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Pigment was recently joined by Jameel Hye, Supply Chain Transformation Director at Mars, widely known also as a supply chain career coach on social media.
Supply chains have changed a lot in the wake of the pandemic - it served as a wake-up call that pushed supply chain management to the center of business strategy.
Prior to COVID, most consumers and even many within businesses didn’t fully appreciate the role of supply chains. However, the disruptions made clear how vital planning, agility, and resiliency have become.
In addition to short-term volatility, supply chain leaders must now contend with long-term structural changes like the sustainability of raw materials, and seismic shifts in trade policies. These issues demand solid forecasting and flexible, robust planning structures within companies.
So what are the skills I need to thrive in this environment?
As you would expect, adaptability is paramount. Given the unpredictable nature of the modern supply chain, professionals must be comfortable with ambiguity and ready to pivot on short notice.
Beyond that, Jameel spoke about the importance of “innovation tolerance” - a leadership mindset that allows for experimentation, failure, and learning. This is especially crucial in an era where AI and emerging technologies are rapidly taking root. While a high percentage of these initiatives might fail, the potential benefits of those that succeed make it worthwhile.
The third and final skill Jameel mentioned was strategic thinking, especially in building a strong leadership pipeline. Many organizations have a well-developed middle-management layer, but fewer people are transitioning into senior strategic roles. Part of the issue is that these professionals are often stuck managing both tactical and strategic tasks simultaneously, making it difficult to grow into more visionary positions.
Which skills are becoming obsolete?
Roles heavily centered on specific systems - like SAP or Blue Yonder - are at particular risk. With AI and automation evolving rapidly, the value of narrowly focused functional expertise is diminishing.
Technical Excel skills - like VLOOKUPs and pivot tables - are likely to become less important as AI-powered tools like Microsoft Copilot become more widely adopted, where success depends more on effective prompt engineering than on manual formula building.
How should leaders be preparing the ground for AI?
Jameel stressed that leaders need to be open to working alongside AI agents and not see them as threats. The attitude toward AI must shift from fear to curiosity. Leaders must actively create environments that embrace AI and promote upskilling - while AI may not take your job directly, someone who knows how to use AI better than you might.
He called out Unilever and Walmart specifically as being good examples to follow. Unilever is using AI to pre-screen RFQs in procurement, allowing managers to review only the most promising submissions - much like AI has already transformed resume screening in HR.
Meanwhile, Walmart is reportedly leveraging AI agents for automated reordering of inventory, reducing the need for human intervention in routine procurement tasks.
In terms of barriers to success, the two biggest to worry about are systemic complexity and people resistance. Many organizations still operate with fragmented IT architectures where systems don’t integrate well, making it difficult to implement new tech at scale.
And on the people side, change management is often overlooked. Right now, companies should be preparing their workforces for evolving roles and equipping them with the skills they’ll need in the new landscape.
Final advice?
Explore a wide variety of roles early in your career, especially operational roles that allow you to really get your hands dirty. Real learning in supply chain happens when you’re on the ground solving real-world problems - moving a truck at 2 a.m. or addressing warehousing issues on the fly.
To watch the full session with Jameel, click here.
