Ashish Sood is the Chief Supply Chain Officer leading Landmark Retail’s end-to-end supply chain across the stores and e-commerce sectors across GCC, a role he has held since July 2021.
With over two decades of expertise in Supply Chain Management, Ashish has extensive experience in building effective supply chain strategies and has been instrumental in defining the supply chain vision for Landmark Retail. He is focused on driving initiatives to transform the customer experience through digitization and continuous improvement with methodologies such as KATA and other people development initiatives.
Having completed his Bachelor’s in engineering from the National Institute of Technology Rourkela, India, Ashish also holds a Master of Business Administration majoring in Operations and Finance from Management Development Institute, Gurgaon, India.
Listen to the full discussion here:
Connect with the Guest:
Ashish Sood: LinkedIn
Some of the highlights from the podcast:
- Supply Chain Function and Vision within Landmark
- Building customer centricity
- New disruptions and innovations
- The biggest challenge for supply chains in the next 10 years
- Building sustainability for future growth plans
- Key messages for professionals wanting to start a career in supply chain
Show notes:
- [0:55] Share with us your story. Why supply chain and what brought you to the role that you are doing right now?
- [1:32] Please share with us about the Supply Chain Function within Landmark.
- [1:39] We have one of the largest automated DCS that I have seen. When talking of 25 years of experience, it would be one of the largest and most automated.
- [5:41] Having known you for some time, I know you truly bring customers to the heart of your supply chain. Would you be able to share with our audience how you build customer-centricity within Landmark?
- [6:32] Our vision starts with customer centricity. It’s a vision that we have at Landmark, not only for the supply chain team and leadership team. It’s truly a vision that we live and breathe every word of.
- [11:04] I also know your passion for enabling and building a strong team. I would like to ask you how you are going about building the supply chain teams within the Landmark group. Do share some of the stories and initiatives that you are driving within the group.
- [11:48] From our perspective, we were very clear, and part of the vision that we talk of will be enabled by building a world-class supply chain function by hiring, retaining, and developing the best talent.
- [17:57] What are some of the initiatives and steps you’re taking to build that cost-efficient mindset and actually a supply chain that delivers that?
- [18:06] We look at both the short and medium-term and long-term from a cost standpoint. Stretch targets are there, but we focus on the controllable.
- [25:36] In this age of Chat GPT and AI, what are the new disruptions and innovations that you are driving within Landmark?
- [27:50] The focus on tech is very strong in the Landmark supply chain and in Landmark overall. So a lot of work is happening from a digital perspective.
- [28:18] In this era of constant change and disruption, what do you see as the biggest challenge for the supply chain in the next 10 years? And how are you preparing the organization now for the same?
- [35:11] Are there specific actions Landmark is taking in building sustainability in its future plans?
- [35:28] In this journey of being a responsible retailer, we need to reduce the impact on climate and positively impact people.
- [36:47] What are some of the key messages that you have for people that are entering the supply chain or making a shift within the supply chain in their career?
- [41:45] So first is to get an experience in shop floor operations, get the experience of planning, focus on building a strong team, ability to think outside the box, and get your technology piece by. So that’s how I think of the carriers in the supply chain.
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About the Host:
The host, Jaya Mittal is a seasoned HR professional with over 20+ years of experience. She started her journey with Unilever and progressed into senior HR roles at Nestlé and A.P Moller-Maersk. Jaya completed multiple successful programs in corporate rewards and talent acquisitions. As an HR business partner, she worked directly with the organization’s senior leadership to develop and direct an HR agenda, closely supporting strategic goals and placements of top talent.
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:
#133: The Making of “From Source to Sold”
#134: Digital Procurement Transformation starts with mindset
