How are Industry Leaders Building Inclusive Supply Chains?

Supplier diversity is often viewed as a way to mitigate risk, ensuring businesses aren’t overly reliant on a single source. While this is true, it doesn’t represent the whole picture. Supply chains are evolving quickly, shaped by geopolitics, economic shifts and consumer expectations – so much so that making them more inclusive now offers a strategic advantage. 

Diverse supply chains create jobs in underrepresented communities, stimulate economic growth and drive innovation by introducing fresh perspectives. In fact, research from the UK’s Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) shows that diverse businesses are 11% more likely to have engaged in recent product or service innovation. As a result, an inclusive supplier network strengthens connections with customers, broadens market insights and, ultimately, boosts competitiveness.

Having said this, ensuring fair labour practices, opening up opportunities for underrepresented groups and building truly diverse supplier networks is a large task to address in one fell swoop. It is important to consult those with lived experience and knowledge of how to implement these initiatives, such as husband and wife team Kelly and Hester Grainger, Co-Founders of Perfectly Autistic. With a combined total of more than 45 years’ work experience, they help industry leaders understand the importance of neuro-inclusivity to ensure a thriving work environment. 

Neurodiversity: An overlooked supply chain asset

“Being neuro-inclusive is an essential part of any genuine DE&I (diversity, equity and inclusion) strategy,” asserts Kelly. “They ensure that workplaces are accessible, fair and supportive for everyone – including the estimated 20% of the workforce that is neurodivergent.”

This is an attitude the team at SumUp have adopted, recognising the unique strengths of neurodivergent individuals and actively supporting them by raising awareness, adapting workspaces and offering flexible working.  

Kelly reiterates this, saying: “We’ve worked with organisations who have embraced staff to let them be themselves whether that’s providing written instructions, rather than verbal, offering noise-cancelling headphones, or flexible work schedules. Companies often find that not only do they retain talent that had previously been overlooked, but they also gain a real competitive edge by harnessing the strengths of neurodivergent employees.” 

Speaking at Sustainability LIVE, Felizitas Lichtenberg, Global Head of Diversity & Inclusion, Wellbeing and Sustainability at SumUp, also highlighted the importance of leadership in driving inclusion: “It’s important to have leadership support and visibility—and our founders are super in favour of diversity and really supportive.”

She added: “What we're trying to do is also understand the data. We have to ask, what is our representation? What is the census? Where are our gaps in understanding if we are biased or not? Are we missing some talent opportunities here?”

Asking these questions is an important part of any inclusive supply chain management strategy, but – according to Kelly and Felizitas – should be paired with active engagement with employee experiences. 

“I also think it's super important to listen to our people,” says Felizitas. “And then in order to increase productivity again, we have to speak about racism, speak about neurodiversity, about domestic violence and abuse, LGBTQ+ issues and, of course, mental health.”

Beyond ethics, embracing diversity has clear business benefits.

Kelly points out that companies which support neurodivergent employees often see improvements in retention, engagement and productivity. Many neurodivergent individuals excel in roles requiring pattern recognition, hyper-focus and creative problem-solving—skills invaluable in supply chain management.

“When these talents are nurtured, businesses benefit from reduced operational errors, better risk management and improved decision-making.” He asks: “Who wouldn’t want that?”

Learning from the fight for gender equality

In the world of supply chain and procurement, discussions about DE&I tend to be in reference to gender. 

A 2023 Gartner report found only 26% of supply chain C-suite roles are occupied by women. Discussions about the importance of gender inclusion, such as the Women in Procurement panel at Procurement and Supply Chain LIVE 2024, help grow that figure to a more equal 50%. 

It was during this session that Rebecca Simpson, Chief Procurement Officer at Royal Mail, explained: “Procurement is broader now—it’s not just about negotiation, but sustainability, ESG and ethics, which can play to women's strengths.”

