514: Turn Strategic Planning Into Retail Profitability, with Anaplan
Release Date: 01/12/2026
517: ‘Useful AI’: Your Key to Visibility Project Success, with Shippeo
Let's Talk Supply Chain
Lucien Besse of Shippeo talks about navigating supply chain chaos; data quality & continuous improvement; AI; and the keys to visibility project success. IN THIS EPISODE WE DISCUSS: [03.38] An introduction to Lucien and the journey that led him to co-found Shippeo. [07.07] The biggest sources of chaos for supply chain teams, and why they need flexibility and visibility. “Supply chain managers need to make hundreds of decisions every day, every hour, every minute – they need to navigate uncertainty every single day, and that hasn’t changed… What has really changed is...
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516: Innovation, Transformation, and Modern Supply Chains, with Blue Yonder
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Andrea Morgan-Vandome of Blue Yonder explores what true end-to-end supply chain transformation looks like amidst unprecedented complexity and disruption. IN THIS EPISODE WE DISCUSS: [03.47] An introduction to Andrea and her role, and how Blue Yonder helps their customers. “We bring the physical and digital worlds together, and that’s key in supply chain.” [06.05] Why end-to-end planning will be crucial in navigating supply chain complexity and disruption in 2026. “When people look to drive transformation, they can sometimes get mired down in the complexity. So how do...
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515: Experience Precision Supply Chain Operations, with Brecham Group
Let's Talk Supply Chain
Chris Hamley & Andy Smith of Brecham Group talk about what they do; what makes them different, Precision Supply Chain Operations; & helping you suck less. IN THIS EPISODE WE DISCUSS: [03.58] Chris’s background and the journey that led him to co-found Brecham Group. “I started out loading trucks!... And it got to a point where I got frustrated trying to broker conversations. People didn’t pay attention to details, I found myself translating – and that was the catalyst.” [06.04] Andy’s 30+ year industry career, and his role at Brecham Group. [08.26] An...
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514: Turn Strategic Planning Into Retail Profitability, with Anaplan
Let's Talk Supply Chain
Scott Jennings of Anaplan talks about retail inventory optimization, planning challenges, AI & how Anaplan enables retailers to sell more and carry less. [03.37] An introduction to Scott, his background, and experience in the industry. “Siloes are present functionally across different pieces of the business, whether it’s merchandise, supply chain or finance. But they’re also persistent inside the systems that support those different groups – and that’s where it gets tricky.” [05.53] An overview of Anaplan and what they do. [06.53] How retail planning has historically...
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513: Women In Supply Chain™, Megan Rudolph
Let's Talk Supply Chain
Megan Rudolph talks about her career journey; developing a team through hypergrowth; the challenges & opportunities for parcel in 2026; & finding inspiration. IN THIS EPISODE WE DISCUSS: [02.15] An introduction to Megan and Saddle Creek Logistics Services. [03.00] Megan’s early career dream of sports journalism, how graduating during the recession led her to take a sales job at UPS, and what she found so fascinating about logistics. “There was a great structure. I worked under multiple female leaders – some of the people that probably don’t even know how...
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511: Women In Supply Chain™, Jennie Malafarina
Let's Talk Supply Chain
Jennie Malafarina talks about her career journey; collaboration & community; building businesses; & turning marketing from a cost center into a revenue driver. IN THIS EPISODE WE DISCUSS: [02.30] An introduction to Jennie and her businesses Virago Marketing and FR8MVMT. [05.03] Why Jennie pursued a degree in communications, and how having three kids under five during her final year at university led her to a marketing career. “Communication, psychology and marketing all tied together… it’s a passion for understanding why people do what they do.” [07.55] Why...
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510: Women In Supply Chain™, Kendra Tanner
Let's Talk Supply Chain
Kendra Tanner talks about her career journey; what she's learned about leadership, making an impact on boards and conference stages; & inspiring women. IN THIS EPISODE WE DISCUSS: [02.35] An introduction to Kendra and her company, Allstates WorldCargo. [03.40] Kendra’s education and how her marriage to her high school sweetheart impacted her career path. “I wanted to get my business finance degree, but I was adamant that I was not taking one more accounting class – so I switched to marketing!” [05.47] How a family connection led Kendra to Consolidated...
