What Top Supply Chain Leaders Do Differently

It's in our DNA. We are supply team people, so we have to think globally and normally when do some the teams from the different geographies, you offer two things. One is your project continues to work throughout the timelines. There is always progress and that's a talent, but it's also a.

Really good thing. And also you get many different points of views. Because how things go in the States is different than how they do it in India, different Germany, different Spain, but at saint time they're similar. Hello and welcome to Speaking of Supply Chain, where mevoc experts from around the world unpacked the real stories, strategies, insights and innovations shaping the future of supply chain.

I'm your host, Ellen Wood. Today's conversation is spotlighting two of this year's pros to Know honorees. The pros to Know Award recognizes leaders whose accomplishments provide a roadmap for leveraging supply chain as a competitive advantage. It's an honor that reflects not only individual achievement, but also the impact those leaders have on their teams, clients, and the broader industry.

Today I'm joined by Julian Massmann and Naria Alvarez of MEBUK consulting to global leaders driving meaningful transformation in supply chain strategy, digital innovation and operational excellence. From AI Howard planning tools to fully integrated production and network optimization strategies. Their work is helping organizations build smarter, more resilient supply chains for the future. Julian Nia, congratulations on this well deserved recognition and welcome to the show.

Thank you so much, Thanks as well. It really is a pleasure to be here. So let's start with your current roles. Tell our audience a little bit about what you do day to day, what excites you most about the work that you're leading right now.

Right now, I'm the strategy lead for Spain. I'm based in the Madrid office and I also lead the retail industry in a European level, so try to collaborate a lot with the different countries as well as developed or practice within Liberian peninsula. So it's really a challenge lot to do, but really it is something to look forward to every day. Absolutely, And Julian, tell us a little bit about what you do well.

My wall is a quite diverse one, which is something I really like about it. On the one hand, I lead the purses industry within MIVAK Germany with an our German office organization where I work with around forty consultants. They're part of my team. And in addition to that, I'm also responsible for the consumer goods industry within Europe and this is really something what I like a lot as well.

And on top of that, and also part of the German Management Board, which pretty much adds another strategic dimension to my day to day work. And I really like the variety of all these different roles combined because at the end of the day, consulting it's very much a people business and that really excites me having the opportunity to work together with many different personalities every day. So one thing about the pros to Know award is that it highlights those who are driving transformation.

So what is something a project or an initiative that you've participated in led recently that you feel best represents your impact in this space. One project that really stands out right now is a large transformation program I'm currently supporting with a multinational client at the beginning of twenty twenty five. We work closely with this client to define several strategic initiatives that will say shaped there you've been supply chain going forward. At that time, it was really about set the direction, defining the TARP operating model, key transformation leavers, and a lot lots aligning that within their organization.

And now we are fully in the implementation phase and mebus for supporting the clients quite extensively across the different work streams and in particular, Yeah, there's a great impact we have and the goal is really to build a future ready supply chain, more automated, more cost efficient, more service oriented, and also less dependent on the parties. And this is really what I'm enjoying. And the collaboration with the client team is also something which is great. The fantastic team, and there was a large momentum in the organization and everyone is really putting in the same direction and that makes it really enjoyable.

I think those large transformation projects are really interesting just because of the scope and the breadth of the work that you get to do with with the customer. With the client, it's not just a little one off like here, let's let's design a network for you, or you know, here's here's the facility designed for this. This piece of your your supply chain. When we have these transformational projects again where you start from the very beginning and all the way through the implementation of those concepts and details, you know, you really get to see how the industry works and can be facilitated to that optimal and ideal situation and help the client achieve something that you know they they may have been able to do a little bit on their own, but to really feel like we've supported them and helped them achieve something bigger.

As a team, I would say, I'm quite proud of a couple of things going on in your team. One of them is that the percentage of women in consulting is growing considerably, and I think that that has a lot to do with having a woman leader. And I think that that was something that concerned me when I first started at ME in fact, that there wasn't that many women leader. And I have seen a total switch in the last couple of years, and I think we're attracting really good talent and it gives a good path forward to all of those that will come afterwards because they see that they have an opportunity, they see that there is an ample room to grow, and I think the talent that we are able to fish out of other either consultancies or even the industry.

It's really really making a difference. So I'm very proud of that. Also, throughout the last year, I think we've done a huge jump into the use of AI in our everyday work. We have.

