PSC LIVE London Global Summit – Darren Lynch, GEP Keynote
Darren Lynch, Vice President at GEP, took the stage at Procurement & Supply Chain LIVE London Global Summit to share his insights on navigating constant supply chain disruptions.
In his presentation, Darren outlined the essential strategies for building resilient supply chains capable of enduring and adapting to a landscape rife with unexpected disruptions.
The reality of constant disruption
Addressing an audience, Darren begins by acknowledging the unprecedented levels of disruption that have impacted global supply chains over the past few years.
From natural disasters and geopolitical tensions to cyber threats and global health crises, Darren emphasises the constant nature of these disruptions.
He states: “Traditional approaches aren’t really good enough anymore,” pointing out that reactive, crisis-driven strategies are not sustainable long-term solutions.
Instead, organisations need structural change, moving beyond temporary solutions and adopting robust, proactive approaches.
Darren discusses how common it is for companies to revert to ‘war room’ tactics during times of crisis, only to find themselves in reactive mode repeatedly.
He highlights that this approach, while sometimes unavoidable, often isolates efforts and creates inefficiencies.
“We need orchestration across the supply chain,” he notes, stressing the importance of collaboration and alignment within and across organisations to achieve long-term resilience.
Supply chain orchestration: Visibility, agility, and sustainability
Darren introduces the concept of "supply chain orchestration" as a comprehensive framework involving visibility, agility and sustainability.
The first step, he explains, is obtaining end-to-end visibility. Using the analogy of the television show ‘Who Do You Think You Are?’, Darren illustrates the value of knowing every tier in a supply chain – from suppliers to field workers – as a means to enforce transparency and to detect issues early.
Darren poses a question to the audience: “How many of you have the same forensic capability within your supply chain?”
He challenges attendees to consider if they truly had insights into critical aspects, such as identifying bottlenecks or understanding supplier dependencies.
Achieving this level of transparency, according to Lynch, involves integrating robust technology solutions for data visibility and building a culture that values open collaboration with suppliers.
He explains: “Getting suppliers to participate in transparent contracting and forecasts is key to connecting the dots across the supply chain.”
Once visibility is in place, the next goal is to develop agility by addressing different nodes in the supply chain through tailored solutions.
Darren notes current trends like reshoring and China-plus-one strategies as examples of tactical decisions companies are making to reduce dependency on single sources.
However, he cautions that agility requires more than isolated adjustments. The trick, he explains: “Is understanding which levers to pull and in what sequence.”
Whether it’s diversifying suppliers, increasing inventory levels or implementing predictive analytics, each measure needs to align with the broader supply chain strategy to enhance responsiveness without creating excess costs or waste.
Sustaining resilience through strategy and people development
Beyond implementing tools and processes, Darren stresses the importance of sustaining resilience through strategic structure and continuous capability building.
“It’s not happening overnight,” he acknowledges, urging companies to evaluate their operating models and training programs critically.
Darren highlights that for resilience to be effective, companies need a combination of technology, a capable workforce and an adaptable business model. Tools alone, he remarks, will not create resilience – it requires a skilled team that can interpret data and make informed decisions in real-time.
Darren also addresses the role of people in driving supply chain resilience, responding to a question from an audience member, who raises concerns about the well-being of front-line workers.
Darren agrees: “Firefighting is not productive,” underscoring that effective resilience strategies should prioritise sustainable workloads and shift focus from constant crisis management to proactive skill development.
Companies, he suggests, should invest in reskilling their teams, particularly in data management and vendor relationships, which are critical as the landscape grows increasingly digital and complex.
Making the business case for resilience
Asked how to justify the investment in resilience when the benefits are often measured by the absence of crises rather than immediate financial gains, Darren responds by linking supply chain resilience to broader organisational goals.
In industries like healthcare, he explains, the primary measure is patient outcomes rather than financial savings.
“We are here to make sure that patient outcomes are supported, not disrupted,” Darren explains, encouraging attendees to frame resilience as a critical aspect of delivering consistent, quality services.
Darren notes that resilience-building has upfront costs but warned of the potentially higher costs of failing to prevent disruptions.
He emphasises that the consequences of neglecting resilience often play out in public scrutiny and legal challenges. By embedding compliance, transparency and a proactive approach to risk management, organisations can defend their resilience investments as essential for stability and trust.
Closing his session, Darren offers a final reminder of the inevitability of future disruptions, urging companies to treat resilience as an ongoing priority. He invites attendees to reconsider their strategies, operating models and partnerships as they seek to support their organisation’s growth while minimising vulnerabilities.
Essential diary dates for 2025
Discover the essential diary dates for Procurement Magazine and Supply Chain Digital, as well as its sister publications – Manufacturing Digital and Sustainability Magazine.
To follow Procurement & Supply Chain LIVE on LinkedIn, click here.
2025 diary dates:
- Procurement & Supply Chain LIVE Singapore | 11 February
- Procurement & Supply Chain LIVE: Sustainability | 5-6 March
- Sustainability LIVE: Net Zero | 5-6 March
- Procurement & Supply Chain LIVE Dubai | 29 April
- Sustainability LIVE Chicago | 4-5 June
- Procurement LIVE Chicago | 4-5 June
- Supply Chain LIVE Chicago | 4-5 June
- Manufacturing & LIVE Chicago | 4-5 June
- Procurement & Supply Chain LIVE London | 23-24 September
- The Global Procurement & Supply Chain Awards | 24 September
Make sure you check out the latest edition of Supply Chain Digital and also sign up to our global conference series - Procurement & Supply Chain LIVE
Supply Chain Digital is a BizClik brand
