Podcast Summary: Supply Chain Now

Episode Title: Building Trust To Power AI Adoption
Date: November 24, 2025
Host: Scott Luton
Guests:

• Joy Taylor, Managing Director at Alliant Consulting
• Anouk Schuhmacher, Managing Partner at Blue Crux

Episode Overview

This episode spotlights the crucial role of trust in driving AI adoption within the supply chain, as industry leaders Joy Taylor and Anouk Schuhmacher share their real-world experiences, best practices, and actionable advice. The conversation covers how AI can enable better, faster, and more confident decision-making, the people-centric approach needed for digital transformation, and why culture and mindset matter as much as tech itself.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Setting the Stage: The Era of Change

• Constant Disruption:

  • Supply chains face unending volatility, requiring both agility and resilience.
  • "It's the constant state of change that is the real thing that is overwhelming. And we all... have the obligation to change the mindset of people to cope with that." – Anouk [00:45][37:44]

• People First:

  • Organizational culture and mindset are foundational for any AI initiative’s success.
  • Joy and Anouk both stress that technical solutions mean little without trusted, empowered people.

2. Guest Introductions & Their Organizational Missions

• Anouk Schuhmacher / Blue Crux:

  • Background as an engineer; leads commercial strategy globally.
  • Blue Crux focuses on value chain transformation across traditional silos, leveraging their own innovative technologies.
  • "We always look at challenges through a value chain angle... that's where we believe the biggest opportunities for impact really lie." – Anouk [09:33]

• Joy Taylor / Alliant Consulting:

  • Focus on business strategy, transformation, and change management.
  • Alliant Group encompasses multiple practices, including digital, tax, talent, and consulting, with change management as a core competency.
  • "Change management is probably our superpower." – Joy [10:31]

3. Navigating the AI Overwhelm

• Industry-wide Challenge:

  • Many executives feel isolated in their AI struggles, but only ~23% of supply chain orgs have a formal AI strategy (Gartner).
  • "AI is everywhere right now and there's no escaping the buzz... The question isn't if it will change our industry, it's how we will make it meaningful." – Anouk [13:31]

• Advice: Start Small & Purposeful

  • Joy: "Pick the single largest, most significant operational pain point... master that problem. Create a team of advocates... do not try and seed the field of every challenge." [15:32]

• Don’t Boil the Ocean:

  • Prioritize, focus, and target for successful AI transformation.

4. Optimizing Value Chain Decision-Making

• The Why for Change:

  • Decision fatigue is rampant; technological enablement is now survival, not luxury.
  • "The ability to make faster, better and more confident decisions is no longer a nice to have—for me, it's a survival skill." – Anouk [17:50]

• Real Value Comes from Trust & Understanding:

  • "If your teams do not trust the data or understand how to act on the output they receive, you’re stuck." – Joy [19:39]
  • AI will not replace jobs, but expand worker capabilities—e.g., demand planners become strategic analysts.

5. Decoupling Physical and Digital Decision Flows

• Breaking Linear Thinking:
  • Data and decisions need to move freely, not just as goods flow stepwise.
  • "Your decisions and simulations need to move freely across the entire value chain instantly..." – Anouk [21:31]
  • The need for a "digital decision layer" brings people, data, and technology together.

6. Building AI Adoption: Trust, Transparency, and Participation

• Bridging the Trust Gap:
  • Adoption fails when users don't trust what AI suggests.
  • Involvement and co-design are key: "If you would just talk to them before you present [the solution]... we would get so much further, faster." – Joy [24:31]

7. Role of AI: Enabler, Not Solution

• AI as a Tool to Empower, Not Replace:

  • "AI is that engine that powers the digital decision layer... It helps us move from reactive firefighting to proactive foresight." – Anouk [25:01]
  • Empower workers by freeing them from repetitive tasks so they can focus on creative, higher-value work.

• Real-Life Example:

  • Joy automates statements of work with a digital agent, reducing a 90-minute task to 20 minutes.
  • "That is not an exaggeration. Life-changing." – Joy [27:27]

8. Scaling AI: Speed, Scale, and Adoption

a) Speed and Scale

• Three Critical Factors (per Anouk):
  1. Clear business value: Know exactly what problem AI is solving for both people and company.
  2. Agile roadmap: Road to success is not linear—be ready to pivot.
  3. Trust in the system: "Explainable AI, transparent data and results they can see and believe in." – Anouk [29:54]
• Transition from Pilot to Scale: Proof of concept is just the beginning; industrialization requires structure and trust.

b) Driving Adoption

• Prove Value, Build Confidence:
  • "Start really small, ideally find a challenge that can be funded by the solution itself... That will increase the speed and accuracy of users wanting to adopt." – Joy [32:10]
  • "We have got to show people what's really in it for them if they want speed and scale." – Joy [33:32]

c) Change Management Is Critical

• People and Mindset Over Tech:
  • "If the people don't want it, if they don't see the why... they will create workarounds." – Joy [35:11]
  • "Change management often has the quotation of softness... but for me, it's more about mindsets." – Anouk [36:30]
  • Durable, transformational mindset trumps surface-level training.