Similarly, Miriam Quattrone, Director of IMS Procurement Regions at PMI, emphasised the importance of long-term inclusion strategies: “Corporate strategies should support the entire employee lifecycle, from hiring to the end of their careers.” 

PMI, which employs around 82,700 people, is also part of The Valuable 500, a global initiative focused on disability inclusion. Recognising that 15% of the world’s population has a disability, they created the PMI Able Employee Resource Group to foster allyship and understanding.

However, it’s not just about hiring, but career development. 

“We need the right metrics to measure progress,” Miriam explained. “We need to be fair in how we evaluate performance and equip women with the right development programmes. Women in leadership also have a role in mentoring others and fostering diversity.”

Rebecca added: “Representation matters. When younger women see leaders who look like them, it inspires them to believe they can reach those heights. It's about breaking down invisible barriers and creating a pathway for others to follow.”

The same can be said for neurodiversity, as many young people entering the industry have no mentors with autism or ADHD, for example, to look up to. It is for this reason that Royal Mail has implemented a dedicated Diversity Council which works alongside business and union representatives to embed inclusion into everyday practice.

This discussion highlighted that, despite gender being an ongoing and increasingly vocal conversation in the industry, there’s still work to do. 

Miriam pointed out: “The fact that we even measure gender balance today highlights that we still have opportunities to improve.” 

It leaves us to wonder: if the industry hasn’t yet solved the issues of gender equality, what hope can it have for newer conversations around disability and neurodiversity? 

Breaking barriers

Businesses face a host of challenges when it comes to implementing more inclusive practices – both internally and in regard to third-party suppliers. 

“One of the biggest challenges is a lack of awareness or understanding of what neurodiversity actually means,” explains Kelly. “This is where training comes into play.”

Many businesses hesitate, fearing that neuro-inclusive adjustments will be complicated or costly. But in reality, most are simple, low-cost and benefit the entire workforce—not just neurodivergent employees.

In the pharmaceutical sector, managing supplier relationships is particularly complex.

“You categorise suppliers based on priority and availability,” explains Faris Hattar, Associate Director of Supply Chain for Hikma Pharmaceuticals. “In pharma, it’s even more difficult because of regulatory approval processes and product testing. Ensuring transparency and timely communication with suppliers is key.”

Faris says this is why collaboration across the supply chain is so important: “It's all about joint value creation between trading partners. You need to look beyond the walls of your organisation to create value throughout the supply chain between suppliers and clients.” 

He continues: “I firmly believe there must be some sort of a mutual benefit between both the organisation that you work in, as well as that of your partners, whether it's as a part of the corporate social responsibility or through the business context itself.”

Hikma takes this seriously, following through on its goal of ensuring better health is accessible to all. Since 2022, the company has seen a 14% increase in women in management positions, aiming for 35% by the end of 2025. It has also launched 10 global wellbeing initiatives this year, improving working conditions and introducing a global recognition programme. 

The challenges don’t stop there, though, as Kelly notes: “Another challenge is rigid hiring and management structures that don’t accommodate different communication styles or work preferences. This can be overcome by offering training to managers on neurodiversity (from neurodivergent trainers who understand what it is like to be in the workplace) and rethinking traditional hiring and interview processes to allow neurodivergent candidates to showcase their skills effectively.”

In order to make these structures more malleable, logistics managers can turn to technology. 

“Simple tools like speech-to-text software, project management platforms with customisable workflows and AI-driven scheduling systems can remove barriers for neurodivergent employees and improve overall efficiency,” he explains. 

In streamlining this workflow, the supply chain becomes more profitable and more transparent, but technology “isn’t just about keeping the supply chain moving; it’s about making it work better for everyone,” Kelly reiterates. 

“Ultimately, neuro-inclusive practices lead to stronger, more transparent relationships because they prioritise clarity, fairness and mutual understanding—qualities that benefit all parties in a supply chain.”

To read the full article in the magazine, click HERE.

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