Supply Chain Now: A Bold, New, Decarbonized Future

Guest: Steve Wilhite, EVP, Schneider Electric Advisory Services
Episode Date: December 17, 2025

Episode Overview

This episode, recorded live at the Innovation Summit North America 2025, features Steve Wilhite, Executive Vice President of Schneider Electric Advisory Services. Host Scott Luden dives into the challenges and opportunities of decarbonizing global supply chains, tapping into Wilhite's nearly 40 years of experience. They discuss innovations like supplier engagement programs, the pivotal role of AI and collaborative intelligence, and the cultural drivers of sustained innovation at Schneider Electric.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

Steve Wilhite’s Global Role and Industry Perspective

• Connecting Across the Globe:
  • Steve recounts traveling extensively to meet Schneider teams worldwide, gaining diverse perspectives on local and global challenges.
    • “I got to spend time with my teams in all those different places...hearing their perspectives, it’s fantastic.” (01:36)
• On Dynamic Change:
  • Wilhite highlights Dubai’s rapid innovation and transformation, noting substantial changes occurring even over a span of a few months.
    • “I was there six months ago, then two weeks ago, and you can just see the changes in a very short period of time. It’s amazing...” (02:13)

Leading Schneider’s Energy & Sustainability Practice

• Stewarding Change:
  • As leader of a 3,300-strong global team, Wilhite’s focus is on helping clients set and execute actionable strategies for energy and sustainability.
  • The industry’s pace of innovation means only a fraction of past experience is directly relevant today:
    • “Your years of experience that are relevant are really just a handful...it’s just changing so fast. That’s part of what makes it fun.” (02:35-03:23)

Decarbonizing the Supply Chain: Client Programs & Impact

• Democratizing Renewable Energy Access
  • Levi Strauss “LEAP” and Marks & Spencer “ReSpark”:
    • These programs aggregate supply chain partners to enable affordable, reliable renewable energy adoption—helping not just lead companies, but their suppliers to participate.
    • “This is democratizing the access to renewable energy resources by bringing along these supply chain cohorts...” (04:32)
• The Multiplying Effect: Engaging Thousands of Suppliers
  • 2,700 supplier companies are now involved in client decarbonization efforts, building on earlier programs with Walmart and Pepsi.
  • Internally, Schneider set a goal to work with its top 1,000 suppliers to cut emissions by 50% by 2025—the vast majority signed up, even if initially unsure what it entailed:
    • “A little more than 80% of them didn’t know what they signed up for...So that embarked us on a journey of how do we help those clients, educate them, and help them develop simple baselines...” (06:54)
  • Ecosystem-driven, industry-wide approaches—like in pharmaceuticals—are key to large-scale impact.

Advice for Industrial Leaders: Decarbonization & Digitization

• Getting Unstuck
  • Wilhite urges companies not to be paralyzed by complexity or analysis:
    • “Get a plan together...In the absence of taking those simple steps, you lose the sense of getting other ideas.” (09:24)
• Foundation of Data
  • Emphasizes the necessity of digitized operations for baseline measurement and tracking improvement:
    • “Get your foundation of data together, because that is the platform on which all the actions that you take will be evaluated, implemented...” (09:24)

AI, Agentic Intelligence & Collaborative Impact

• AI as the New Game-Changer
  • Schneider’s Resource Advisor platform (used by 3,000+ clients) has evolved to become AI-native, embedding autonomous agents directly in workflows:
    • “Slapping AI, agentic AI on top of legacy systems is not going to be good enough...We started...redoing our Resource Advisor platform from the bottom up to be AI native...” (11:13)
  • The first client-facing agent, Sarah, is already live—automating the bulk of complex, time-consuming reporting tasks, freeing humans for more valuable work.
• Transparent, Auditable AI
  • Every action Sarah or her team (e.g., Anna the anomaly agent, Reggie the registration agent) takes is logged for full auditability—crucial for compliance frameworks like ESG and CSRD:
    • “Everything is fully auditable. Every decision Sarah makes, every step Sarah takes...” (14:19)
• Human + Machine: Embracing Collaborative Intelligence
  • AI doesn’t replace humans, but augments their capabilities:
    • “How do we amplify and augment human intelligence with the intelligence of machine learning, reinforcement learning, but agentic AI? So that’s where we talk about the collaborative approach and collaborative intelligence.” (16:07)
  • Notable quote Wilhite shares with his kids:
    • “I don’t know that AI will take your job, but somebody else using AI might take your job.” (16:07)

Fostering a Culture of Innovation

• Democratizing Innovation Internally
  • Schneider rapidly scaled AI literacy, empowering over 1,000 team members to experiment and generate use cases, including running an internal “Shark Tank”:
    • “We democratized it. Within my own business group...got this in the hands of over a thousand of our team members as fast as we could...” (17:42)
    • “We also did things like ran our own version of Shark Tank...” (17:42)
• Openness and Longevity
  • Wilhite credits Schneider’s openness to new ideas and diversity of perspectives (cultural and experiential) as core to its innovation:
    • “Schneider never asked me to be somebody I’m not...What they asked me to do is bring what we as a team have to the table and figure out how can we innovate more...” (19:31)
  • Management continuity from acquired firms is a testament to Schneider’s inclusive, supportive culture.

Memorable Quotes

• On AI & Jobs:
  • “I don’t know that AI will take your job, but somebody else using AI might take your job.” (00:00, 16:07)
• On AI Transparency:
  • “Every decision Sarah makes, every step Sarah takes, every toolbox Sarah goes into...all of it’s completely auditable.” (14:19)
• On Internal Innovation:
  • “We also did things like ran our own version of Shark Tank, where we opened it up and said, hey, any employee can form their own team...” (17:42)
• On Leadership & Culture:
  • “Schneider never asked me to be somebody I’m not...What they asked me to do is bring what we as a team have to the table and figure out how can we innovate more...” (19:31)

Notable Timestamps

• [01:36] Global team connections & travel stories
• [02:35] Leading global energy/sustainability at Schneider
• [04:32] Overview of LEAP (Levi Strauss), ReSpark, and supply chain decarbonization
• [06:54] The journey to engage thousands of suppliers and internal lessons
• [09:24] Advice for business leaders tackling decarbonization
• [11:13] Resource Advisor, AI-native transformation, and agentic AI explained
• [14:19] “Sarah” and her agents: auditability and the future of reporting & compliance
• [16:07] Collaborative intelligence: human + AI, the future of work
• [17:42] Internal empowerment and innovation culture (Shark Tank example)
• [19:31] Culture & leadership at Schneider Electric

Conclusion: Key Takeaways

This episode spotlights the massive momentum towards decarbonized, digitally-enabled supply chains, led by proactive supplier engagement and powered by cutting-edge agentic AI. Steve Wilhite’s insights reinforce the importance of data and foundational digital systems, the transformative power of collaborative intelligence, and the ongoing need for organizations to foster a culture open to change, bold ideas, and diverse perspectives.

To connect with Steve Wilhite:

• LinkedIn: Steve Wilhite
• Email: steve@wilhitese.com
• Schneider Electric Advisory Services on LinkedIn