The Future of Supply Chain Planning: Gartner Takeaways and What’s Next

Summary

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Podcast Summary: The Future of Supply Chain Planning: Gartner Takeaways and What’s Next

Podcast: Supply Chain Now
Air Date: January 21, 2026
Host: Scott Luton (C), with Corinne Bursa (A)
Guest: Noha Samara (D), Senior Director, Global Supply Chain at Gartner, Conference Chair for the Supply Chain Planning Summit

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Episode Overview

This episode delves into the evolving landscape of supply chain planning, focusing on the major takeaways from the recent Gartner Supply Chain Planning Summit in Denver (December 2025). Hosts Scott Luton and Corinne Bursa are joined by industry leader Noha Samara, whose practitioner background and role as conference chair provide unique insight. Together, they analyze transformation trends, the rise of AI, change management, continuous transformation, and actionable strategies for supply chain leaders, with examples and practical advice drawn from top-performing global organizations.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Event Highlights & Feedback (03:23–06:29)

• Peer Networking & New Format:

  • The event introduced a new track on transformation and change management, including topics like sustaining results post-transformation (03:45).
  • Added the "Gartner Future Lab," projecting 30 years ahead in supply chain thinking.
  • Enhanced peer networking through structured, unfacilitated topic sessions.
  • The exhibitor hall was “buzzing” with increased vendor presence and active business discussions.

• Conference Prestige & Value:

  • Largest event dedicated solely to supply chain planning.
  • Emphasizes domain-specific expertise compared to broader supply chain symposiums.

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2. Top Three Takeaways from Gartner Summit (07:23–11:24)

a) AI as a Core Operating System, Not an Experiment

• Artificial intelligence is moving from a side experiment to part of daily operations.
• Success hinges on a clear human-machine strategy: deliberate, specific AI deployment for maximal value.
• Quote:

  “The most successful companies are… articulating and defining a clear human-machine strategy.”
  — Noha Samara, [07:23]

• Human skills are crucial; technology is changing processes, not replacing people. Preparing talent is key.

b) Change Management: Beyond Technology to People

• Transformation is fundamentally about people, not just tech.
• Invest in building capabilities that allow employees to leverage new technologies effectively.
• Quote:

  “This transformation is not just about technology … it’s an overall transformation.”
  — Noha Samara, [08:59]

• Accelerating decision-making through upskilled employees is a game changer.

c) Continuous Transformation (It's Never “Done”)

• Successful organizations are continuously transforming, not just completing a finite project.
• Always have a transformation roadmap, with a vision for ongoing improvement.
• Quote:

  “Their transformation never ends.”
  — Noha Samara, [10:23]

• Technology advances rapidly; businesses must match that pace to stay competitive.

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3. Reflections from Top 25 Supply Chain Organizations (13:34–22:03)

Key Planning Trends Identified:

• i. Connecting End-to-End Data and Insights

  • Successful companies integrate both internal and external data, enabling robust scenario (“range”) planning instead of rigid one-number forecasting.
  • Collaborative range planning extends to trading partners for better risk management.
  • Stat: 91% of supply chain leaders see complexity as a key barrier, but only 24% utilize multiple real-time data feeds ([17:36]).

• ii. Empowering Agility with Automation

  • Leading organizations define what decisions can be automated and clarify human roles (“on the loop,” “in the loop,” “off the loop”).
  • Automation is targeted where it matters (e.g., most profitable products/markets).
  • Case: Johnson & Johnson’s real-time data use in life sciences ([18:31]).

• iii. Defining a Deliberate Role for AI

  • Avoid blanket AI adoption; instead, pilot broadly but scale only in high-value areas.
  • Planners and frontline employees are involved early in AI strategy development, ensuring the tech addresses real pain points.
  • Quote:

    “The most successful companies … involve their planners and their employees early in the AI journey.”
    — Noha Samara, [21:09]

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4. Practical Advice and Memorable Moments

Targeted Automation & Use Cases

• Don’t automate for its own sake. Choose use cases with meaningful, measurable impact ([00:00], [27:00]).
• Quote:

  “Don’t waste your time automating something that’s not going to be a measurable impact on your business.”
  — Corinne Bursa, [27:00]

AI: Not “Peanut Butter,” but “Cherry on Top”

• Use AI selectively; don’t apply it indiscriminately. Prove value in one area, scale after success ([22:56]).
• Quip:

  “Not spread like peanut butter ... it's more like targeting and placing like a cherry on top of an ice cream sundae.”
  — Scott Luton, [23:56]

Cultural Change & Leadership

• Noha’s analogy: Transformation is a race; challenge is internal (“you vs. you”).

