425: Women In Supply Chain, Josephine Coombe
Josephine Coombe talks about her career journey; how marketing has changed; work/life balance; & why it\u2019s never been a more exciting time to be in supply chain.
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IN THIS EPISODE WE DISCUSS:\xa0
[07.26] Josephine\u2019s career journey; her transition from the arts to technology and supply chain; and why embracing ambiguity is a good thing.
\u201cI wouldn\u2019t say my career was planned, or at least the first half was more serendipity than planning. But, around halfway through, I started being much more deliberate about where I was going as a professional. And, particularly for young women, allowing a little bit of the unexpected can take you down paths that are very positive.\u201d
[08.49] How marketing has changed over the course of Josephine\u2019s career; why it\u2019s vital to bring creativity and analytics together; and why data isn\u2019t everything when it comes to marketing.
\u201cIt\u2019s been a very interesting time to see the shifts in marketing. Back then marketing was, to some extent, more of an arts discipline\u2026 And it\u2019s changed dramatically, as digital marketing has enabled a much more analytical approach.\u201d
\u201cWe can go overboard with trying to make the data tell us everything \u2013 and it can\u2019t. I often see wild goose chases when it comes to attribution, but often what\u2019s lost in those conversations is the influencing factors\u2026 Not everything can be perfectly measured but, just because it can\u2019t, doesn\u2019t mean that it\u2019s not delivering value.\u201d
[14.33] Josephine\u2019s role as Chief Commercial Officer at Nulogy \u2013 what it involves, how she approaches the role, and the importance of bringing sales and marketing together.
\u201cThe ability to get out of your silo and into another area enables you to build empathy for other business areas.\u201d
[18.37] Josephine\u2019s experience of moving from North America to Europe for her latest job role.
[22.10] Nulogy\u2019s vision of collaboration and co-innovation, and the big industry challenges they\u2019re tackling with these core principles.
\u201cMore and more, we\u2019re seeing a reliance on external providers to enable growth. But if you don\u2019t know what\u2019s going on out there, it\u2019s going to be difficult to achieve. It\u2019s a big supply chain issue.\u201d
[25.02] The significant momentum driving women\u2019s involvement in supply chain in the UK, and the different culture it\u2019s creating for the industry.
\u201cIn the logistics industry in the UK, there\u2019s been a deliberate effort to move beyond the historical reliance and dominance of men to enable more women in leadership positions.\u201d
[27.40] Josephine\u2019s experience as a woman in supply chain, and how things have changed for women over the course of her career.
[29.33] Why it\u2019s never been a more exciting time to be in supply chain, and Josephine\u2019s advice for younger generations, especially women, who may be looking to join the industry and take advantage of that excitement and momentum.
\u201cThe pandemic made very clear to the world that supply chain is critical to society. And it made very clear to big businesses that they couldn\u2019t treat their supply chain organizations like an operational necessity, they had to recognize its highly strategic value to the business. So we\u2019ve seen a tremendous focus and investment in supply chain.\u201d
[31.29] The turning point in Josephine\u2019s career; the influential people who played a part in her journey; and why you don\u2019t ever stop learning.
[36.16] Josephine\u2019s passion for the arts; achieving her diploma from the Royal Conservatory of Music; and the importance of embracing creativity as part of work/life balance.
\u201cFor me, creative endeavors are part of work/life balance. It\u2019s so important to make sure you\u2019ve got that type of time to unwind and give your brain something fresh to think about.\u201d
[38.41] The future for Josephine.
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RESOURCES AND LINKS MENTIONED:\xa0
You can connect with Josephine over on LinkedIn.
If you enjoyed this episode and want to hear from more inspiring women in the industry, check out 422: Women In Supply Chain\u2122, Kiran Mann or 380: Women In Supply Chain\u2122, Christine Barnhart.