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509: Women In Supply Chain™, Nermine Saad
Let's Talk Supply Chain
Nermine Saad talks about her career journey; fostering a culture of learning; moving from Egypt to Canada; mentorship; & the future of digital transformation. [03.48] What sparked Nermine’s interest in logistics, and how it led her to seek out a career that connected strategy, people, and operations. “I realized there’s an entire industry behind the movement of goods, and it involves shipping lines, airlines, ports, and so much more. The more I read, the more I was fascinated.” [05.46] The early years of Nermine’s career in Egypt and the big lessons she learned,...
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508: Reliable and Responsive – DCLI’s RapidLink Repairs Is Keeping Drivers Moving
Let's Talk Supply Chain
Rob Finch talks about Rapid Link Repairs, boosting customer satisfaction with response times; a fresh approach to cost; safety; & reducing downtime for drivers. IN THIS EPISODE WE DISCUSS: [02.11] An introduction to Rob, his background, and his role at DCLI and RapidLink Repairs. “Most of my career has been figuring out how to bring commercial and operations together.” [03.09] An overview of RapidLink Repairs – who they are, what they do, and how they help their customers. “It’s about three things: we want to improve productivity, be cost-effective, and...
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507: Logistics Providers: Ready For An AI-First Approach? Then Discover Your Biggest Opportunity, with Google Cloud
Let's Talk Supply Chain
Steven Delperdang of Google Cloud talks about trust; evolution of visibility; & and the big opportunities for logistics providers taking an AI-first approach. IN THIS EPISODE WE DISCUSS: [03.08] After years spent at Caterpillar and Penske, how Steven is now using the 'One Google' approach to run Google’s own internal supply chain and solve the legacy pain points he faced in his past roles, and exactly what’s so transformative about this approach. “In my previous roles, many of the frustrations stemmed from fragmented systems and data siloes. You have a warehouse management...
info_outlineScott Jennings of Anaplan talks about retail inventory optimization, planning challenges, AI & how Anaplan enables retailers to sell more and carry less.
[03.37] An introduction to Scott, his background, and experience in the industry.
“Siloes are present functionally across different pieces of the business, whether it’s merchandise, supply chain or finance. But they’re also persistent inside the systems that support those different groups – and that’s where it gets tricky.”
[05.53] An overview of Anaplan and what they do.
[06.53] How retail planning has historically worked, and the limitations of that approach.
“Retail suffers from siloed planning, disconnected processes and latent decision-making, which leads to buying the wrong inventory and having the wrong inventory at the wrong place at the wrong time, with little ability to adjust based on market feedback.”
[09.58] Why retail planning is arguably more complex than CPG or consumer goods supply chain planning.
“Retail is detail.”
[12.55] How challenges and limitations have impacted the industry, particularly in light of additional external factors like increasing customer demand.
“Getting ahead is important. But being able to react in an agile way, in season, is also extremely important. Retailers have fallen behind because that demand signal is all over the place.”
[16.14] From data to specificity, the foundations needed for retailers considering AI solutions, and the problem of ‘testing fatigue.’
“People are sick of testing and learning.”
[22.25] How retail planning technology will continue to evolve over the next 12 to 24 months.
[24.28] Scott’s advice for retailers looking to implement AI in their planning and ensure successful implementations.
“It starts with the ROI you’re looking to drive… If you can’t define the ROI: skip it.”
[28.39] The biggest opportunities for retailers embracing evolving technology and a new approach to retail planning.
[30.08] How Anaplan Intelligence and its retail engine enables retailers to harness the power of AI to plan at a granular level not possible before, and the importance of hyper-localization.
[33.01] How Anaplan focuses on retail-specific best practices to achieve higher forecast accuracy and boost sell-through rates for their customers, ultimately helping them sell more and carry less.
[34.37] What Anaplan is focusing on for 2026.
RESOURCES AND LINKS MENTIONED:
Head over to Anaplan’s website now to find out more and discover how they could help you too. You can also connect with Anaplan and keep up to date with the latest over on LinkedIn or YouTube, or you can connect with Scott on LinkedIn.
If you enjoyed this episode and want to hear more from Anaplan, listen to Emily Nicholls talk about how integrated business planning helps automotive OEMs navigate EV growth on episode 499: Navigating the EV Revolution, with Anaplan.
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