Top Women in Supply Chain Award
Divya Demato, CEO of GoodOps, is the winner of the first Supply & Demand Chain Executive Women in Supply Chain Award.
“Supply chain is the backbone of any business, and the leadership team is critical to its success – not just from a profitability standpoint, but from an accountability one as well. Women bring a unique skill set to the table and repeatedly demonstrate their ability to multi-task, make tough decisions, and drive results. I’m honored to be chosen as an award recipient and congratulations to the rest of the winners – I look forward to shaping this industry together with each of you.”
According to Gartner Inc.’s 2020 Women in Supply Chain Survey among 177 supply chain professionals, 17% of chief supply chain officers (CSCOs) are now women—a 6% increase compared to 2019 and the highest rate since the first edition of the survey in 2016.
“The increase in women executive leaders over the past year is a positive sign, however the survey showed that women don’t consistently make it through the pipeline,” says Dana Stiffler, vice president analyst, Gartner Supply Chain Practice. “Lack of progress is not something the industry can afford at the moment. Supply chain’s role in the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent recovery is crucial, with lives and livelihoods at stake. This is a pivotal time for many women in mid-level and senior management positions.”
Despite the increase, there is still a noticeable gap between women and men in vice president and director levels. According to the survey, 63% of respondents have active goals, objectives or initiatives to recruit more women to their business and build pipelines. However, it could take years to build this activity to strengthen pipelines. This contributes to representation of women in the total supply chain workforce remaining unchanged at 39% year-over-year.
The Wall Street Journal found that men earned 29% more than women in 2017, with the gap widening in C-suite positions. Although there are fewer women working within the field, men who had 15-19 years of experience in the industry earned 48% more than their female counterparts. And that gap only widens between women of color as well.
Nevertheless, women continue to move the industry forward. That’s part of the reason why Supply & Demand Chain Executive launched its first annual Women in Supply Chain award. The Women in Supply Chain award honors female supply chain leaders and executives whose accomplishments, mentorship and examples set a foundation for women in all levels of a company’s supply chain network.