From Silos to Systems Thinking: How Inchainge Is Rewiring Supply Chain Skills for the Age of AI and Circularity with Rada Lazarova

Simulation is the missing layer in supply chain talent development. That is the thesis of this episode of the Supply Chain Revolution podcast, where Sheri Hinish sits down with Rada Lazarova from Inchainge, the company behind The Fresh Connection and The Blue Connection, the world's leading supply chain business simulations used by over 40% of the world's top 100 manufacturers and nearly half a million learners across more than 100 countries.  Rada, based in Utrecht in the Netherlands, brings a perspective shaped by her own journey from Bulgaria to Wisconsin to the Dutch experiential learning ecosystem. She explains why traditional supply chain education falls short: it teaches theory without context, creating professionals who understand frameworks but freeze when confronted with the cross-functional complexity of real supply chain decisions. Inchainge's simulations drop participants, whether university students or Fortune 500 executives, into virtual companies where they take on VP-level roles and discover, often painfully, that optimizing their own function can bankrupt the entire business.  Together, they explore why silos are the root cause of supply chain underperformance, how the human behaviors of students and C-suite executives are remarkably similar when placed in simulation environments, why sustainability thinking only takes hold when every decision is linked to impact metrics, and how Inchainge's new AI tutor responds like a teacher (with more questions, not answers) rather than a chatbot. Rada closes with a challenge to every supply chain leader: stop saving the day, start solving the problem.  Chapter Markers:  0:00 Introduction: simulation as the missing layer in supply chain talent  0:24 Meet Rada Lazarova: from Bulgaria to Wisconsin to Inchainge  1:29 Why traditional supply chain education falls short  2:21 Inside the simulation: VP-level roles, cross-functional decisions, and sandbox failure  3:58 The power of going bankrupt with no consequences  4:33 Context engineering in the age of AI and automation  5:08 Silos as root cause: how one client restructured their KPI system after training  5:57 40% of the world's top 100 manufacturers: students vs. executives in the simulation  8:06 Recovery in a simulation vs. recovery in the real world  8:26 New AI and circularity capabilities on the Inchainge platform  9:12 The sustainability hands-up moment: before and after the simulation  11:00 Circular metrics: return on material, circularity of inputs, alternative revenue models  11:52 The AI tutor: why it asks questions instead of giving answers  13:35 Rapid fire: the biggest misconception about supply chain talent today  14:18 What every supply chain leader should unlearn  15:29 Rotate, explore, get your hands dirty: career advice  15:39 What excites Rada most about the next five years of supply chain education  Key Topics:   Supply chain talent development, simulation-based learning, experiential learning, Inchainge, The Fresh Connection, The Blue Connection, supply chain skills gap, cross-functional KPIs, silo breaking, supply chain education, AI in education, circularity simulation, supply chain sustainability training, core skills, context engineering, supply chain gamification, workforce development  Connect and Learn More:  Rada Lazarova: linkedin.com/in/radalazarova  Inchainge: inchainge.com  The Fresh Connection (supply chain simulation): inchainge.com/learning-solutions  The Blue Connection (circular economy simulation): inchainge.com/learning-solutions  Sheri Hinish (Supply Chain Queen): supplychainqueen.com 

In this episode of the Supply Chain Revolution podcast, produced in partnership with the Innovation Forum, Sheri Hinish sits down with Christine Goulay, founder of Sustainabelle Advisory Services in Paris. Christine brings 20 years of experience at the intersection of sustainability and fashion, including operational roles at Pangaea and the Kering Group (the luxury conglomerate behind Gucci and Balenciaga), advisory work with UNEP and the Textile Exchange, and board positions with traceability and materials startups including Fairly Made. Together, they unpack the honest state of sustainable apparel in 2026. Christine identifies three distinct tiers of brand behavior: the core leaders who are integrating sustainability as a risk reduction and