  “Leaders act and learn their way forward and you can too.” ([29:00])

• Urges listeners not to “sit on the sidelines” but engage proactively with change.

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5. Sector-Wide Insights & Predictions

• Agentic AI and Autonomy:

  • By 2033, Gartner predicts 15% of supply chain planning processes will be fully autonomous via agentic AI ([39:23]). Hosts debate this is likely too conservative, expecting even faster adoption.

• Touchless Manufacturing Planning:

  • Touchless (“lights out”) planning requires improving underlying models/processes, not just overriding systems with manual fixes ([36:30]).

• Macro Disruption Frequency:

  • Research shows global macro disruptions now occur 3–5 times per year, up from once every 5–10 years a century ago ([41:40]).
  • Modern supply chains must be resilient, agile, and digitally empowered for such volatility.

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Notable Quotes & Timestamps

• “AI is no longer an experiment on the side of planning — it’s becoming part of the operating system.”
  — Noha Samara, [07:23]

• “Transformation is actually about people. It’s how you’re bringing people with you on the journey.”
  — Noha Samara, [08:59]

• “Continuous transformation — their transformation never ends.”
  — Noha Samara, [10:23]

• “Range planning was actually one of the things I took note on ... in the past we tried to get to a one-number plan, but most businesses will operate within that range.”
  — Corinne Bursa, [16:31]

• “Don’t sit on the sidelines ... get off the sidelines and join the race.”
  — Noha Samara (paraphrased by Scott Luton), [29:00]

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Key Timestamps for Reference

• Gartner Summit Feedback & Value: [03:23]–[06:29]
• Top Three Takeaways Section: [07:23]–[11:24]
• Keynote Reflection & Top 25 Trends: [13:34]–[22:03]
• Practical Advice & Audience Q&A: [22:56]–[28:22]
• Macro Disruption Trends: [41:40]
• Agentic AI Adoption Prediction: [39:23]
• Touchless Manufacturing Case: [36:30]

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Actionable Recommendations

• Embrace continuous transformation; don’t aim for a single “finish line.”
• Define a clear human-machine (AI) strategy; know where tech adds measurable business value.
• Involve frontline planners in technology strategy from inception.
• Automate decisions where they yield significant impact; avoid over-automation.
• Evolve from one-number planning to scenario/range planning with partner collaboration.
• Prepare for more frequent, larger-scale disruptions through agile, data-driven strategies.

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How to Connect & Further Resources

• Noha Samara: Best reached via LinkedIn for follow-ups and Gartner resources ([24:56]).
• Event Dates: Gartner Supply Chain Planning Summit
  • London: October 5–6, 2026
  • Denver: November 2–3, 2026 ([24:09])
• On-Demand Content & Resources:
  • Gartner.com for summit replays, keynote sessions ([13:16])
  • Resource Hub at supplychainnow.com for interviews, session rundowns ([41:40])

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Conclusion

This episode synthesizes the major drivers of supply chain planning’s future: AI as an enabler, automation, and a relentless focus on both people and process. Continuous innovation, practical application, and collaborative scenario planning are the new imperatives. Leaders are encouraged to be proactive, involve teams early, and transform deliberately — because agility, adaptability, and learning are the only sustainable competitive advantages in the supply chain’s “never normal” world.

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Transcript

[A]

Automation is coming. Pick what area is going to have the biggest impact for your business and pick a use case that's meaningful. Really do something meaningful. Don't waste your time automating something that's not going to be a measurable impact on your business.

[B]

Welcome to Supply Chain now, the number one voice of Supply Chain. Join us as we share critical news, key insights and real supply chain leadership from across the globe, one conversation at a time.

[C]

Hey, good morning, good afternoon, good evening, evening wherever you may be. Scott Luton and the one and only Corinne Bursa with you here today on Supply Chain now. Hey, Corinne, how you doing?

