The Global Supply Chain Institute at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, hosted its 20th annual Supply Chain Forum on Nov. 15-16. More than 200 professionals from the supply chain industry attended, with keynote addresses from Daniel Myers and Tom Morton and a luncheon address by Chancellor Beverly Davenport.

Davenport spoke about the strength of the supply chain program at the Haslam College of Business.

“I always ask people what the Tennessee difference is; what are the programs that make the University of Tennessee stand out?” Davenport said. “Everybody names supply chain first.”

Daniel Myers, executive vice president of global integrated supply chain at Mondelēz International, spoke on Wednesday, Nov. 15, regarding a senior executive’s view of supply chain challenges. Myers emphasized leadership and reaching beyond the traditional bounds of supply chain management in order to affect business change.

“If you want to be successful, you need to develop a total business understanding,” Myers said. “You need to understand the business as well as the CFO, and the brands as well as the head of marketing. You need to be a provider of solutions for growth.”

Mondelēz International, owner of snack brands including Oreo, Triscuit and Cadbury, is the largest chocolate, candy, gum and biscuit company in the world. Over last 11 years first as Kraft Foods and now Mondelēz International, shareholder value creation has been over $100B. Since Daniel Myers joined the company the supply chain has delivered well over half the company’s value creation.

Tom Morton, vice president of global supply chain and quality at Eastman Chemical Company, spoke on Thursday, Nov. 16, regarding how to create a world-class, customer-focused supply chain. Other speakers included Darrell Edwards, senior vice president and chief supply chain officer at La-Z-Boy, and Lora Cecere, founder and CEO of Supply Chain Insights. Cecere received a Distinguished Women in Supply Chain award from Nexxus, a student group.

The Supply Chain Forum at Haslam has hosted corporate leaders, faculty and students to discuss the latest in supply chain issues for more than two decades. Managers from 60 top corporations participate, and past keynote speakers have included the CEO and founder of FedEx and senior executives from Caterpillar, Goodyear and Walmart among others.

For more information about the Supply Chain Forum, and to see presentations from previous years, visit scforum.bus.utk.edu.

To learn more about the Haslam College of Business and its marketing and supply chain department, visit haslam.utk.edu.

Contact: Katie Williams, writer/publicist, Haslam College of Business, (865) 974-3589, katiewilliams@utk.edu.