customer engagement strategy, the compliance hedgers who are calculating whether to invest now or pay fines later, and the silent majority waiting to see which way the regulatory wind blows. She explains why regulation was the decisive differentiator in scaling reuse in France, why the same dynamic is now playing out with the California Textile Recovery Act and Digital Product Passport requirements in the EU, and why simply checking the compliance box builds adequate supply chains, not extraordinary ones. Christine introduces a powerful framework: the love language of sustainability. Borrowed from Gary Chapman's 1992 book, the concept is that sustainability leaders must speak the language of their audience, replacing terms like ESG with resilience when talking to procurement, framing impact as risk reduction for CFOs, and embedding sustainability KPIs alongside financial metrics so sourcing teams can make balanced decisions without career risk. She shares how France's EPR eco-modulation bonus returns 70 cents per garment for certified materials versus a five-to-seven cent average EPR cost, and how forward-thinking brands are embedding CO2 emissions data directly into RFPs. Connect with our guest: Christine Goulay, Founder, Sustainabelle Advisory Services LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/christinegoulay/ Our partner for this episode: Innovation Forum Website: https://innovationforum.co.uk/conferences/sustainable-apparel-and-textiles-conference-usa/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/innovation-forum-uk/posts/?feedView=all Join us at the Sustainable Apparel and Textiles Conference USA New York City | June 3–4, 2026 | 230+ leaders | Chatham House Rules Register: https://innovationforum.co.uk/conferences/sustainable-apparel-and-textiles-conference-usa/ Connect with Sheri Hinish (Supply Chain Queen®): Website: https://www.supplychainqueen.com/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sherihinish/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@SupplyChainQueen Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/supplychainqueen/ Listen to Supply Chain Revolution on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/supply-chain-revolution/id1496639064 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2yfqyaA8FtAcwjUDi2nrhe Key Topics: sustainable apparel 2026, textile regulation, EPR Extended Producer Responsibility, California Textile Recovery Act, Digital Product Passport DPP, circularity textiles, traceability, supply chain transparency, Kering Group, Sustainabelle, Innovation Forum, Sustainable Apparel and Textiles Conference USA, fashion supply chain, supplier de-risking, impact KPIs, love language of sustainability, Fairly Made, eco-modulation, total cost of ownership, procurement sustainability

In this special Earth Day episode of the Supply Chain Revolution podcast, Sheri Hinish sits down with Wesley Herche, Director of Energy and Sustainability Solutions at Prologis and co-founder of the Sustainability Decoded newsletter. Wesley brings one of the most unconventional career paths in the sustainability world, from civilian intelligence officer at the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA) and deployment to Iraq, through BCG and Amazon, to his current role at the world's largest logistics real estate company. Wesley's thesis is as provocative as it is precise: there is no difference between GDP and energy. Every supply chain decision that appears to be about cost, resilience, or emissions is fundamentally an energy decision. He argues that organizations must stop treating energy like a procurement line item and start treating it as the operating system on which their entire supply chain runs. Together, they unpack why the discovery of fossil fuels created the sharpest inflection point in human development history, how Pakistan added 25 gigawatts of rooftop solar (most of it through DIY TikTok tutorials) to build energy resilience now larger than all other generation combined, and why the Strait of Hormuz crisis is revealing what has always been true: energy logistics are the invisible substrate of the global economy. Wesley breaks down the three energy services every business actually consumes (heat, propulsion, and electricity), how to evaluate alternative generation architectures across onsite solar, battery storage, green tariffs, and offsite renewables, and why treating emissions like product specs transforms procurement from a cost function into a strategic weapon. They close with the announcement of Sustainability Decoded as a new Supply Chain Revolution community partner. Follow Wes and Sustainability Decoded Key Topics: Earth Day 2026, energy supply chains, energy as operating system, renewable energy strategy, Prologis, Sustainability Decoded, Strait of Hormuz, electrotech, Scope 1 2 3 emissions, supplier decarbonization, onsite solar, battery storage, energy resilience, Pakistan solar revolution, GDP and energy, supply chain sustainability, green tariffs, climate strategy