Seen how the team starts to use it as not only you know, help me rewrite this email or take the notes for me in a meeting, which is more of the usual stuff that we do, but in gathering the knowledge that we have within mea back which is a lot, and being able to give better results. To our customers. For instance, we're working really large hout so this is a multi country, very global forma project, and one of the challenges was that we were talking with people from around the world, many different people, many different countries, even from different origins, which is always a challenge.

English is not your primary language, and we used it to really give them a target operating model. So we uploaded all of our knowledge into the tool. We uploaded all of the interviews. We were able to really make a difference and synthesize something that will have taken a lot of work and time to do and because this was a big success.

It's a practice that we now have in most of the assessments that we do for the different customers. Of course, depending on the type of project we're working, uploading the knowledge, which is the challenge part right normally it's in people's heads. And the same as we tell our customers you have. To digitalize your knowledge, we are working and doing that, and as we do that, we start to create a process that allows us to be more efficient.

And I think that's key in. The future because the expectation out in the market is that we do the same things better faster, so we have to be up and I think we're on the right path to do that. So I'm quite happy that we're we're there in there. I love that your focus is not just on the customer, but also on improving our teams internally.

To your point about you know, building the teams and building the capabilities and you know, making space at the table for women in an industry where women are not historically uh dominant, and making that because these these are changes that are benefiting our clients in the end, making sure that we have the right people on the team and and not just the people that we've always had on the team. That's that's an interesting perspective that you've really taken on in your goal.

Well, if you look at it also, if we counted the nationalities that we have, it is also quite quite a challenge. I think we we have in a team of I think in the strategies last Digital work twenty people and then maybe like eight nationalities at least, and I think as we do a really good job of working with the other countries, I think the collaboration is super important in this end. I agree that is one thing that Mibak does very well is making sure that we have a global presence and the knowledge sharing to your to your points earlier, that we're putting this knowledge and making it available to all of our team around the world, and not keeping that information compartmentalized into one office so that Spain or Germany is able to do something that maybe the US doesn't have access to.

No. We we all work together as a team every day, and I think that is that is one distinctive thing about our company that is very beneficial to our clients. What do you think this award means to you? Does it reflect the journey that you've been on in your career.

Do you do you view it as a now a responsibility to hold that that kind of notoriety on your teams, to say, hey, there's there's excellence here and we're proving it. Now it's time for you know, everyone else to step up. Yeah, it's of course great, great feeling to receive an award like this and always something special to get recognition. But I think it's also a reward for for all the teams and for all of me, all of the Mibach and the world there we we every time we work together in teams uh uh in project, and I think this is pretty much an award for all of us.

I mean Nulia and myself we received it this year, but I think that's quite important to say. And yeah, for me, it's definitely an honor, but it also somehow reminds me to keep pushing forward, staying few years and and also try to really become still better and better every day. That that's really what's driving me and it's my ambition. And again recognition is always something and it's really nice to see the work and dedication to be reflected in that way.

Happy to have with reward, I. Think it's threefold, right, I've I was just looking at the calendar and I've been pretty much thirty years in supply chain, so thirty years in this world. And funny enough, my road started in the States working at a warehouse, so it started while I was quite young, but living it from the inside out. So I do think it's a recognition for thirty years of career.

I think it's also recognition of our team, because without everybody else that works with us, it's it's impossible. We alone don't do anything. It's it's our teams, it's it's everybody together that get this. So I think it's recognition to them as well.

And I also think that it's a prestige to share with our customers, so they see that the people that they work with have a high work ethic, have a drive to always try to be better. And in a way it's also you know, like you put your back back and you have to now you have to carry it, and you have to keep up and you have to maintain the standards. So it's also kind of a check to hey, you have to be up to the task. So I see it as a you know, a great recognition, but at the same time, Hey, stay up to it and show your customers thank your team.

You know, it's it's all together. It raises the bar for all of our teams. Once we have this distinction that we've we've got our colleagues. You know, you mentioned that both of you are this year's winners, but we've had previous winners in previous years, and we will continue to nominate our team for this distinction because I think it really is a great indicator of the dedication that we put to the work that we do.

And both of you had mentioned, you know, working across geographies, different cultures, working with teams across the globe, how does that affect or shake the way that you approach and solve these challenges for our clients. My work history has always been quite global, so I don't understand the world any other way. I think that pre much in supply chain, you have to have that view. If you stay local, you really could have very narrow mind.

So these global projects and our approach to them, it's one of the reasons I came to me back. Really it's that we don't work regionally, that we work globally, and we truly do this collaboration across the globe, and we have several examples. I think Julian and I have coincided in one or two projects. But this is something that it's in our DNA.

