The Future of Global Supply Chains
January 18th, 2024 12:00PM -1:00PM
The COVID-19 pandemic magnified the global consequences of disrupted supply chains and has forced both governments and companies to reassess supply chain vulnerabilities. The future of supply chains will be transformed by geopolitical shifts, evolving consumer demands, sustainability priorities, and emerging technologies like AI, machine learning, and the Internet of Things. What will this mean for consumers, for companies, and for governments?
Join the World Affairs Council for the panel discussion on the stresses on current supply chains and how supply chains will evolve in the coming years.
About the Speaker
Willy Shih is the Robert and Jane Cizik Professor of Management Practice in Business Administration at Harvard. He is part of the Technology and Operations Management Unit, and he teaches in the MBA and Executive Education Programs. His expertise is in manufacturing, product development, and supply chains, and he has written or co-authored numerous cases and teaching materials in industries ranging from semiconductors, information technology, consumer electronics, aerospace, transportation equipment, manufacturing processes and tools, and intellectual property.
Prior to coming to Harvard Business School in 2007, Willy spent 28 years in industry at IBM, Digital Equipment, Silicon Graphics, Eastman Kodak, and Thomson SA. He worked in product development and manufacturing in a wide range of areas including computer systems, scientific instruments, semiconductors, digital cameras, optical discs, and software systems. Reporting to him have been major manufacturing operations in the United States, China, Ireland, Japan, and Mexico, as well as global sales and marketing operations. He has led the building of billion dollar revenue businesses.
Willy is on the Board of Directors of Nextracker LLC, a maker of smart solar tracker solutions. He is a member of the Advisory Committee on Supply Chain Competitiveness reporting to the U.S. Secretary of Commerce, as well as the Industrial Advisory Committee working on the CHIPS and Science Act for Commerce. He has two S.B. degrees from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and a Ph.D. from the University of California at Berkeley. He is a Life Member of the IEEE.
About our Moderator
Eric Klunder is a Senior Business Development Manager with Logenix International and has been providing global freight logistics solutions for over 30 years. He has done extensive work with multinational corporations, business startups, USAID, the US Office of Foreign Disaster Assistance, UN agencies, international NGOs and other organizations operating worldwide. Eric’s work has spanned from strategizing global e-commerce and pharmaceutical supply chain networks to helping lead large scale humanitarian assistance response to natural disaster and conflict events. In 2016, he initiated the Final Mile Logistics Working Group in Seattle to bring together the northwest community in a networking and learning forum to encourage capacity-building partnerships. Eric is a graduate of James Madison University and the University of Virginia and is passionate about how logistics can expand prosperity and multiply social impact globally.