The Strait of Hormuz crisis has become the largest disruption to global energy supply since the 1970s oil embargo, with ship transits collapsing by over 95% and an estimated 230 loaded oil tankers stranded inside the Persian Gulf. Fertilizer exports through the strait have plummeted by more than 90%, threatening global food production heading into planting season. So what does the recovery playbook actually look like for supply chain and procurement leaders whose operations run through the Gulf? In this episode, Sheri Hinish sits down with Sam Achampong, Regional Director for CIPS across the Middle East, Africa, and Asia Pacific, live from Dubai in the middle of the crisis. Sam brings over 18 years of experience operating in the Gulf region and offers an unvarnished, on-the-ground perspective that transcends the headlines. Together, they unpack how business continuity plans are holding up (and where they are falling short), why organizations are renegotiating payment terms with strategic suppliers to fund local sourcing pivots, and how the cash-flow circularity strategy is helping companies stabilize operations in real time. Sam shares hard-earned lessons on supplier relationship management, the critical difference between transactional and strategic partnerships, and why the best procurement leaders never become famous. They also explore the talent gap, the underinvestment in people skills relative to technical capabilities, and why context engineering is the true differentiator for AI-enabled supply chain decision-making. Sam closes with a powerful historical parallel: CIPS itself was founded in response to the Smoot-Hawley tariffs of the 1930s, proving that procurement professionals have been navigating geopolitical disruption for nearly a century. Key Topics: Strait of Hormuz crisis, Middle East supply chain disruption, procurement recovery playbook, business continuity planning, supplier relationship management, strategic sourcing, energy supply chain, petrochemical trade disruption, fertilizer supply crisis, AI in supply chain risk, talent development, CIPS, geopolitical risk management

What if the $2.6 trillion in materials the world throws away every year is not a waste problem, but a supply chain design problem? What if there was a way to capture that value and build a 9 figure empire? In the Season 3 premiere, Sheri Hinish sits down with Tom Szaky, the founder and CEO of TerraCycle, a company operating in 20 countries that has recycled over 8 billion items the traditional waste system refused to touch. Tom dropped out of Princeton to build a business around garbage. Twenty-five years later, TerraCycle generates nearly $100 million in annual revenue and just announced a Reg A $75 million investment offering to scale its operations further.  In this episode, Tom breaks down why 95% of products have no viable recycling pathway (and why it has nothing to do with technology), why everything is getting less recyclable over time as products get cheaper, how Loop cracked the code on reusable packaging in France while it stalled in the US, and why waste is the least innovative industry in the world, making it the biggest blue ocean for entrepreneurs.  Sheri and Tom share insights on frameworks for circular supply chain design, extended producer responsibility, and the role of supply chain leaders as planetary systems architects. Whether you lead procurement, operations, logistics, or sustainability, this episode reframes waste as a competitive strategy conversation, not an environmental afterthought.  Connect with Tom Szaky and TerraCycle: Terracycle.com + Tom on LinkedIn + Learn more invest.terracycle.com Topics covered: circular economy, circular supply chain, waste economics, waste management, recycling, reuse, Loop, extended producer responsibility (EPR), packaging, zero waste, supply chain innovation, TerraCycle, regenerative supply chains. 