[A]

I'm doing great, Scott. It's great to be with you today and I'm looking forward to this conversation.

[C]

I am, too. And I tell you what, it's going to be as beautiful as the weather is here in metro Atlanta. It's a gorgeous day here today. We got one of our favorites back with us here today for a terrific, actionable discussion on an ever critical but ever evolving key topics, supply chain planning. In particular, we're going to be diving into some of the key takeaways from the Gartner Supply Chain Planning Summit in Denver just last December. Feels like a six years ago, but it was just like a month ago. Now. Corinne Bursitt and I both enjoyed the event and all the discussions. Jake Barr, many of our friends and Supply Chain now fan members were out there. We enjoyed the stage discussions and breakout sessions. Some of those networking sessions were great after hours, Corinne. And even better yet, today you're going to get a synopsis, a lot of that. Some of the key moments to that you can't miss. But even better yet, we've got Noha Samara, the conference chair who gave us one of our favorite keynotes there. And she is here with us today to share some of her own key takeaways and eureka moments and that we can all put to good work here in the new year. So stay tuned for all that much, much more, Corinne, than We've got a big show up here today, huh?

[A]

Absolutely. And Noha is much too humble to say this, but being selected to be conference chair for a Gartner conference of this size is a big deal and certainly a big recognition of the contribution that she makes to the industry and at Gartner.

[C]

Yes, well said. I echo that a thousand percent. As Corinne said, we've got a a heavyweight rock and roll star and here today I want to introduce her really quick. We'd be here all day if I truly laid out all of her credentials, but at a high level. Noha Samar brings almost 20 years of diverse practitioner experience to the table, including significant experience in both consumer electronics and consumer goods, beauty and luxury cosmetics industries. She serves as not only Senior director, Global Supply Chain at Gardner, but she also serves as Global Conference Chair for the Supply Chain Planning Summit. And I promise you, I think this is her third appearance with us here. You're going to enjoy and value her point of view and perspective today. So let's join me in welcoming Noha Samara with Gardner. Hey. Hey Noha, how you doing today?

[A]

Hello. Hi Scott.

[D]

Hi Karen. Very nice to be with you today.

[C]

It is so terrific. Corinne. We've been looking from the time we stepped off the plane back here in atl, we've been looking forward to today's event, huh?

[A]

Absolutely.

[C]

So let's do this snow hop. As we mentioned, what a prestigious position you hold as chair of the Planning Summit's programming. I can only imagine how much work that goes into that, both the great event in Denver and of course the sister event that takes place in London so far. What's been some of the feedback you've gotten from the 2025 events?

[D]

I think top of mind that the attendees love the agenda. They love the fact that we added a new track around transformation and change management for the first time which featured lots of sessions around change management like sustaining results post transformation. They also appreciated that we brought the Gartner Future Lab content into a supply chain event which is a very futuristic content that talks about the future in maybe 30 years from now, how it would be looking like. They also appreciated the opportunity to network with their peers. So we created for the first time this year peer networking opportunities unfacilitated about specific structured topics where people come together and talk about it. The executive stories from our guest speakers were also highly regarded and obviously the interaction with different vendors and technology providers also all under one roof. I do remember the exhibitor hall buzzing with people like we had definitely an increase here on in terms of the exhibitors who have been there in the event which, which is again great.

[C]

Yes. Noha, two quick points before I get Karen to weigh in on that. The exhibitor hall you're talking about. It was a buzz I was trying to get shake hands and meet some folks without getting in the way of business getting done. There was a lot of business getting done on that exhibitor hall and then you shared a lot of great things there. That 30 year look ahead. Very valuable. A lot of times we focus kind of on the next two to three years. So really getting bold. And then of course, the networking. Corinne, I know you and I both enjoyed the networking a couple different ways, but what else, Corinne, based on what you heard there from NOHA and your own experience, because you've been to several of these, your thoughts on the Value post?

[A]

I've been to all of them, but I. What I like about this event is it is the largest event dedicated specifically to supply chain planning. So if that's your domain and you're looking to make an impact in that area of supply chain, this is the event to attend. You get to hear what Gartner is seeing in the industry, where they think priorities will be, where they recommend, you know, adopting new technology or new process change. And the networking is fantastic. So the symposium event that happens in the springtime, great event as well, but it's broader. So it covers transportation and distribution and distributed order management, just a variety of other topics in addition to planning. But if you are somebody whose role is in that planning space, you need to get this on your calendar.

