Everyone says their supply chain is digitally mature. Rob Hemel has a five-question test that says otherwise.

Opening our six-part arc on the Supply Chain of the Future, Rob Hemel — Manager of Global Sourcing Contracts at ETS — gives Charlotte de Brabandt and Burkard Schemmel the unvarnished view of where digital transformation really stands in procurement and supply chain.

His case is that digital maturity has entered a second phase. The first was implementing systems; the second is connecting data, embedding AI and enabling predictive decision-making. Most organisations have digitised their processes without ever building an intelligent supply chain, and the competitive advantage over the next five years goes to whoever converts data into foresight.

Along the way: why 50 to 70 per cent of transformation success is really a data plumbing problem, why "technology first" and "change management first" are both wrong, the six highest-value AI applications in procurement and the reason the job market proves nobody has adopted them yet, the vendor pricing squeeze that could turn the ROI conversation from software back to headcount, and what happens to a generation of graduates who will never start on the mailroom floor.

Hosted by Max Kent. Interviews by Charlotte de Brabandt and Burkard Schemmel.

Technology is moving fast — but someone still has to lead through it.

In Episode 2 of the Global Business Insight Podcast, we come back down from space to talk about the people behind the transformation.

Max Kent is joined by co-hosts Dr. Charlotte de Brabandt (Digital Futurist) and Dr. Burkard F. M. Schemmel to interview Saket Sankhla, Business Transformation, Supply Chain and Technology expert, on what the next generation of supply chain leadership actually needs.

In this episode:

• Which leadership traits matter more now than five years ago

• How to build cross-functional influence when teams don't speak the same language

• What talent development and succession planning look like in a function changing this fast

• How you balance resilience and cost efficiency when they pull in opposite directions

• The one skill worth investing in if you're early in your supply chain career

We also explore common leadership mistakes that backfire despite good intentions, and what supply chain leadership might look like in 2030.

This isn't a technology story — it's a story about people leading through change, with all the complexity, trade-offs, and human decisions that come with it.

Hosts:

Max Kent, Dr. Charlotte de Brabandt, Dr. Burkard F. M. Schemmel

Guest:

Saket Sankhla – Business Transformation, Supply Chain and Technology Expert

In this episode of the Global Business Insight Podcast, we explore why space is rapidly becoming the next major supply chain frontier.

Our guest, John Callison, discusses:

• Why in-orbit manufacturing and logistics are no longer science fiction

• The unique challenges of procurement and logistics beyond Earth

• How traditional supply chain principles apply (and break down) in zero gravity

• What businesses need to understand about the emerging space economy

• The regulatory, cost and operational realities of space-based supply chains

Interviewed by Charlotte de Brabandt and Burkard Schemmel, with host Max Kent.