Dear Women in Supply Chain, Thanks for the Lift.

The most frequent questions I’ve been asked in the course of my career are, “Why Supply Chain and how did it start?” Usually, my response would be that the business needed to standardize by keeping the Customer facing transactions - Order to Cash and Bill to Customer functions independent of the sales team for compliance and controls, and I was the best woman for the job.

If I am to look back and give it more profound thought, I would say that as a saleswoman in 2004 who was on the field, my numbers were always high up there either as the first or second overall best territory. I had everything to prove; women were not in the field sales team then, and as the first female field manager, it was apparent I was an experiment to either keep the door open or shut it for good. Oh, did I keep that door wide open!

 I had help in several ways, and this piece is to acknowledge the seemingly little things that become very significant.

My journey to Supply Chain

One of the earliest and most significant memories for me was a day we came to the head office for quarterly reviews. Two ladies in safety boots and jackets with the standard factory issue hairnets met me at the learning and development centre and said, "We hear the milestones you are making and how well you are doing with your numbers. Please keep it up and if you need any support do reach out." Those ladies were @Abimbola Thomas (AOT) and Yetunde Soile (YAS). I thought there must be something about this breed of Women. Something about that encounter started my love affair with safety boots, jackets etc. The fact that ladies not previously known to me were rooting for me inspired me.

Diversity and inclusion is moved forward by people

Diversity and inclusion are hot topics across industries today, with studies showing that organizations with a diverse and inclusive workforce are 35% more likely to have better financial returns than companies that don't. Employees are now more selective about companies they choose to work for based on workplace culture and how diverse they are. I will choose the organizations I have worked for over and over again - they walk the talk. However, it is clear that no matter how many diversity seminars and studies are published, until organizations take actionable steps to build an inclusive workplace, the goal will be elusive - the people make a difference.

To use my own experiences as a focal point, seeing women like Bimbo Thomas and Yetunde Soile in Supply Chain inspired and made me realize it was a career I could pursue. However, when I eventually got into the Supply Chain function after a company merger, it was the support and encouragement I received that made me stay through the challenges I faced as a newcomer in the industry. I went in wearing a commercial hat as an operations person focused on customer service so the first year was challenging. No meeting ended without me asking for the meaning of the acronyms that are a big part of Supply chain talk. This led to self-doubt and often wondering if I made the right decision. But the women in my team constantly encouraged and supported me until I believed I could do it. They recognized what it meant to be working in a male-dominated role at the time and always reached out to encourage me.

The first female Supply Chain leader I had, Regina Lemgruber, influenced me greatly with her inspirational leadership style. She would often reach out to commend my performance and say, “You are doing great, Azuka. Focus on solving the problems—your best is good enough. Everything will fall into place.” Somehow, this would come when I thought I was doing the worst.

By changing my perspective to focus on solving problems, she taught me one significant lesson - every time you solve problems, you create value. And every time you create value, people want you in the room. As I focused on providing value, I deployed my Sales experience to serve as an enabler and ease the friction between the sales and supply chain functions. I understood the commercial team's problems: visibility was an issue, so I ensured visibility. I explained to the commercial team why we run out of stock of specific SKUs they need and have what they don't need - forecast accuracy and bias in terms that they can own and fix. 

I succeeded in creating a bridge that enabled visibility, clarity of issues and information between the sales and supply chain functions, and trust in a common goal was the basis.

The positive feedback gave me confidence in the sense that I was not a supply chain expert, but I was adding value. I learned from this experience that the customer is vital; when they are happy you have done your job.

My contributions helped me gain more acceptance from the supply chain team. People were then willing to support me in understanding the things I needed to know. It also led to more conversations and questions on how I could help make our SOP process better by relating the data I was getting from the field to what we were planning to produce. By looking at this data, we focused on producing what was beneficial for the business. We also reduced waste by instituting a proper returns process and making our products more visible across the country in areas where they were needed. It was a big win for the business to have a commercially minded person heading the business's customer-facing department.

Regina's leadership helped me understand that it was not about me, what function I was in or who is to blame. The focus was to solve problems. Because of these personal experiences in my career where I was often the only woman in the room or one of the few, I choose to challenge women's lesser representation in critical roles and stereotypes that deny women opportunities to be the best. Seeing other women in the field and their constant encouragement made me trust in myself and my abilities.

The international women's day theme #choosetochallenge shines a light on how we, as individuals, can challenge inequality in our tiny corners. The question to consider is: Do the decisions we make in our daily lives reflect our belief that women should not be denied the right to live up to their potential because of their gender?

#ChoosetoChallenge calls for a reflection on how we are challenging sexist stereotypes in our personal and professional lives. Choosing to focus on what we can do helps us sway others to do their best (executing), not telling (proposing) immediate action. #ChoosetoChallenge is a reminder that challenging gender inequality can take different small forms that are not necessarily visible but has a massive impact on a larger/collective scale. The ways we choose to live our lives can be the inspiration for a young lady somewhere who doubts her potential or who will take the road you have taken just because you role-modelled what good looks like.

How do we pay this forward?

The importance of mentorship cannot be overemphasized. The time and resources my peers and leaders offered to me gave me a lift and helped to hone me into the leader I am today. Not only have I been passionate about consciously hiring more women into the supply chain space throughout my career, but I’ve also facilitated structured internship programmes where they can get practical experience because I want other women to see what is possible.

Many of the problems we have in Africa today, from logistics, sourcing challenges, planning and infrastructure gaps to the need for localization, amongst others, are supply chain problems. I believe that in the next 30-50 years, Africa has the potential to become an economic powerhouse and world leader. We have the human capital and talent, men and especially women with great things to offer if mentored and the right opportunities are made available. Our youthful population is significant, and we cannot afford to keep going backwards because of the stereotypes we have of women and their abilities. 

My journey to Supply Chain is marked by so many women who inspired me at significant points in my career. As March 2021 comes to an end, I want to thank you for the lift; you ladies made a difference.

Thank you to my inspirational leader Hande Altintas. In 2019, I planned to take a one year break to pause and restart. At my first meeting with you, a new world came calling and I knew the next step. A leader who guides, enables, and gives you space to grow. Characterized by integrity, attention to detail and in-depth knowledge of the market, your leadership is the kind I aspire to. You are made up of a rare combination - hard work, diligence, problem-solving and empathy. 

Thank you to Azuka Okeke, Deborah Dull, Jenny Froome and Sheri Hinnish. Natural lifters, we’ve never worked together, but you cheer me on just by being you and through your visible and necessary work in the field.

Thank you to Jolanda Pretorius and Rhamatu, I see you from afar, and I am continuously inspired by your journey. 

Thank you to my Customer Service and Logistics MEA colleagues, Dr Hanaa Gomaa, Olivia Capatina, and Taelo Mojapelo. Seeing you lead your markets successfully inspired me to stand even taller and believe I could.

To the Cadbury crew, thank you for your mentorship Yetunde Soile, Bimbo Thomas, Titi Feyijinmi, Bunmi Adeniba, Adetutu Toyobo, Linda Obiamalu, Biola Akin Faloye, Charity Akharumere, Ifelayo Disu and Funmi Williams.

Thank you for your continuous trust, Josephine Samelson, Yemisi Morakinyo, Adenike Onasoga and Chinyere Ezenwaka. Thank you for being supportive always, Ngozi Aghomi, Susan McGeorge, Damaris Aracil, Penny Gitahi, Monica Melica, Saloua El Jaouhari.

Finally, thank you to my mum, Major Phil Madubuike, for raising a woman who chooses to challenge every barrier impeding success for womenfolk.