How Diversity Boosts Global Supply Chain Resilience

Bawana Radhakrishnan, the Former Senior Vice President, Global Supply Chain Digital Transformation at Colgate-Palmolive, brings over two decades of experience in the global supply chain and procurement space. Possessing deep expertise across procurement, digital transformation, and supply chain management, Bawana has built and executed successful multi-year digital roadmaps and driven impact across multiple regions, including Asia, Europe, Latin America, and North America.

In a recent conversation with the Global Woman Leader Magazine, Bawana shares insights of women’s evolving role in the global supply chain sector. She highlights how women can lead the future of digital transformation and sustainability in global supply chains. Bawana also talks about the cultural shift required within the supply chain sector to promote an inclusive future, where women and their perspectives can help shape the next phase of growth. She urges women leaders to find their tribe and to not let their gender define their leadership aspirations in the supply chain sector.

To know more about Bawana’s thoughts on the topic, read the article below.

How do you perceive the current landscape of digital transformation in global supply chains? What role are women leaders playing in shaping its future trajectory?

I see the digital transformation landscape as just as broad and deep as the supply chain itself. The supply chain is made up of highly specialized areas like procurement, planning, manufacturing, logistics etc. Digital transformation touches all of them and is that connective tissue that makes it a function as a single end-to-end process.

Digital is not just about technology; it’s about changing the way we work with technology. It’s a shift in mindset and processes, not just tools.

I believe gender should not define our roles. Women leaders need to step up here, just like in any other field. That said, women often bring strengths that really matter in process transformation work.

As more women foray into STEM and tech, especially AI, it's critical we ensure our voices are heard, right from the design stage. We can't just be consumers of technology; we need to be part of building it, questioning biases, and shaping how it evolves.

With procurement and supply chain strategies becoming increasingly data-driven, how do you envision women leaders contributing to the innovative use of AI and automation in driving transformation?

One of the biggest gaps I still see is, leaders not leaning in to understanding Data. By that, I don’t mean that we all need to become data experts, but we do need to understand how data works. Things like data interoperability across processes, what cloud or data lakes really unlock, or the criticality of data governance. These are foundational to how we consume, model, and apply data effectively, be it for analytics or AI.

I believe women leaders in supply chain need to be more active in this space. Instead of simply relying on IT partners to handle it, we need to understand enough to ask the right questions and make better decisions. The more we understand, the smarter and more impactful we become as data consumers.

How can organizations balance the demand for cutting-edge supply chain solutions with the need for diverse, inclusive leadership that empowers women to lead and innovate in this space?

For me, this all comes down to company culture. I have been fortunate to work in organizations where women's leadership and voices were always given equal space. However, it's not about the digital space specifically; it's about the overall culture of the company. Inclusive leadership needs to be embedded in a company's core, whether it's about AI, data, or anything else.

I would strongly urge companies not to exclude women from leadership, as they will miss out on valuable perspectives.

Diversity, not just in gender, but in thinking, makes strategies stronger and more resilient, especially in uncertain situations we face in supply chain and procurement today.

The friction from different points of view is what pushes innovation. Successful companies demonstrate diversity as a key strength in navigating economic and geopolitical shifts, emphasizing recruitment, training, development, and empowerment across the board.

Given your extensive global exposure, what cultural shifts do you see needed within the supply chain sector to make it more welcoming and supportive of women in leadership roles?

I think one of the biggest things we need to do is educate people, especially women, on what the supply chain truly is. It’s a broad field with many different areas. Unfortunately, people often associate it with only manufacturing or logistics. While those are important parts, they are just a slice of the whole picture. There’s planning, procurement, shared services, strategy, and so much more. You could work in a warehouse, on a factory floor, or in a strategic office role with finance and risk teams. It's one of the few functions where you can have incredibly diverse career experiences while staying in the same domain.

Providing women the opportunity to move across these roles is an excellent way for any company to develop their leadership talent. In the same spirit, women need to demonstrate and practice curiosity and agility to take advantage of such opportunities to broaden their perspectives and build important leadership and resilience skills.

Another important issue is mobility. In large organizations, supply chain roles often span geographies.  While both men and women have to make choices between career and family, it’s often harder for women. That mobility factor can impact career progression. Companies need to think about how to support women through those decisions and how to build more inclusive systems so women don’t have to sacrifice leadership opportunities due to mobility constraints.

As a strong advocate for DEI, what practical measures can be implemented by supply chain leaders to ensure women have equal access to strategic roles and transformational projects?

One of the most important things we can do is offer leadership training and learning experiences to women early in their careers. It’s about helping them get comfortable with what leadership feels like, understanding what skills they require to grow into those roles.

Women often learn differently than men, so the training itself needs to be inclusive and thoughtful in how it’s designed.

And leadership development shouldn't just happen later in your career; there should be different types of programs tailored to each stage, whether you are just starting or stepping into more strategic roles.

The second key area is exposure and sponsorship. Women tend to communicate and collaborate differently, and they benefit from forums that allow them to build confidence and engage in mixed settings. These platforms not only help women grow but also give current leaders visibility into emerging talent. Winning organizations recognize the need for deep mentoring and sponsorship relationships. While everyone owns their career, I think it’s also the organization’s responsibility to intentionally create those spaces for exposure, collaboration, and visibility.

With increasing focus on sustainability and ethical sourcing, how can women leaders influence supply chain decision-making to integrate more sustainable, inclusive practices while driving innovation?

When the concept of sustainability started becoming mainstream about 15-20 years ago, some companies built it into their DNA; however, many others had to figure out how to talk and act about it. I was with a company where sustainability and inclusion were always core values. What stood out to me was when I looked at peers in other organizations, how naturally women leaders integrated these values into their day-to-day decisions, once they were made aware of the benefits.

These women absorbed it into how they worked, which made perfect sense.

Women tend to take a more holistic view, and once something is valuable, whether for people or the business, they simply include it as part of their strategy.

It’s not treated like a separate program that needs extra attention; it becomes "just how we think and work."

I believe there’s a huge opportunity to both lean in on women leaders and for women leaders themselves to lead the charge in embedding sustainable and inclusive practices across supply chains.

Message for Aspiring Women Leaders

Firstly, we, as women, need to be more proactive in participating in strategic conversations around the supply chain. That responsibility is on us. We need to stay informed, read and engage more, understand what’s happening in our space, develop strong points of view, and then have the confidence to express them. That’s how we grow and become part of the bigger dialogue.

Second, find and build your tribe, your board of women who support and challenge you professionally, not just emotionally. Success is a team sport.

Third, organizations need to create spaces that support this growth, not just all-women forums, which are incredibly valuable, but also mixed environments where women and men can learn from each other. We need to make sure men are also in the room, listening, learning, and contributing. Because if we only talk among ourselves, we are missing a key part of the conversation. Leadership development has to be inclusive on both sides.

In closing, I believe that women are intrinsically powerful. It is time to recognize our power and take the lead.