[C]

Undoubtedly and really quick. The symposium that you mentioned coming up in May, I believe. No, first off, you'll be there at Supply Chain Symposium in May in Orlando. And I think that runs. I don't have it right in front of me. I think that runs May 4th through the 6th. In or in May.

[D]

That's absolutely right. Yes. Okay.

[C]

And you will be as busy as you were at the summit. I know you'll be busy again, kind of as one of the mayors at symposium. Is that right, Noa? Yeah.

[D]

And I'm bringing new content and new insights into Orlando.

[C]

Yeah. Love it. Love it. Well, before we, before we, let's take a look back. Let's reflect a little bit more. There was so much went on out in Denver. We've all kind of already spoken to it a little bit, but given all the conversations and the presentations that you were part of and you delivered out in Denver. Noha, what were three key takeaways that our audience, do you think would find helpful and informative here today?

[D]

I'll start with AI. There was a lot of buzz around AI. And AI is no longer an experiment on the side of planning. It's becoming part of the operating system. But the most successful companies are not the ones that are really investing or just embracing AI. These are the companies that are articulating and defining a clear human machine strategy. The companies that are really deliberately being clear on the role of AI or that it should play in the organization. So it's not just investing in AI everywhere. But it's really being specific on the areas that would deliver the highest value for them.

[C]

Hey, really quick, Corinne, if I can, before you move to your second key takeaway, Corinne, that human machine strategy, we talked a lot. There was a lot of talk around that because that's what industry leading organizations really deliberately invest in. Your quick thoughts on that first key takeaway of AI?

[A]

Yeah, I think that's really important because this is just not a technology play or it's not only a technology play. The way technology has evolved involved in this area of artificial intelligence, generative, analytic, and now agentic, it's changing business process also. So we need to look at that human connection and how we best leverage our talent and prepare them to do bigger, better, more interesting things in the future.

[C]

Yep, well said. All right, so Noha, first key takeaway didn't disappoint, as expected. What's number two?

[D]

Number two is change management. Actually this transformation is not just about technology, but I do believe that this transformation is actually about people. It's how you're bringing people around with you on the journey. It's how you're making the people ready. You're investing in their capabilities in a way that help you leverage the technology the most. I hate to say that this is a technology or a digital transformation, but I always like to call it, it's an overall transformation. Change management here is so, Corinne, I'm.

[C]

So glad we put a spotlight on that in the manner that NOHA does, because digital transformation, which we've been using for years, it's accurate, but at the same time it can really put too much emphasis on the technology side.

[D]

Technology.

[C]

And as NOHA mentioned, it's about the people today more than ever before. Perhaps. Corinne, your thoughts?

[A]

Yeah, I do agree with that. As we said already, because I think that we're unlocking new productivity in our people as well as in the technology. I think that we're freeing them up in essence to do and do some creative things and use that business context to really accelerate decision making. And I think that this velocity of decision making is the big game changer here.

[C]

Yep. And we'll definitely talk more about noha.

[D]

Number three, the third one is considering transformation as a continuous act. Right. You cannot be thinking of transformation as at one point. It's a one project that I'm going to be done with it. If you look at the most successful and high performing organizations, they are in continuous waves of transformation. They have a transformation roadmap. They know that they are going to implement this Then that and then afterwards they have a vision around their transformation and they never like their transformation never ends. Right. So I think that's a key message that people need to know. Regardless of where they are into their transformation or their maturity journey, there should be kind of a vision to continuously improve, continuously transform. Because guess what, technology is advancing at like, you know, very fast. If you are not transforming at that speed, you will always be lagging behind.

[C]

Well said, Noha, I thought you were going to say, when you said guess what I thought you were going to say because disruption is continuous now as well. So Corinne, a lot of thoughts there on that continuous transformation and her third key takeaway. Your thoughts?

[A]

Yeah, I think that that is really good advice that it isn't going to end. And technology is evolving at a pace that I've never seen before in my career and it's exciting and there's new and innovative ways to apply the technology that you have. Work with your partners today, but also look at doing some new and interesting things in the future. Because the role of supply chain will continue to be vitally important to businesses. But how we make decisions is going to continue to evolve at a very rapid pace.

