Investing in upskilling and reskilling helps build diverse talent pipelines. Leaders should empower everyone to contribute, creating a culture encouraging change, collaboration, and risk-taking.

4. Collaboration and knowledge-sharing are crucial for tackling industry challenges. How can leaders use these tools to inspire workforce development and innovation, and what are you most eager to explore with peers at LogiChem this year?

Collaboration and knowledge-sharing are essential for tackling industry challenges and fostering innovation. Leaders can inspire workforce development and creativity by facilitating convening and connecting spaces where diverse ideas and best practices can be exchanged.

As a leader, it’s not just about adopting frameworks or strategies but about creating opportunities for teams to step outside their own lanes, learn from others across industries, and connect those insights meaningfully. I call this "3CS"—convening, connecting, and constellation making.

At LogiChem, I’m excited to explore how we can break out of our silos and work more creatively with peers.

5. With the pressure to balance efficiency and customer satisfaction, what role does upskill and reskill the workforce play in driving the innovations and strategies that will define customer-focused supply chains of the future?
Upskilling and reskilling are crucial, especially with digital transformation rapidly changing the landscape. As leaders, we must prioritise these initiatives, even in the face of financial pressures. It's not just about understanding AI, but also about bringing a human-centric approach to digital change, always keeping the customer at the forefront.

By training teams on emotional intelligence and accountability, we can drive innovation and ensure our supply chains remain focused on customer needs.

6. Reflecting on your career in supply chain management, what has been one of the most impactful lessons or experiences that shaped your approach to leadership and problem-solving?

One of the most impactful lessons I’ve learned is that during any major disruption—whether it's a global transformation project or implementing a new digital tool—the focus should always be on your team's morale first. If you focus on stabilising the team first, they’ll catch up on the timeline.

Prioritising the timeline risks damaging morale, which is harder to fix. I saw this clearly during COVID; the teams that thrived were the ones that were supported and stabilised first, enabling them to tackle the disruption with confidence.

Join us at LogiChem 2025 to gain valuable insights from Stephanie Wright, who will be moderating key sessions as part of our Advisory Board. Don’t miss the chance to be part of these insightful discussions!