An Interview with New AWESOME Leader, Sarah Kerin…

I’m really excited to be part of AWESOME because it’s a group of strong, independent, and supportive women all working in supply chain. It’s such a unique group… while we think similarly, we come from across different industries, which gives us diverse perspectives on how to approach supply chain challenges and problems. Being part of this network is really exciting for me and my career.

My first experience in supply chain was at UChicago Medicine. I worked in their supply chain department in the healthcare industry and learned about managing medical devices, supplies, implants, and more. I worked across strategic sourcing and learned about both operations and procurement in a healthcare setting.

While I was there, I was also pursuing my MBA part-time. After that, I was recruited to join Apple and worked in their global supply chain department. It was a similar role, but it was a completely different environment working at a large tech company focused on hardware manufacturing and operating at a global scale. I worked with vendors around the world and learned what it took to manufacture products in specific regions. 

I missed healthcare, so I took a job at Kindbody, where I led procurement and supply chain. Kindbody is a women’s health and IVF company, so I learned a new side of the healthcare industry. It was very different from working in a large academic health system, but still focused on healthcare. I saw firsthand the challenges with backorders and supply disruptions issues that existed before COVID, worsened during COVID, and still persist today.

That led me to start my own company, efficientSC. We launched efficientSC as a software solution to help hospital supply chain teams work better together. We’re focused on solving supply disruptions and making processes more efficient. That’s where I’m at today, as founder and CEO, and it’s been an exciting journey.

I love working in healthcare because of the opportunity to be close to the patient and to make a difference in an industry that matters to everyone. We’re all patients at some point in our lives, and so are our family members. There’s so much opportunity to improve the healthcare system, and it’s exciting to be part of that mission.

This has definitely been the biggest challenge of my career so far but also the most rewarding. There have been a lot of ups and downs in the entrepreneurial journey, and it has been really exciting to see the difference we’re making in the industry. It’s meaningful to see how we’re helping hospital supply chain teams work more effectively.

One of the biggest challenges is that supply chain, across industries, is still very male-dominated. Often, we’re the only women in the boardroom. That’s been my experience many times. So building the confidence to speak up, have a presence, and own your seat at the table has been really important to me. I try to create space for other women on my teams and across organizations to feel confident and supported in meetings and decision-making environments.

That’s one of the things I love about AWESOME, it creates a safe space for women to ask questions and talk through day-to-day challenges, whether they’re tactical supply chain issues or broader organizational dynamics.

It has definitely been a journey. Mentorship has played a big role in helping me grow. One of the challenges is finding a mentor within your organization or a sponsor who’s really going to champion you. There aren’t a lot of female leaders in supply chain, so sometimes those mentors or sponsors aren’t women, but I’ve had several male supporters throughout my career who saw me, valued me, and recognized the impact I had. That kind of support made a big difference.

I try to mentor wherever I can. I’m really involved with my undergraduate alma mater, Tulane University’s Innovation Institute. That’s a more formal program where we partner with startups and mentor them from the early stages. But I also mentor informally and I’m always happy to connect with people who reach out to me on LinkedIn or who I’ve worked with or met along the way. To me, mentorship is about being open and honest about the challenges we face, and helping others grow through those experiences.

Early in my career, I thought a lot about balance and what that meant. At the time, I was very focused on growing professionally. But as I’ve progressed, I’ve realized balance doesn’t necessarily happen every day. Some days are work-focused… you work later and push harder. Other days are more about family or your personal life. And that’s okay. Balance is really about the bigger picture over time.

I also think it’s important to preserve your energy and do things that give you energy. I try to stay grounded in who I want to be as a person, a friend, a mentor, a wife, a sister, a daughter and let those values guide me through the ups and downs.

One of the most important things in life is to keep learning, stay curious, and challenge the status quo. If something doesn’t sound or feel right, don’t be afraid to ask questions.

I love when people on my team ask thoughtful questions or challenge ideas, it shows they’re engaged and thinking critically. It also helps us get to better solutions. That kind of curiosity is important not just in your career, but in life.

I think we touched on a lot. I really love the concept of AWESOME and the opportunity to gather supply chain women together. Our collective brainpower really can change the world. There’s so much that needs to be improved across supply chains in every industry, and we have the power to lead that change.

I think staying curious is a big one. People would probably describe me as someone who’s curious and always trying to learn—whether that’s about the industry, new skills, or just understanding people’s lives and journeys. That curiosity has helped me grow.