We are thrilled to welcome DeLynn Louth to AWESOME! As the Senior Director of Global Supply Network Operations, Corporate Demand Planning & Customer Collaboration at Procter & Gamble, DeLynn brings a wealth of expertise and passion for advancing women in supply chain leadership.
In a recent interview, DeLynn shared her insights on the importance of intentional networking, the value of mentorship and sponsorship, and how diversity drives success on a global scale. We’re excited to have her as part of the AWESOME community!
DeLynn Louth serves as the leader of P&G’s Global Demand Planning and Customer Collaboration capabilities for P&G Supply Network Operations world-wide. She is responsible for industry leading work processes & innovative digital/AI solutions that enable breakthrough results via our demand and customer facing supply chain resources across all markets & categories. This includes order to cash, superior shopper availability, exceptional customer experience, customer collaborative planning, joint value creation and demand sensing and shaping. DeLynn has over 30years of experience across the full end to end supply chain from Manufacturing, Supplier Management, Physical distribution, Integrated Planning, Supply Network Design and Customer Operations. DeLynn loves to travel, hike, give back to her community and enjoy time with her husband, 4 great kids, and 2 rescue pups. She is based in Cincinnati, OH.
AWESOME
DeLynn, we’re thrilled to welcome you to the AWESOME community! How did you hear about this network, and what excites you most about being part of it?
DeLynn Louth
I found out about AWESOME during the Supply Chain Next Gen Conference in Chicago in October. I was presenting on behalf of Procter & Gamble about our work on Shelf Availability. During the conference, someone from AWESOME approached me, handed me a card, and invited me to join. That’s how I got connected!
I’m really excited about the mission of AWESOME. I look forward to participating in events and leveraging the network to learn from other amazing women who are driving transformational change in supply chain. For me, it’s about both personal and professional growth—building connections with other women in supply chain and accelerating our collective business impact.
AWESOME
We’d love to hear more about your background. Can you tell us about your career journey?
Louth
I started my career with Procter & Gamble 30 years ago after graduating from North Carolina State with a degree in Industrial Engineering. My first role was in a manufacturing site, which, at the time, also housed many of our supply chain capabilities.
Over the years, I’ve had the chance to work across nearly every area of the supply chain. I’ve managed supplier relationships, ensuring excellence in material supply. I’ve worked in physical distribution, warehousing, manufacturing, and planning—everything from supply and demand planning to initiative planning even artwork planning.
I’ve also been involved in supply network design and supply network optimization roles- focusing on building both physical capabilities and the processes that keep everything running smoothly. About 15 years ago, I transitioned into customer-facing roles. I spent time on the Walmart P&G customer team, collaborating on optimizing product flow to shelves, which was an exciting opportunity to balance both delivering great service and enabling business growth.
Now, I lead all customer-facing product supply capabilities at P&G, including work process excellence, technology, digitization, and innovation. I also oversee corporate demand planning, aligning customer insights with our broader supply chain strategies. My role is all about driving transformation—how we evolve and stay ahead to deliver what’s next.
AWESOME
Your background is so impressive and diverse. Could you share some of the achievements you’re most proud of or challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Louth
What I’d say is that I’m really proud of several work achievements, especially in transforming new capabilities at P&G. What excites me the most is that we’ve pushed the industry forward in many areas, particularly on advanced customer collaboration capabilities. Most of this work focuses on partnering with our customers to ensure our consumers can always find the product they are looking for, either online or on shelf, that it is stocked as efficiently as possible to reduce cost to serve, and ultimately drive our joint business growth.
But beyond my professional accomplishments, I’m most proud of being a mother of four. My kids are now teenagers and young adults. Balancing an exciting career at P&G and an exciting family of 6 is incredibly challenging. It’s important yes to focus on career success, but it’s absolutely critical to ensure family success! To ensure the health and well-being of every family member, seeing how every kid is growing, investing in my marriage, etc is a top priority.
For me, one of my proudest accomplishments is seeing both my family and career thrive. It’s definitely not easy and I’ve learned a lot.
AWESOME
What advice would you give to aspiring women leaders in supply chain?
