*Hosted by Stéphanie Moles-Rota*
In this compelling episode, I interviewed Ruth Beadle, the Head of Global Supply Chain at Sanofi, where we talked about her transformative leadership journey across various industries and geographies. Ruth shared pivotal moments that shaped her career, the challenges of leading large-scale ERP and AI-driven initiatives, and the human impact behind pharmaceutical logistics. Listeners will gain insights into how Sanofi evolved its supply chain to support innovation, agility, and patient-centered service while navigating change at scale.
Listen to the full discussion here:
Connect with the Guest:
Ruth Beadle is Head of Global Supply Chain at Sanofi, an innovative global healthcare company. She has previously led clusters of manufacturing sites in China, Germany, India, Ireland, Italy, and Russia. She was Site Head at Sanofi Waterford from 2015-2019, having held supply chain leadership roles at the site that she joined in 2007.
A BComm graduate of UCD, Ruth also holds postgraduate qualifications from Nottingham Trent University and the Institute of Directors (IoD). She previously worked with brewers Bass and soft drinks company Britvic in the UK, as well as with Waterford Crystal in Ireland. In February 2022, she was appointed by the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science to the first Governing Body of the South East Technological University (SETU). She chairs the board’s Equality, Diversity and Inclusion committee and is an advisor to high-potential startups.
Highlights & Show Notes:
- [01:14] Journey leading to becoming Head of Supply Chain and career inflection points, sharing her first major project of implementing an ERP system and learning supply chain intricacies.
- [03:30] Moving into the beverage industry and learning seasonal demand challenges.
- [05:50] Managing third-party logistics for Waterford Crystal’s U.S. operations.
- [07:20] Transitioning into pharma with Genzyme and grasping the life-saving impact of her work.
- [11:14] How Ruth unified Sanofi’s supply chain team behind a shared strategy and vision.
- [13:23] Improvements, partnerships, leveraging AI for inventory risk forecasting and improving forecast accuracy, and being recognized by Gartner and Kinaxis for innovation and transformation.
- [15:50] The power of a one-page roadmap combining metrics and qualitative progress tracking.
- [17:57] Having a great team and having the right people in the right posts.
- [21:12] Assembling a diverse team with varied backgrounds to reflect society and boost creativity.
- [22:48] Anecdotes from Ruth’s early leadership in male-dominated warehouse settings.
- [24:53] Advice to her younger self: “Don’t mentally block yourself, get on the train.”
Quotes from the Episode:
About the Host:
What a great discussion I had with Ruth Beadle. I am your host, Stéphanie Moles-Rota, Managing Director for Benelux and France at Alcott Global. As an executive search professional, I bring experience from start-ups and Fortune 500 companies. I am driven by a strong commitment to embodying my Talent philosophy and sharing my visionary leadership with clients, partners, and my extensive international network.
Alcott Global provides executive search solutions for key positions at all pillars of end-to-end value chains from general management to overall supply chain operations, including executive and non-executive board roles, globally.
At Makers & Movers, we bring together C-level executives from multinational companies to connect, collaborate, and innovate on a forum focused on business value creation.
Yearly, at the Leaders in Supply Chain Awards, we celebrate and award the Top 30 Leaders in Supply Chain who push for excellence and inspire the future of the industry through exceptional leadership and operational excellence. Join us on September 10.
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#203: Leading Global Operations in the Semiconductor Industry with Thomas Berden of VAT Group
204: Tariffs and Global Supply Chains with Brian Nemeth of AlixPartners
205: How Unilever’s Ice Cream Division Became the $8.5B “Magnum Company” with Sandeep Desai, CSCO
