The 2015 Thinkers & Movers Award, recognizing individuals whose innovative leadership has significantly impacted thinking and practices in the field of supply chain, will be presented to Kathy Wengel, Vice President, Supply Chain, Johnson & Johnson, and Mike Duffy, President, Medical Consumables, Cardinal Health, on September 28 in conjunction with the CSCMP annual conference.
Kathy Wengel is one of the leaders of AWESOME and has been involved in AWESOME almost since its inception in early 2013. She participated as a panelist at the first AWESOME Symposium in May 2013 and is one of the organization’s first Advisors. In 2014, she received the AWESOME Legendary Leadership (ALL) Award and, in 2015, served as co-host of the Symposium.
Mike Duffy is also a highly-respected health care executive and a strong proponent of diverse leadership. He took part in a panel discussion on Collaboration in Action: Working Together for Impact at the 2015 AWESOME Symposium and is known throughout the industry for his advocacy of collaboration, partnership, and the strategic importance of the supply chain.
The Thinkers & Movers Award was developed in 2009 as an industry-wide recognition of outstanding supply chain leadership by DSC Logistics. The award presentation is held at a special event during the annual conference of the Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals. This year’s conference takes place in San Diego September 27-30 and the award event is Monday, September 28. AWESOME also sponsors a networking reception as a kick-off to the conference on Sunday, September 27.
Among the 15 individuals to receive the Thinkers & Movers Award in the past six years are several who have since become active as AWESOME leaders and network members : Dr. Nancy Nix, AWESOME Executive Director, was presented with the award in 2009; Debbie Lentz, Senior Vice President and Chief Supply Chain Officer for Toys”R”Us, Inc., AWESOME Advisor, Symposium panelist, and a 2015 recipient of the AWESOME Legendary Leadership (ALL) Award, in 2013; and Jody Starcher, Director of Corporate Warehousing and Customer Initiatives and a member of the The J.M. Smucker Company supply chain team, in 2014.
Rick Blasgen, President and CEO of CSCMP (Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals), who received the award in 2013, also has attended and participated as a panelist at the AWESOME Symposiums.
Other recipients include:
2014 – Rick Sather, Vice President, Supply Chain and Operations, Jack Link’s; Denny Armstrong, Senior Vice President of Logistics and Operations Support for The J. M. Smucker Company; and Rob Fox, Vice President, Customer Logistics & Trade Compliance for The J.M. Smucker Company
2012 – Stephan Haeckel, business consultant and executive educator/coach who pioneered the sense-and-respond managerial principles of adaptive enterprise design, and David Simchi-Levi, Professor of Engineering Systems at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, author, entrepreneur, and consultant in the field of operations strategy.
2011 – Dr. Donald Bowersox (in memorium), longtime Professor of Logistics and Supply Chain Management at Michigan State University and well-known author, speaker, and industry leader; Ed Bowersox, former Senior Global Director – Logistics & Supply Chain for Kimberly-Clark Professional; and John Bowersox, Director, Operations at Ann Sacks Tile & Stone.
2010 – Daan Delen, President and CEO of Reynolds American, Inc., and Nicholas LaHowchic, author and former President of Limited Logistics Services (for Limited Brands) and Becton Dickinson Supply Chain Services.
2009 – Ralph Drayer, former Chief Logistics officer of Procter & Gamble.