[C]

That's right. Making decisions, how we plan, how we empower our planners to take what they do, their valuable work, they do to the next level.

[A]

And hopefully we can get rid of some of those spreadsheets that are still plugging gaps in businesses.

[D]

I wish, I wish just the other.

[C]

Day, and it might have been on the buzz on Monday or could have been on, on the show we did yesterday, we were just, we were kind of talking about spreadsheets and AI and I can't remember exactly how it came about, but someone mentioned how in meetings, you know, forever we've had folks, especially in cross functional meetings, everybody brings their own, own spreadsheet that has their own data. And a lot of times it doesn't agree. And then we made the analogy, well, these days while spreadsheets are being replaced, everyone's going to bring their own AI that have, may have different outcomes, different results, different suggestions to these meetings. But hey, I think that's still a step forward. I don't know. Okay, so Noha, Karen and I both, as I think we mentioned earlier, sat in on with a lot of the folks, sat in on a great keynote that you gave. I think that was one of my, certainly one of my favorites of the two days.

[D]

Thank you.

[C]

So by the way, folks, if you attended the event, you can still access a lot of these things on demand via gartner.com including no has keynote, so check that out. But for folks that may have missed it, no. What's a couple of key ideas you'd really want to share with our audience here today?

[D]

So the session was mainly focused on reflections from the top 25 supply chain organizations and what are the key planning trends that we see those high performing or successful organizations are adopting. Before I take you quickly through these key themes, I have to say that we are living in a world that is super volatile, super complex, super risky and this is not going to change in the near future. And when we have to really adapt our processes to this kind of volatility, complexity and, and risk that we have. And Those companies, those 20 top 25 supply chain organizations, are really successful because they are able to adopt those trends that help them be more agile and more resilient against all those different disruptions in risks that they face. The key observing and I've been On the top 25 supply chain programs since I joined Gartner and observing the different companies that get recognized there, we see that there are three key trends that differentiate those organizations. The first one is on connecting end to end data and insights and how they are leveraging both internal and external data to feed into their plans to understand the plan drivers, to understand the consequences. And based on that, they build different scenarios and mitigate different risks and have kind of what we call range plans rather than having a one number plan approach to feed into their systems, their supply plans and their demand plans. And also on that point we foresee that the most successful companies are even extending this range based discussions or scenario based discussions with their key trading partners, their key suppliers and their key customers. Obviously again not through Excel sheets, but through really integrating the systems together and having those structured regular discussions on the range plans. It's not about when you're collaborating with your key partners. It's not about sharing a demand plan or sharing a supply plan. It's about understanding how high or how low this plan could change, what could be the different scenarios and having this discussion collaboratively on like, you know, how to mitigate these deviations. That's the very first trend that we see.

[C]

Yeah. So Noha, before you move on to your next takeaway, thank you for that quick pause. These are, these are micro master classes, Noha, that you're delivering here today. Corinne, any comments on the first key key theme from her keynote that she shared that you and I sat in on?

[D]

Yeah.

[A]

So this session was really valuable because Noha used specific examples of companies in the top 25 who are achieving inspirational results for others. And this range, this idea of range planning was actually one of the things that I took note on because the company, I believe one of the companies that was discussed was Lenovo and planning within a range of performance and working on that know how with their, with their trading partners to ensure that the right product is at the right place at the right time without excess and without shortages. And so I really like this in, in the past, in, in the old days in planning we tried to get to a one number plan, but the reality is that most businesses will operate within that range. Give them scenarios within that range so that you can have some flexibility in the actual performance or execution or timeline for those. So I thought that was a really valuable insight.

[C]

Well said Corinne. And I want to add one more to that. Noha, you mentioned earlier as you were kind of level setting before your key takeaways, you mentioned the Vuca environment, the immense amounts of complexity. Well you shared on your keynote two great nuggets on the same visual. On one hand you said research shows that 91% of supply chain leaders consider complexity as a significant barrier to supply chain performance. That makes sense. Probably everybody out there. But then in a corollary point you mentioned that only 24% of leaders are collecting multiple real time data feeds that allow the organization to do something about it, identify disruptions and act quicker to avoid some of the. Absolutely, absolutely. Not to derail you from your next point, but I love that because it really kind of talks about what we acknowledge but what the action we're not taking. Please continue to know how another big themes.