Join Sheri Hinish for the launch of Student Voices, a new curated conversation within the Supply Chain Revolution pod spotlighting standout student and early-career leaders shaping the future of supply chain, sustainability, and innovation. In this debut episode, Sheri sits down with Yaseen Ahmid, founder of Luna, to explore how more human-centered systems can unlock overlooked value in people, communities, and markets.  This conversation moves beyond resumes. Yaseen shares why he sees talent access, circular economy, and Africa-centered systems leadership as part of one larger operating philosophy: redesign the flow, restore agency, and build pathways to opportunity that are more inclusive by design.  Listeners will hear how Luna responds to an increasingly automated and impersonal hiring landscape, why human judgment still matters in talent development, and how supply chain thinking can help leaders rethink access, resilience, and value creation at scale.  Key Insights  • Why Yaseen views careers, circularity, and regional development as one connected systems challenge  • How Luna was built to restore agency in a job-search process that often feels automated and generic  • Why access should be treated as infrastructure, not as a matter of chance  • What global leaders still misunderstand about African markets, innovation, and supply chain potential  • How circular thinking applies not only to materials, but also to where value is created, captured, and shared  • What employers, students, and operators can do now to build pathways that are more fair, practical, and future-ready  What Listeners Will Learn  • How a supply chain lens can strengthen talent systems, sustainability strategy, and community impact  • Why personalized guidance can outperform one-size-fits-all career support when the stakes are identity and opportunity  • How young leaders can balance execution, systems thinking, and ecosystem building  • What it means to design opportunity systems that are both human-centered and scalable  Why This Conversation Matters  The episode frames opportunity as a design question. Rather than treating career access, sustainability, and regional development as unrelated topics, it shows how thoughtful system design can surface value that traditional models often miss.  Who Should Listen  Ideal for students, early-career professionals, hiring leaders, supply chain operators, sustainability advocates, and anyone interested in building more inclusive systems of opportunity.  About the Guest  Yaseen Ahmid is the founder and CEO of Luna, a personalized resume review service designed to help students and young professionals communicate their strengths with clarity and confidence. Across his broader work in consulting, circular economy, and student leadership, he brings a consistent focus on access, agency, and system redesign.  About the Series  Student Voices is a new curated conversation within the Supply Chain Revolution pod featuring emerging leaders whose stories, ideas, and operating philosophies can help shape the future of supply chain.  🔗 Connect & Learn More 🌐 Supply Chain Revolution® Podcast: www.supplychainqueen.com/podcast 💬 Follow Sheri Hinish (The Supply Chain Queen®): linkedin.com/in/supplychainqueen 📺 YouTube: youtube.com/@supplychainqueen 📸 Instagram: instagram.com/supplychainqueen 📱 TikTok: @supplychainqueen 🎧 Listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/supply-chain-revolution 🎧 Listen on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/supply-chain-revolution

What if the emissions hiding in your transportation network could cost your company millions in regulatory exposure — and you didn't even know?  In this final episode of the Supply Chain Revolution's 10 Big Ideas to Transform Supply Chains for a Regenerative Future, hosts Sheri Hinish (Supply Chain Queen) and co-host James George close the series with a conversation that ties it all together: end-to-end decarbonization powered by precision data.  Their guest is Constantine Komodromos, founder of VesselBot and a Time 100 Award honoree, who built his company after a visit to the Parthenon in Athens changed everything. What began as a maritime optimization platform evolved into a mission-critical data infrastructure company helping shippers understand — in real time — the emissions their carriers are generating, and what it's actually costing them.  In this episode, you'll learn:  Why spend-based emissions accounting creates dangerous blind spots for large organizations How one automotive customer discovered €300K to €1M+ in preventable cost exposure from 160,000 tons of emissions they didn't know they had Why 40% container utilization is a fixable problem that saves money and carbon simultaneously How real-time vessel data — including Suez Canal rerouting and fuel consumption shifts — gives shippers an edge in volatile geopolitical environments Why sustainability embedded into daily operations is more durable than compliance-driven initiatives  Sheri connects Big Idea 10 to themes across the series: James Mnyupe's case for CBAM as a business ROI lever (Big Idea 9) and Sophie Beckham's packaging taxation insights (Big Idea 7), reminding listeners that data literacy at every node of the value chain is what makes regenerative transformation real.  Ideas 1 through 6 asked us to envision what's possible. Ideas 7 through 10 showed us how to execute. This is the one that brings it home.  Nothing's stopping us now.  supplychainqueen.com Episode Tags: supply chain, decarbonization, emissions data, maritime logistics, transportation sustainability, VesselBot, EU ETS, CBAM, regenerative supply chain, supply chain queen, circular economy, data-driven sustainability 

