One of the world’s leading authorities on corporate responsibility and sustainable development will be sharing his insights with South African supply chain professionals next month. UK-based John Elkington is a presenter at the first event in this year’s Supply Chain and Logistics Management Programme, which is a knowledge sharing and educational initiative for supply chain professionals, hosted by the Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS), IMPERIAL Logistics and Transnet. 

The Programme’s first conference for 2013 – on “Sustainable Supply Chains with Economic Value” – takes place on 6 February at GIBS in Illovo, Gauteng. This conference covers the key challenges that firms and countries contend with from a supply chain perspective in understanding and implementing sustainable practices both in Africa and other parts of the world. The event will bring together top international experts from industry and business school academia, as well as thought-leaders and specialist consultants, to provide insight into the latest developments in supply chain management, investigate international and local perspectives on sustainability thinking, and explore relevant and practical case studies from companies getting it right. The conference will provide delegates with: – The opportunity to hear from individuals within leading firms and other organizations on how they have addressed the key supply chain sustainability issues, and how they have realized economic benefits in so doing, – Thought-leadership from internationally recognised experts in the sustainability and supply chain fields; – Participate in structured working sessions with these individuals during the conference; – Practical case study analysis: invaluable guidance and experience from local and global organisations; – Unique perspectives on business risk and stakeholder engagement; – A toolkit exclusive to participants, which will enable them to apply the thinking and management instruments provided at the conference; and – An opportunity to network with like-minded individuals and organisations. This conference covers the key challenges that firms and countries contend with from a supply chain perspective in understanding and implementing sustainable practices both in Africa and other parts of the world. The event will bring together top international experts from industry and business school academia, as well as thought-leaders and specialist consultants, to provide insight into the latest developments in supply chain management, investigate international and local perspectives on sustainability thinking, and explore relevant and practical case studies from companies getting it right. The conference will provide delegates with: – The opportunity to hear from individuals within leading firms and other organizations on how they have addressed the key supply chain sustainability issues, and how they have realized economic benefits in so doing, – Thought-leadership from internationally recognised experts in the sustainability and supply chain fields; – Participate in structured working sessions with these individuals during the conference; – Practical case study analysis: invaluable guidance and experience from local and global organisations; – Unique perspectives on business risk and stakeholder engagement; – A toolkit exclusive to participants, which will enable them to apply the thinking and management instruments provided at the conference; and – An opportunity to network with like-minded individuals and organisations. “Supply chain sustainability is increasingly recognised as a key component of corporate strategy,” comments IMPERIAL Logistics chief integration officer Cobus Rossouw. “Managing the social, environmental and economic impacts of supply chains makes good business sense, and companies operating in the global market place are increasingly realising competitive returns from effective supply chain sustainability programmes and management.”

Key-note speaker John Elkington is the founder of SustainAbility, a global think tank and consultancy that works with businesses in the pursuit of economic, social and environmental sustainability. In an international Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) survey of the Top 100 CSR leaders, he was placed fourth – after Al Gore, Barack Obama and the late Anita Roddick of the Body Shop. Elkington has written or co-authored 17 books, including the million-selling “Green Consumer Guide” and “Cannibals with Forks: The Triple Bottom Line of 21st Century Business”.

The second event in this year’s Supply Chain and Logistics Management Programme is a one-day seminar that will examine ways to manage supply chains and risk in volatile times. “In today’s increasingly volatile and competitive business environment, winning companies are those that are more responsive to their customers’ needs than their competitors – with faster rates of innovation, bringing new products and services to the marketplace more quickly, and operating with shorter lead times and greater reliability,” Rossouw states.

Local and international experts who will be featured in the line-up for the seminar include Dr Richard Wilding, professor in Supply Chain Strategy at the Centre for Logistics and Supply Chain Management at Cranfield School of Management in the UK. This seminar takes place on 16 April 2013.

A Supply Chain Executive Development Programme also forms part of the GIBS and IMPERIAL Logistics initiative, and will be run this year from 24 to 26 July and 22 and 23 August. Taught by world-renowned overseas and local thought leaders in the field, this programme focuses on the innovative ways in which organisations can leverage the supply chain to create and capture the most value. It aims to develop senior managers and executives within the industry. Rossouw elaborates: “The growing global economy has redefined the dynamics of competition for modern organisations. Today’s leading companies need to be agile and innovative amidst increasing business complexities and increasing customer demands.  With product life cycles shortening and worldwide rivalries increasing, success depends on effective local, regional and global supply chain management.  It is, therefore, of critical importance that senior managers and executives, across all functions, understand supply chain processes and their complexity, and are able to facilitate strategic decisions in developing effective supply chains.”

The executive development programme’s presenters include Dr. John Gattorna, widely regarded as one of the most respected supply chain ‘thought leaders’. Gattorna has spent a lifetime working in and around supply chains, in many different capacities – line executive, researcher, consultant/adviser, teacher and author – and he is passionate about the subject. Also contributing to the programme is John Langley, a leading scholar in his field, having been involved in supply chain management and business logistics for more than 35 years.

GIBS and IMPERIAL Logistics will also host a number of management forums and executive breakfast sessions in 2013, as part of their Supply Chain and Logistics Programme. They are aimed at senior management and cover areas of topical interest.

“Knowledge sharing is critical for South African businesses aiming to compete successfully in the global marketplace, where increasingly complex supply chains, cost constraints and sustainability are among the challenges,” Rossouw concludes.