[D]

Perfect. The second trend is powering agility with automation and how we are not just collecting real time data and having this visibility, but how are we acting fast as well to these kind of insights and real time data that we're getting. Which decisions can you automate? Right. We see that high performing organizations and top 25 organizations are defining which decisions would be automated, defining when humans would be on the loop, off the loop or in the loop. Meaning that when humans need to monitor the automated decisions, when humans need to be totally off the loop, decisions are being taken directly by the system. Because I do believe that it's not just about getting this data into the systems, but it's also what differentiates those high performing organizations is their speed and their agility to act fast on that point also. And it has to be paired with this visibility and this automation of decisions. We see that those top 25 organizations are investing in their supply chain responsiveness where it really matters. So they are getting the data, they are automating the decisions and their supply chains are able to execute these decisions as well, fast in the segments where it makes sense in their product segments that are highly profitable or in the markets that are highly profitable. So they are creating this agility powered by automation. And examples of this. Yeah, there were a couple also of companies that I gave examples on like for example J and J using real time data which is actually like not a cpg because I always get like you know, this pushback on oh, real time data. Okay. That is only applicable for CPGs. But like the example I gave was from a totally different industry, life sciences. Right. And. And it's helping.

[C]

Yes. You know really quick one of my favorite parts about your keynote, all the practical examples, kind of case studies in a, in a single visual that you punctuated throughout your, your keynote. Because hey, there's an opportunity to act on the new planning imperative across all sectors and all industries and you. That was a big theme of your presentation. For the sake of time, noha, we want to make sure folks know how to connect with you and we want to make sure we put the dates of the next summit. I know you have a hard stop. Is there one more big key theme you'd like to share and leave with us from your keynote?

[A]

Yeah.

[D]

So the third theme was defining a deliberate role for AI and how those high performing organizations are not just trying to invest in AI everywhere because that's a big myth. It's really about defining and understanding where AI really would really drive value. So they might be piloting broad, but they are, when they are scaling, they are scaling in the areas that would really bring the value on that. And the other thing is when I say deliberately defining a role of AI, we see those organizations are involving their planners and their employees early in the AI journey. Like making them part of the discussion around what are the challenges that they are facing today where AI can help them the most. So they are bringing the people along that journey with them.

[C]

And that was a, that was a key theme. Just about to a, to a. Each and every case study you shared of where they engaged the front line, the people they did their, they deliberately invested in their AI strategy with their people, not to their people. And then the other big thing, kind of the parallel with that is they went to where instead of taking a vague approach to where they apply AI. Hey, let's start with the problems that our planners have. If we eliminated XYZ problem Using AI or for that matter, any other technology or solution. Where should we start? And getting their people to prioritize the biggest gaps to cover. So no high. I really wish we could share the whole thing today because it was terrific and the room was full for good reason. Corinne, really quick broad reaction to something Noha shared here or her keynote in general.

[A]

Yeah. So my reaction actually to the last point in applying artificial intelligence is to be sure that you do have a specific use case. You've got an area of the business, you're not going to spread it like peanut butter. You know, it is solving or can be applied to solve specific challenges. And once you prove that out in your environment, in your business, then you can start moving faster and broader throughout your planning process or throughout your supply chain operations. There's huge opportunity, but the ones that are being successful are carving out a specific use case. They've got expected results around it. They understand where their data is, how they can augment that with market data and the upskilling that may be needed for their team to actually leverage that most effectively. But it's an exciting time to be in supply chain and there's lots of really great examples that Noha shared in this session. And I think that that's why it was one of my favorite sessions.

[C]

I'm with you, Karen. And you can't, I'mma steal it from you. You can't spread it like peanut butter. It's more like targeting and placing like cherry on top of an ice cream sundae or something. I we'll figure out the right.

[D]

I love that. I love it.

[C]

Hey, really quick, we want to remind folks Noha the dates are set for the 2026 events Gardner Supply Chain Planning Summit in London, October 5th and 6th. Is that right, Noah?

[D]

Yes.

