484: Women in Supply Chain, Saskia Van Gendt

Saskia Van Gendt talks about her career journey; sustainability challenges & opportunities; the importance of knowledge-sharing; & her experience as a woman.

IN THIS EPISODE WE DISCUSS:

 

[04.52] How Saskia discovered a passion for sustainability, and how that passion grew into a career.

“From a young age, I’d always felt a connection to nature… But, it wasn’t until I was in high school and I did competitive debate. One of the debate topics was all about renewable energy, the environment and the impact of technology and innovation in reducing emissions from fossil fuels. And that’s when a light switch turned on. It was a translation from a passion for the environment to some of the practical things we can do.”

[07.03] How the sustainability landscape has changed since Saskia’s first role at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in 2006.

“It’s important to take a long view. There’s a lot of change that’s needed, but we’ve also made a lot of progress… Now there are carbon accounting standards that are on the same level of credibility as financial accounting standards. So we’ve really matured in how we’re approaching some of these issues.”

[11.26] The biggest sustainability lessons Saskia learned from the consumer market during her time at retail businesses Rothy’s and Method.

“They both had a really engaged consumer fanbase… And that makes sustainability a little bit easier. You can engage the consumer directly because they’re active, and they often come to the brand because sustainability is woven into the value proposition.”

[15.01] Why Saskia embraced supply chain and joined Blue Yonder.

“The supply chain aspects were always there… But there’s been a general awareness that supply chain is almost the last frontier when it comes to addressing the embedded carbon emissions and waste that eventually make it to the consumer. So companies that really want to be responsible for all of their practices have to be looking to supply chain.”

[18.26] Saskia’s role at Blue Yonder, and the big sustainability initiatives she’s currently working on.

“If we’re not addressing the elephant in the room, we’re really not making a difference.”

[20.41] Saskia’s take on the biggest sustainability challenges in supply chain right now.

[25.42] Key sustainability opportunities, and Saskia’s advice for how organizations can prioritize sustainability and take strategic action for the future.

“We know how interconnected all of the different parts of the supply chain are. But the reality is that companies have still been dealing with supply chain activity in an isolated way... I’m excited about the power of technology to bridge those gaps in a truly connected supply chain.”

[29.50] Saskia’s experience as a woman moving through government, consumer and B2B environments.

[32.40] The importance of knowledge-sharing and engaging with a range of mentors to career success.

“I have friends working in aerospace or manufacturing, and they have a completely different lens for how we approach sustainability. That crowdsourcing of knowledge across different industries, since sustainability is such a holistic practice, is really beneficial.”

[35.47] Saskia’s biggest inspiration, and her advice for people exploring a career in sustainability.

“Sustainability isn’t just one thing. If you have a speciality, whether it’s packaging engineering, transportation management or inventory planning, you can fold sustainability as a passion and a knowledge framework into those specialties.”

[39.08] What being an industry trailblazer means to Saskia, and the importance of representation for women.

[41.17] The future for Saskia and her sustainability initiatives at Blue Yonder.

 

RESOURCES AND LINKS MENTIONED:

 

You can connect with Saskia Van Gendt over on LinkedIn.

If you enjoyed this episode and want to hear more inspirational women talking about sustainability, check out 364: Women in Supply Chain, Lisa Morales-Hellebo, 372: Women in Supply Chain, T.J. Kragenbrink or 239: Women in supply chain™, Joanna MacDonald.