P&SC LIVE New York: Women In Supply Chain Keynote

July 26, 2024

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Patricia Mendoza Rodriguez, VP of Procurement at Reynolds American

Patricia Mendoza Rodriguez, VP of Procurement at Reynolds American, discusses the challenges and opportunities of female inclusion in the supply chain

Kicking off Day 2 of Procurement & Supply Chain LIVE New York was a dynamic discussion focused on women in supply chain led by Patricia Mendoza Rodriguez, VP of Procurement at Reynolds American.

Born in Mexico City, Patricia has a wealth of experience in supply chain management and logistics. In her keynote, she explored the intricate web of opportunities and challenges for women in the supply chain space.

To watch the full session from P&SC LIVE New York, click here.

Encouraging women into supply chain

Patricia began by discussing the importance and necessity of encouraging women into supply chain and pointed to ongoing problems with underrepresentation, specifically in frontline roles like warehousing, transportation and logistics.

Patricia noted that only 11% of supply chain executives are women, a figure that tumbles even further when you factor in race.

She emphasises that, despite positive progress being made, entry and career advancement for women in supply chain remains a prominent challenge.

“The challenges that we're seeing, in terms of women's participation in the supply chain, are still there,” Patricia said, "although we've made quite a lot of progress in the previous years."

Reflecting on her career path to becoming VP of Procurement at Reynolds American, Patricia notes that this coincided with huge transformation in the industry.

To continue addressing inequality, she believes further transformation must take place in the near future.

Women are still Underrepresented in the supply chain

Transformation: The role of women in supply chain

Patricia explains how the supply chain is transforming, expanding beyond speed, cost-effectiveness and quality to become a hub of innovation, sustainability and digital transformation.

This evolution is vital to remain competitive and address the needs of global industries.

In the same vein, this transformation requires professionals of all genders to adopt and prioritise new skills.

Collaboration, creative thinking and problem-solving skills will grow in prominence alongside business acumen and long-term experience.

"We're undergoing constant transformation,” Patricia adds.

"What I see in the field is that this is something that is accelerating. Since COVID-19, our ways of working internally and externally with our supply use, our supply and our whole supply chain, have really changed quite a lot.”

Women have a vital role to play in bringing in these new skills, with their role in the supply chain transforming in the process.

As supply chain industries invest in women’s skills, training and opportunities, the progress we already see will only grow.

To watch all our speakers on-demand, click here.

P&SC LIVE continues to expand

Procurement & Supply Chain LIVE continues to expand its repertoire of events, with more to come in 2024 and 2025. Discover our essential diary dates below.

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