Sven Markert currently serves as the Head & EVP Supply Chain Business Company Smart Infrastructure at Siemens AG. In his role, he is responsible for SCM Logistics with more than 4000 employees across several business units. He is also managing and developing his own shared service operation for customer service and logistics.
Sven is an executive International leader with 20+ years of business experience with a major in Business Administration. In addition, he is a strategic thinker and experienced in leading and implementing fully integrated company projects as well as IT implementation projects.
Listen to the full discussion here:
Connect with the Guest:
Sven Markert: LinkedIn
Some of the highlights from the podcast:
- Career inflection points, from running your own company to more than two decades with Siemens
- Digital transformation amidst a global pandemic
- How to make change happen even if nobody likes change
- Driving a sustainable end-to-end supply chain and workforce transformation
- Use your elders to having the right mix of talent from the earlier generations to the young generation
Show notes:
- [01:26] What are one or two key inflection points that helped you most in your career?
- [05:49] “I didn’t know if I would be chosen as the new Head of Supply Chain or as the EVP back then. But I was ready to face the big rocks in the mountain and climb it. I didn’t know if I got the job, but I pushed the transformation.”
- [08:36] What would be one or two examples within Siemens of practical case studies on transformational projects that you’ve embarked on and are very proud of?
- [10:39] “We had a transformation during the pandemic and we got so much good feedback from our customers because we were distributing electrical products and also building products that were really needed.”
- [13:28] What were some of the main challenges you had in implementing change? How do you sell a project like that to the senior management to get their buy-in? How do you convince the organization that it is the right thing to do?
- [14:21] “The biggest challenge was creating and having a clear vision. Having a clear vision of what to do and aligning the vision with the people is the most important. To frame it a little bit, it’s not about the leaders, It’s about the followers.”
- [19:10] What would you say is one area where you want to improve or where you want to do the most in pushing the boundaries even further within Siemens’ smart infrastructure and supply chain?
- [20:38] “What’s really close to my heart is the topic of sustainability. Creating a sustainable supply chain end-to-end from the source to the sold.”
- [23:05] “You have to transform the workforce and have the right mix and the right balance of the young generation up to the more experienced talents.”
- [25:24] Can you share with us some examples of people from the earlier generation that bring inspiration and serves as role models to the rest of the team because of the fantastic job they are doing?
- [28:47] “I had a talk with one of our team members who turned 65 and asked him if he wants to retire, and he said no and that he still had that fire inside him. So we decided to extend his contract for another 5 years until 70. And now he’s already 73 and still with us.”
- [32:42] What would be one or two pieces of advice you would give to somebody who is just graduating that from your own experience has helped you the most in your professional life?
- [34:00] “Closely listen to the people and to your stakeholders. You have two ears, one mouth, and a brain in between. Listen twice as much as you speak, and then use your brain in between.”
Quotes from the Episode:
About the Host:
The host, Radu Palamariu is the co-author of “From Source to Sold – Stories of Leadership in Supply Chain”. He has been named one of the top 3 Global Supply Chain Influencers on LinkedIn and was featured in Forbes, Bloomberg, WEF, Bangkok Post, and MIT Supply Chain Talent magazine. Radu invites executives to share stories and perspectives around technology, logistics, e-commerce, supply chain, and manufacturing, and their views on how the future will look.
Alcott Global connects and upgrades the supply chain ecosystem by finding the right talent through executive search, developing talent through learning solutions, and meeting supply chain technology needs through a comprehensive crunch base marketplace.
The supply chain executive search has been our focus since the very beginning, offering recruitment services for top-tier supply chain roles at every level of the end-to-end supply chain: plan, source / procure, make, and deliver. Our consultants have years of experience in placing top talent, in North America, LATAM, Europe, the Middle East & Africa, and APAC, and besides speed, one of our biggest strengths is our network within the supply chain industry, and we capitalize on it to find the best solutions.
Through the years, we have grown as an organization and our offerings with it. One of our initiatives, the learning solutions- training and supply chain academy, is focused on transforming leadership- self-leadership, executive presence, influence capital, and business acumen. Through Supplify, we aim to match corporations with the top technology companies to solve their supply chain and logistics challenges with a focus on innovation and digital transformation.
We are in constant touch with the leaders in supply chain, inviting them to inspire the supply chain professionals in thought-provoking podcast episodes and events, and showcasing what is possible at the yearly Leaders in Supply Chain Awards.
Related Episodes:
#153: The Magic Conveyor Belt: Supply Chains, A.I., and the Future of Work
#154: Embrace Changes and Growth with Passion and Curiosity
#155: The Origin of “Supply Chain” and Supercharging the SCM of the Future