I mean, we are supplying people, so we have to think globally and normally. When do some of the teams from the different geographies, you offer two things. One is your project continues to work throughout the timelines, so there is always progress and that's a challenge, but it's also a really good thing. And also you get many different points of views because how things go in the States is different than how they do it in India, different Germany, different in Spain, but at the same time they're similar, so we get a chance to get the best of each So I think it's just a way to go.

No, fully agree to all what Noria has said. I mean I have fifteen years in supply chain and also fifteen years with Mibach. I mean, not thirty years yet, Nudia as you have. Yeah, that just shows my gray hair.

Right hair is already a bit very as well, so don't very. But I get there for sure as well. And I also had the luck actually to work three years in Middle East for Mebach, which was certainly also helping me from an intercultural point of view. This is certainly different culture there, but also very valuable culture and very valuable customers and Nudia.

You mentioned a lot around the collaboration within mebach twenty six office locations, more than twenty countries we are present in. That's indeed true. So there is a lot of collaboration also with different cultures. Yeah, even within an office with the same nationalities, you make different cultures, yeah, totally want to say.

But in addition to that, what is also the case that at our customers in transformation projects there are also many many different countries and backgrounds, and really understanding how these people work, communicating with them, making decisions in different cultures. This makes also big differences. But this is also, I believe, how successful projects move forward. So we have really both.

We have the internal view and Mibach is well known to be a very diverse company with a lot of cultures, a lot of countries, a lot of nationalities. But we see in this at the same time meanwhile our customers as well, and this makes really on both sides collaboration. It's just an experience. I was just thinking.

Just today, I think I've spoken with people from five offices, from Middle East, from Belgium, Germany, the United States, and of course Spain. So just one day and you think about that, that's quite something for just you know, it's what for thirty PM, So we do quite a walk around the world every day. Well exactly, And I can say I've already spoken sport I mean two at the moment, but for this today, and it's only you know, ten thirty my time. So I agree, that's one unique thing about our organization.

But another one is the way that we train and the way that we onboard people and bring them and help them achieve their own professional and career goals. So what advice would you give to rising professionals in this space, especially those who are you know, trying to figure out supply chain today, which we've already established. We've all been in supply chain for a while. I've been here ten years, we've got fifteen and thirty.

That's you know, quite a career span. You know, Supply chains have changed so much just in that amount of time. I can tell from my perspective of only being with me back for ten years, so much has changed. So how do you encourage the up and coming younger professionals in your teams and your offices.

Yeah, I think it's a very interesting question, Alan, thanks for asking that. I think if I would really give one piece of advice for young professionals, for wising professionals in supply chain, it's really stake cures and keep learning. This field is evolving incredibly faster. We have automation, we have digitization, we have II I mean resilient sustainability.

These are not all buffwords in supply chain. These are reality and supply chain and they're becoming more and more important in a very very dynamic way. So I think this mindset of always willing to learn to adapt to probably yeah, do things which are not leading to success, but then stand up again and try it again, try something else. I think this is extremely important.

Are and this is really what I would like to advise people to do. And then there is most probably one other think what I would like to advise young people, and this is really seek feedback. Ask for feedback. I mean getting input from the people around you you work with, understand where you still need to develop or where you can improve.

This is really something what shapes leaders in future, that they ask for this feedback, that they do it in a proactive way to get really an honest reflection, because hearing things what went well, what you have done well is always great are but the thinks which really makes you growing are those things where you get also a feedback where you can improve and develop. And this is I think also some think which is really important. And I really encourage young professionals to seek this feedback on a way base from the managers, from the customers, from everyone they work with.

So so in nutshell, I would really say stay cur years, stay open to new challenges, and focus simply on continuous improvement because this will really make you better and make you grow in your career. That's excellent, Maria, What about you? What advice would you give? Recently we had a few younger people come as interns into the office and I think I've told them three things, and a couple of them coincide with what Julian said.

One of them was to stay curious, to ask questions, to really have hunger for knowledge, because I believe that working with us is pretty much the best master you're ever going to do. You're going to learn super fast. And also I think that if you are the type the like to learn and like to grow, this is the best I mean, it's project, it's customer, it's a solution that you have to come up with. It makes you think, if you're curious and if you, you know, want to continue to grow, the best environment is this.

You will not get bored. That is guaranteed. And there's always a challenge because even as I feel that every day, as you get into a new industry and into a new customer or even dealing with different people, you continue to learn. So for those people that that's the aim.