"Be careful about trying to solve 2050 problems with 2025 technology," says James Mnyupe, former Namibia Senior Economic Advisor and Green Hydrogen Commissioner. Join Sheri Hinish, the Supply Chain Queen®, and co-host James George for Big Idea 9 of the Supply Chain Revolution podcast exploring how clean energy actually powers industrialization in practice. This episode is part of the 10 Big Ideas to Transform Supply Chains for a Regenerative Future series and reveals the structural choices, systems thinking, and policy frameworks that determine how African nations own the value chains they create in clean industrialization revolution happening now in the global south. Featuring James Mnyupe, Senior Vice President for Sub-Saharan Africa at ThyssenKrupp Uhde. James brings rare perspective having architected Namibia's green industrialization blueprint from the government side and now scaling the model across 49 African nations through a European industrial platform. His work spans everything from fertilizer and food security to mineral beneficiation, mobilizing fit-for-purpose capital while ensuring African ownership of technology, data, and manufacturing capacity. His TED Talk on economic diplomacy and industrial policy has inspired leaders globally to rethink development partnerships. Chapters 00:00 - Introduction to Clean Energy and Industrialization 00:15 - Navigating Geopolitical Tensions in Clean Energy 06:45 - Blueprint for African-Led Clean Industrialization 14:19 - Redefining Bankability in African Terms 25:22 - African Sovereignty and Global Partnerships 29:11 - Looking Ahead: The Future of African Industrialization Connect with the Supply Chain Revolution Subscribe for the full "10 Big Ideas" series exploring how to transform supply chains for a regenerative future. Follow the Supply Chain Queen on LinkedIn for additional insights and resources.

Join the Supply Chain Queen® and James George with Namuun Purevdorj—a leader who bridges two powerful knowledge systems that together can create transformation neither achieves alone.  Namuun brings an extraordinary blend of experiences: born and raised in Mongolia's deeply communal, nature-centered culture, MIT-trained in supply chain management, and seasoned across consulting, Amazon operations, and retail leadership. As someone who grew up learning that wellbeing depends on the wellbeing of people and nature around you - persevering through -40°C winters and seasonal apprenticeships—she offers a unique lens on building regenerative organizations.  Currently leading the eyewear category at Amazon Retail US, Namuun's journey spans sourcing, supplier development, packaging sustainability, network design, and procurement decarbonization. Throughout her career, she's discovered that Mongolian worldviews of interdependence, stewardship, and dialogue pair naturally with analytical training and technical skills. One helps understand people, relationships, and long-term impact. The other helps design mechanisms and make data-driven decisions.  For anyone feeling the pressure to find perfect AI-powered answers, Namuun's story is permission to progress without perfection, to trust in timely human action, and to see supply chains as living networks. Key Insights:  The Bridge Between Worlds: How indigenous wisdom about community resilience and long-term stewardship complements modern capabilities in data, AI, and digital transformation Progress Over Perfection: The Mongolian saying "even muddy water can put out fire"—why timely human action matters more than waiting for perfect solutions Seasonal Discipline as Systems Thinking: How growing up with nomadic rhythms—spring for growth, fall for preparation, winter for protection—builds natural understanding of adaptive networks Building Capability, Not Just Output: Why the most regenerative solutions focus on strengthening people and systems, not just delivering projects Co-Creation at Scale: How to build solutions with the people who will own them after implementation—from Amazon's supplier-facing teams to retail operations The Interdependence Question: "Who else needs to thrive for this work to succeed?"—a frame that widens perspective and reveals the true system Cultural Translation in Corporate Settings: Navigating the tension between communal, nature-based values and P&L-driven global logistics operations Resilience as Foundation: How harsh climates and seasonal adaptation build the perseverance required for systems transformation  About Namuun Purevdorj:  Namuun is Category Leader for Eyewear at Amazon Retail US. Previously, she led procurement decarbonization initiatives at Amazon, building tools and training for thousands of supplier-facing teams. Her background spans consulting, logistics, and procurement, an MIT master's in supply chain management, and early career work in international economics. Connect with the Supply Chain Revolution:  Subscribe for the full "10 Big Ideas" series exploring how to transform supply chains for a regenerative future. Follow the Supply Chain Queen on LinkedIn for additional insights and resources. 

