EP 118 - Women in Supply Chain, Diane Sullivan

Diane has worked in supply chain for 25 years. Her career has taken her from Ireland, to Australia, China and finally California. She started her work in travel management and eventually fell in love with designing business systems, logistics and leveraging technology to improve supply chain.

Thanks to her upbringing, Diane isn’t someone who shies away from making her voice heard and being a leader. Early on in her career she worked hard to create a culture where the team provided regular feedback which in turn helped her become a better leader. Her objective has always been to find someone to replace her position once she moves on, so the team can thrive without her.

To Diane, success is her client’s success. This is what gives her a sense of fulfillment and encourages her to keep working. Her advice to other leaders is to hire people who have initiative, who are ambitious and inherently curious. She also places a lot of emphasis on being able to admit mistakes, and knowing that one cannot grow without first making mistakes. Finally, on diversity, Diane believes in picking the right candidate rather than scoring “diversity points”. Instead, she focuses on fostering open communication with other women.

In this episode we discuss:

• [0.52] Diane’s goes global
• [4.40] How she adapted to working in different countries
• [6.44] Finding your voice
• [18.42] The importance of feedback
• [24.07] Advice for other leaders

Resources and links mentioned:

• Omnichain
• Women in Supply Chain Series