The Programme's first conference for 2013, on "Sustainable Supply Chains with Economic Value", takes place on 6 February at GIBS in Illovo, Gauteng. "Supply chain sustainability is increasingly recognised as a key component of corporate strategy," commented Imperial Logistics chief integration officer, Cobus Rossouw. "Managing the social, environmental and economic impacts of supply chains makes good business sense, and companies operating in the global market place are increasingly realising competitive returns from effective supply chain sustainability programmes and management."
Keynote speaker John Elkington is the founder of SustainAbility, a global think tank and consultancy that works with businesses in the pursuit of economic, social and environmental sustainability. In an international Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) survey of the Top 100 CSR leaders, he was placed fourth - after Al Gore, Barack Obama and the late Anita Roddick of the Body Shop. Elkington has written or co-authored 17 books, including the million-selling Green Consumer Guide and Cannibals with Forks: The Triple Bottom Line of 21st Century Business.
The second event in this year's Supply Chain and Logistics Management Programme is a one-day seminar that will examine ways to manage supply chains and risk in volatile times. "In today's increasingly volatile and competitive business environment, winning companies are those that are more responsive to their customers' needs than their competitors - with faster rates of innovation, bringing new products and services to the marketplace more quickly, and operating with shorter lead times and greater reliability," Rossouw said.
Local and international experts who will be featured in the line-up for the seminar include Dr Richard Wilding, Professor in Supply Chain Strategy at the Centre for Logistics and Supply Chain Management at Cranfield School of Management in the UK. This seminar takes place on 16 April, 2013.
A Supply Chain Executive Development Programme also forms part of the GIBS and Imperial Logistics initiative, and will be run this year from 24 to 26 July and 22 and 23 August. Taught by world-renowned overseas and local thought leaders in the field, this programme focuses on the innovative ways in which organisations can leverage the supply chain to create and capture the most value. It aims to develop senior managers and executives within the industry. Rossouw elaborated: "The growing global economy has redefined the dynamics of competition for modern organisations. Today's leading companies need to be agile and innovative amidst increasing business complexities and increasing customer demands. With product life cycles shortening and worldwide rivalries increasing, success depends on effective local, regional and global supply chain management. It is, therefore, of critical importance that senior managers and executives, across all functions, understand supply chain processes and their complexity, and are able to facilitate strategic decisions in developing effective supply chains."
The executive development programme's presenters include Dr John Gattorna, widely regarded as one of the most respected supply chain "thought leaders". Gattorna has spent a lifetime working in and around supply chains, in many different capacities: line executive, researcher, consultant/adviser, teacher and author, and he is passionate about the subject. Also contributing to the programme is John Langley, a leading scholar in his field, having been involved in supply chain management and business logistics for more than 35 years.
GIBS and Imperial Logistics will also host a number of management forums and executive breakfast sessions in 2013, as part of their Supply Chain and Logistics Programme. They are aimed at senior management and cover areas of topical interest.
"Knowledge sharing is critical for South African businesses aiming to compete successfully in the global marketplace, where increasingly complex supply chains, cost constraints and sustainability are among the challenges," Rossouw concluded.