Join Sheri Hinish, the Supply Chain Queen®, and co-host James George for Big Idea 7 of the Supply Chain Revolution podcast all about Forest Positive Supply Chains. This episode is part of the 10 Big Ideas to Transform Supply Chains for a Regenerative Future series and explores how global supply chains can evolve from deforestation free compliance to forest positive regeneration. Featuring Sophie Beckham, Chief Sustainability Officer of International Paper and one of the world’s most respected leaders in forestry and biodiversity stewardship, this conversation reframes forests as living infrastructure that underpins long term business resilience, economic value, and climate stability. Drawing on decades of experience across forest management, conservation partnerships, and large scale industrial operations, Sophie shares how supply chains that depend on forest systems must move beyond short term optimization toward multi generational regeneration. Forests are not interchangeable inputs. They are place based systems that require trust, data, collaboration, and long horizon thinking. In this episode, you will learn why deforestation free is only the starting point, how forest positive supply chains actively enhance biodiversity, water quality, and ecosystem health, and why nature must be treated as a core stakeholder rather than an externality. The discussion spans landowner trust, regulatory uncertainty on EUDR, data and GIS enabled transparency, climate volatility, and the role of fiber based packaging in keeping forests standing. Key themes include how forests function as living infrastructure that cannot be relocated, why regenerative forestry does not require economic tradeoffs, how early data driven interventions create positive outcomes on the ground, and why nature is the silent guarantor of all other forms of capital. This is not a theoretical sustainability discussion. It is a practical, business grounded exploration of how supply chains can become regeneration catalysts that strengthen operations, protect assets, support communities, and restore biodiversity at scale. Perfect for supply chain leaders, sustainability and ESG executives, risk and resilience leaders, operations and procurement teams, and anyone responsible for long term sourcing, infrastructure, or climate adaptation strategies. What You Will Learn Supply chains can act as catalysts for forest regeneration.The European Deforestation Regulation (EUDR) poses challenges for businesses.Technology is essential for bridging gaps in forestry management.Understanding the interconnectedness of forest ecosystems is crucial.Nature should be viewed as a key stakeholder in supply chains.Balancing commercial viability with sustainability is a complex challenge.Adapting to climate change is vital for forestry management.Consumers play a significant role in promoting sustainable packaging.Forests have the potential to contribute to climate change mitigation.The future of forestry lies in sustainable and regenerative practices. Sound Bites "We should lean into unsentimental valuation.""What can the average consumer do?""How do we deliver sustainable outcomes?" Chapters 00:00 - Introduction to Supply Chains and Regeneration 02:07 - Understanding the European Deforestation Regulation (EUDR) 06:08 - Technology Bridging Gaps in Forestry Management 09:32 - The Interconnectedness of Forest Ecosystems 12:04 - Nature as a Stakeholder in Supply Chains 15:01 - Balancing Commercial Viability with Sustainability 18:14 - Adapting to Climate Change in Forestry 21:22 - Consumer Responsibility in Sustainable Packaging 25:36 - Looking Ahead: Future of Forestry and Sustainability Keywords supply chain, forest regeneration, sustainability, EUDR, technology in forestry, biodiversity, climate change, consumer responsibility, packaging, carbon sequestration