Louth
My advice to women, especially in supply chain, is this: no matter how consumed we can get at work, we must make sure that our families are well taken care of. We need to have balance.
It really takes a village. You can’t do it alone—whether at work or at home. I love what AWESOME represents in this way, because building a network, having people around you who lift you up, is so crucial. I also believe it’s important to recognize that everyone has their own needs for flexibility.
Another key piece of advice is knowing your boundaries and being transparent about them. I’ve found that it’s important to let others know what your boundaries are and to manage them. The business will always ask for more, but you need to know when to say no. For instance, in my career, I’ve had to adjust my career path based on family needs at different times and that’s okay. You must manage your time and communicate your limits clearly.
One thing I always say is that a career is long—30+ years though it does feel it goes quickly. So, take the time you need for your personal life. A year off with newborns, or time needed to work less than full time or other flexible schedules is just part of a long career, and you can get back on track, particularly with a good network to support you.
AWESOME
What stands out to me is how strong your boundaries are, and it’s really impressive. Did it always start out that way?
Louth
No, definitely not. I learned the hard way. You make personal compromises, then realize they really didn’t work for you. I think women, especially young mothers, often feel guilty about not being fully present in either their careers or at home. It’s critically important to take the time you need with family as you can’t get it back. But as my kids got older, I also realized I shouldn’t feel so guilty all the time. I was role modeling for them what it means to also be ambitious, work hard and balance responsibilities. Kids are truly resilient, and they see how you manage things.
I think women often find it difficult to set clear boundaries. Men tend to be more comfortable doing that. But I always encourage women to be clear about what works for them. For some, answering emails at night might work; for others, it won’t. It’s about finding what’s right for you and honoring that.
Confidence is key, and it’s something you learn over time. I’ve noticed that when interviewing young women and men, women tend to be very transparent about what they haven’t done yet, whereas men tend to express more confidence in their ability to grow into a new role. It’s important for women to feel confident in their ability to take on new challenges, and to know that it’s okay to not have done everything yet, you will learn & grow while in the new assignment.
AWESOME
We’ve heard from our founder Ann Drake that men often have a natural network, which seems pretty accurate. Women, on the other hand, sometimes face barriers.
Louth
Yes, it’s important for us to be intentional about networking and building camaraderie. Helping other women is key. Throughout my career, I’ve had mentors, sponsors, and even reverse mentors. I’ve also actively mentored and sponsored. A sponsor actively manages your career, while mentors offer a safe space for support and advice. Reverse mentoring is crucial too, as it helps me stay connected with younger generations and their evolving perspectives. It’s also important to have good friends at work—trusted people you can turn to for advice and support, even if they’re not in your direct network. I think women need to be deliberate in building formal networks, maintaining mentorships, and cultivating friendships.
AWESOME
Earlier, you mentioned working abroad. What cultural differences stood out to you?
Louth
When I took on a global role while still in the U.S., I was so inspired by the incredible things happening around the world. I wanted my kids to be exposed to different cultures, governments, and ways of thinking too. I asked for an international assignment and spent three years in Geneva, managing customer work across Europe and 10 markets in Asia. I truly believe diversity—diversity of thought, experience, and approach—is key to success. It was humbling for our whole family to realize how much we had to learn from others, especially when it came to new languages and cultural norms. Now, in my current global role back in the US, I truly love working with a broad team that brings incredible perspectives from all over the world.
AWESOME
That sounds amazing! How do you manage all of that, especially with a virtual team spread across time zones?
Louth
It takes intentional effort. We leverage face-to-face opportunities once or twice a year, but even virtually, we focus on building community. We celebrate various holidays and respect different cultural practices. Time zones can be tricky, especially with team members in Singapore or California, but we balance our schedules and recognize individual contributions. We also encourage virtual coffees to build relationships outside of work agendas. Relationships are crucial—whether with customers, partners, or within the team. By investing in these connections, we make work more enjoyable and get things done more efficiently.
AWESOME
That sounds like a lot of work, but it clearly pays off.
Louth
It does. It’s a lot of planning, but it’s a critical part of our organizational principles. People appreciate it, it makes work more enjoyable & when everyone feels valued and contributing at their best, it’s amazing what we can do together!