And I think younger people, most of them have that objective note to continue to grow and acquire knowledge. I don't think there's the best way to do it than that. So if not for some of the ones that come in and I see that they are super fast and really you know, they like the challenges, and after a while, I tell you, oh, I'm thinking I may go into the industry. And I always tell them you last two year stops, six six months to learn, six months to change when you're to stabilize, and then you're dead and you're going to want to go back.

And most of the time. It's true so interesting. What would you say a mindset or a skill that you've learned over your career that has helped you grow the most. I think it's really so.

What I tell young professionals within MIBAG as well is when they joined the company is really building a network within our company who you need to ask Because there's one unique thing about Meva. If there is anything in supply chain where you need an answer for, there is this one person in Meva who can help you out. It's just a matter of who you need to ask. So I think this is really important.

I mean when we talk about consultancy as such, we always talk about networking is important. You need to connect with people, you need to be a thought leader, and so on and so forth. But I think building up a network within Niebach really helps. I mean, because we have so many professionals, so many experts, which are very very unique knowledge which is accessible within our organization, which makes us also a very strong organization.

But this is something I'm also telling young young colleagues. I mean, make sure you come to the office, speak to the people, get to know them, understand what their skill set is, and over time it will be just a benefit for you, and it will be also mutual benefit because you will also build up your nowhow become a specialist in certain areas, and then it's a mutual benefit to exchange information with this people. And this makes also consulting life easier because we have so much knowledge in our company that we do not require external fme we have to hire, we have to call in for projects because the knowledge is all there.

It's just a matter of how to access it and how to get it that I don't know really what your experience is here because you joined us a couple of years ago, because it is my experience when I started, no. I totally agree. You just have to know who to go. I think that's a Challenge's you know that there's somebody.

You may take you a couple of calls to get to the person, but otherwise you always have and normally that you have a person to call, but that most people are available for that call. I mean, and it doesn't matter whether it's our CEO or whether it's a coworker that is in the same office. People are available and that's great. And I reach out all.

The time for certain things to just cross ideas. I think I also one of the things for this younger talent is to challenge, right, to not be scared to challenge when somebody says something, to question things, to ask, because that is first it puts us in check because sometimes they have a different point of view, and then because it makes them think further. Don't take everything for it. Don't take things for printed.

So even if you have any kind of doubt, question it, ask for it, challenge it, and have initiative. I think the initiative is I see, of course technology is more innate as you're younger, right, because it's been part of your life, and they rapidly go and search and look for information and they try to solve it themselves. And I always tell them, hey, this is great, have that initiative and then cross check it with somebody else to ensure that, you know, you don't just fit yourself with whatever.

So both I think the combination of both is the networking, the that the really that that edge, and that the stitch you know it it is you want to to get it out. I think that's really really good. Well, and what I hear from both of you, I think is applicable to not just me Boch. I mean, obviously we feel that way because we've we've worked here and we love the company, but also for for anyone else out there in the industry, I want to believe that you know, other companies have this this tribal knowledge.

To Julian's point that you know there's there's individuals who have the expertise already in your organization. If you're not looking for them and and you're not finding them, then maybe to your point in area, you need to become that person who has that specialized knowledge and who is the person who who questions the status quo and make sure that the company is continuing to have you know, the best information and and the best team working with you know, within their four walls to achieve the goals.

I think that's some great career advice that is applicable across multiple companies and multiple industries, and I think that that will we'll definitely resonate with our listeners. Agreed totally. Thank you both Nuria and Julian for sharing your insights and experiences today. Your leadership, innovation, and commitment to delivering measurable value truly embody what the pros to know award represents.

It's so inspiring just hear how you are shaping the future of supply chain through the digital transformation and AI strategic thinking and by empowering the teams around you. Thank you, Ellen, and it was great to have this opportunity, really and to have even a time to chat and to think outside of the projects and outside of every day. So it's really a pleasure to be here and to share these minutes. Likewise, Ellen, Maria, pleasure that I've been here and for this nice conversation for our listeners.

Be sure to visit the Supply and Demand Chain Executive site to learn more about this year's pros to now honorees and the initiatives driving our industry forward. Supply chain continues to evolve at a rapid pace, and it's leaders like Julian and Maria who are helping to set the standard for what's possible. Thanks for tuning in and congratulations again to our guests. You've been listening to Speaking of Supply Chain a me boch podcast.

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