Today, more than ever, promoting greater diversity and representation at all levels of organizations is an issue that is part of companies' strategic discussions. The reality is that, when we talk about the supply chain area, this fact is even more distant, since women represent 39% of the workforce, and only 14% occupy leadership positions.
Focusing on this challenge, the ME promoted, throughout the month of March, a series of exclusive content on the participation of women in the supply chain, discussing, mainly, some topics to promote more equity in the sector and also initiatives that need to be taken to attract, develop and retain female leaders within the supply chain.
In addition to the interviews here, on the ME blog, with Aline Dias, from Wickbold, and Luana Oliveira, from Flora, we invited Lene Silva, from Linea Alimentos, for a special episode of ME Cast about women in the supply chain.
Below, learn more about our guest's professional career and the main insights from this enriching conversation.
Learn about the career of Lene Silva, supply manager at Linea
Lene Silva is a purchasing specialist with over 25 years of experience in supplier management and sourcing strategies. She holds a degree in economics and has worked for national companies in the pharmaceutical and food sectors, leading purchasing teams and managing budgets in excess of R$150 million.
Her expertise includes: contract negotiation, purchasing inputs in the local market, importing, inventory management and supplier development. Lene is currently the purchasing manager at Linea Alimentos and has been responsible for reducing costs and optimizing processes in the area.
Check out the main lessons learned from this chat with Lene Silva:
1. Get inspired by other professionals
During your journey, good mentors can help you accelerate your career in purchasing. A mentoring relationship paves the way for your professional growth, as these people who already have experience can help you with more complex challenges. This process is important to accelerate your learning, to take on a new role or position in the field, for example.
2. Diversity is one of the keys to business growth
An environment where diversity is practiced and encouraged tends to have only benefits. The attitude of including people from different sectors, cultures, beliefs and socioeconomic characteristics can enrich your team's discussions and make everyone see new possibilities for solving problems. When we open the dialogue to different ideas, everyone tends to win.
3. Diversity also needs to be considered when selecting suppliers
Within the supply chain, promoting diversity among suppliers can be a complex but necessary challenge. One of the pillars of ESG (environmental social and governance) is to encourage different attitudes that represent a social and environmental gain. When we select suppliers that promote ESG practices in their processes, we are promoting a gain at all levels of the supply chain.
4. Planning is essential to keep your operation running smoothly
In uncertain scenarios, it is necessary to plan in order to anticipate possible problems. Global events in recent years have shown us that, no matter how much planning we do, we are not 100% prepared to deal with uncertainty. In the procurement area, planning is essential to determine how much, when and how you will be able to negotiate.
5. You have to be ahead of your time to stand out
In an increasingly dynamic market, purchasing professionals need to be curious and invest in their career development, with courses and knowledge paths that can add value to their day-to-day work. In addition, innovating within the purchasing sector is essential for your company to always be ahead of its competitors.
Did you like this content? Then you can access this episode in full on our YouTube channel and on Spotify or Deezer platforms.
Also, be sure to check out the other episodes of ME Cast, our podcast about the B2B market, and stay tuned for the next editions that we will bring throughout this year.
To the next!