9. AI Culture: The True Force Multiplier

• Culture Starts at the Top:
  • "Leaders cast a shadow every single day... Whatever they pay attention to is what the company will pay attention to." – Joy [39:19]
  • "Culture ties again back to that mindset... If you can make [people] curious about the next thing, then you will find a way to adopt." – Anouk [38:24]
• Model Behavior:
  • Leaders must use AI themselves to inspire broader adoption.

10. Real-World Case Studies & Success Stories

Anouk’s Top 3 Client Examples [41:08]

• Sanofi (Biopharma):

  • Executive leadership drove transformation, committing publicly to being the first biopharma powered by AI at scale.
  • AI-powered decisions lead to faster delivery of life-saving treatments.

• Froneri (Ice Cream Manufacturer):

  • AI optimized deployment plans, reducing logistics costs and improving service reliability.
  • "They really run on an optimized deployment plan that balances service, cost, and capacity in near real time." – Anouk [42:32]

• Legend Biotech:

  • Uses AI to prioritize manufacturing capacity for critical (life-saving) treatments—impacting patient outcomes directly.

Joy’s Examples

• Zara (Retail):

  • Uses AI to sense demand and restock bestsellers quickly, avoiding costly overproduction.
  • Focus is on core competitive advantage: speed to market. [44:53]

• Maersk (Logistics):

  • AI optimizes global container placement; overcame resistance by making AI recommendations transparent—showing the "why" behind decisions.
  • Trust built through explanation enabled adoption even among long-tenured staff.

Key Takeaway:
None of these organizations started with a grand, sweeping transformation. They solved one specific, high-value problem, built trust, then scaled up.

11. Actionable Advice & Mindsets

• Crawl, Walk, Run:
  • "[Jim Collins] basically said crawl, walk, run can be a very effective approach even during times of rapid and radical technological change. [...] No one is asking you to run a marathon tomorrow. I am asking just stand up and take a step." – Joy [51:21]
• Start Small, Prove Value, Then Scale: Incremental progress ultimately drives transformation.

Notable Quotes & Timestamps

• On Overcoming the Noise:

  • "The AI conversation has become a lot of noise with not much signal coming through." – Joy [15:32]

• On Trust and People:

  • "AI adoption fails when there’s a gap between what the technology can do and what people believe it can do." – Joy [23:18]
  • "We gotta do it with the people, not to the people, with the people." – Scott [24:31]

• On Change Management:

  • "People first is really, I think, what also gave the sparks between us, Joy." – Anouk [36:30]
  • "We are a people first organization… You are creating a culture by your actions." – Joy [35:11][39:19]

Timestamps for Key Segments

• [00:45][37:44]: The pace of change and the need for a new mindset
• [13:31]: AI overwhelm and getting past the buzz
• [17:50]: Why faster, better decision-making is essential
• [21:31]: Decoupling flow of goods and data
• [24:31]: Adoption, trust gaps, and co-creation
• [27:27]: AI in daily work – Joy’s digital agent example
• [29:54]: Speed and scale – three elements for moving beyond pilots
• [35:11]: Change management and the people component
• [38:24]: The importance of an AI culture
• [41:08]: Real-world AI use cases (Sanofi, Froneri, Legend Biotech)
• [44:53]: More case studies (Zara, Maersk)
• [51:21]: The "crawl, walk, run" approach to transformation

Memorable Moments

• Personal Touch: Joy’s and Anouk’s shared volleyball background and family stories provide authentic human connection—showing how leadership is about whole people, not just roles.
• Transparency as a Trust Builder: Maersk’s practice of explaining the ‘why’ behind AI decisions unlocks frontline buy-in.
• Foster Parenting Analogy: Joy likens organizational patience with change to caring for foster children—after a short adjustment period, you must demonstrate lasting, meaningful impact.

Closing Thoughts

This episode goes far beyond AI hype, championing practical, people-centered strategies for supply chain transformation. The advice: Start small, prioritize trust and transparency, invest in change management, and lead by example. Businesses that adopt these practices will not only unlock AI’s potential but also future-proof themselves for whatever disruption comes next.

Connect with the Guests:

• Anouk Schuhmacher: LinkedIn
• Blue Crux: bluecrux.com
• Joy Taylor: LinkedIn
• Alliant Consulting: alliantconsulting.com

For more supply chain insights and perspectives, visit supplychainnow.com.