[C]

And Denver is November 2nd and 3rd, 2026. And folks, that's a little distinction because Noha, y' all based on feedback from customers. Love it. Y' all move that from December and up a month to earlier to early November. Is that right?

[D]

Yes, that's right. So it's before Thanksgiving.

[C]

That is really, really important. So folks, if you'll learn more, go to gartner.com and know how folks want to connect with you if they want to learn more on anything you touched on here today, if they want to may look at your keynote or other research. How can folks connect with you? Noha?

[D]

Happy to do that through LinkedIn. Best way is LinkedIn. I, I normally check it regularly.

[C]

Outstanding. I'm not sure where you find the time. Nohar but folks, we are to make it really easy for you, drop Noha's LinkedIn link right there. You one click away from connecting with the dynamo that is Noha Samara. Big thanks. I wish we had more time with you. We'll, we'll make some more time soon later in this new year. I look forward to seeing you, you and Corinne both at symposium in May. And thanks so much for carving times time out with us here today. Noah Samara, Senior director, Global Supply Chain at Gardner. Thanks so much, Noah.

[D]

Thank you. Thank you so much, Scott. Thank you. Thank you, Karen, for hosting me. That was an amazing and a very enjoyable session. I hope the audience learned something out of it. Thank you.

[C]

Undoubtedly. We'll talk to you soon, Noah. Have a great rest of your week.

[A]

See you soon.

[D]

Thank you.

[C]

As expected, Corinne, no HA delivered once again. I only wish we had more time, but I bet most folks do that talk with you or with no ha. They always want more time. Corinne, when you, you know that was a fast moving as we knew it would be a half hour or so. What was one of your favorite things? Key takeaways from Noha's segment here today.

[A]

Yeah, so I, I love how practical some of the examples are that Noha shares Noha's experience as a practitioner, I think gives her a unique ability to really connect and simplify the conversation so that we can all benefit from it. And she gives practical, useful recommendations. And so I appreciate that. But I like the three things that she shared, you know, as far as data and insights, had to write it down both internal and external. We've talked about external data for decades. We've talked about collaborating with our trading partners for decades. I think that the technology and business processes are now finally aligning that that becomes a reality and that we can do range planning and share that with our trading partners and be able to improve the performance at every node in the supply chain. So I think there's some really exciting things coming from there and then the powering, agility and automation. Automation is coming. Pick what area is going to have the biggest impact for your business and pick a use case that's meaningful. Really do something meaningful. Don't waste your time automating something that's not going to be a measurable impact on your business. Spend the time, effort, talent on something that is going to deliver a meaningful impact and get folks motivated to do more throughout the business. And I think the last thing was the role of AI. So AI is going to permeate everything and I think honestly, Gen AI, which is what we talked about last year at this event that was like, oh, and by the way, gen AI this year, because it was all about agentic AI. And I think gen AI has really become kind of a rocket fuel catalyst for agentic. And this is where we're going to see some big steps forward in the way we plan, the cadence that we can plan, the data that we unleash in the business, the new insights, all these exciting things. So it's a great time to be in supply chain.

[C]

I knew it was coming. I knew you were going to get that in. But I completely agree with you. And I think one thing especially related to AI is what's in our blind spot. We've talked about this today and what where we think we apply AI and other innovative technologies today and the art, the true arts of those of the possibilities, all that's going to change. And next time it's not going to be a year cycle, it's going to be eight months, six months or six weeks. And to your point about the different, the different types of AI, and I'm not confused with any AI scientists out there, but in talking with hundreds if not thousands of supply chain leaders that are doing it, as each of these new types of AI continues to mature, they work with each other to find new applications for the older versions of AI. It's really amazing like that, you know, blockchain, 3D printing, all these things we've been talking about forever. Don't close the book on any of those things based on where technology is going. Corinne, one other thing that we didn't, that no, Hawk, we didn't have time to get to. But one of my favorite parts, you know, I'm a, I'm a big fan for the, not the soft and fuzzy, but the, the compelling cultural part of change. Right. Well, you and I were there as Noha closed out her session and she had kind of used a race. There's a type of race, an obstacle course that she, she worked, but she referenced throughout. But it was a big racing analogy that she used throughout. And one thing, a couple things she said, said there. We don't always have all the answers as we start to set out and craft the strategy in the plan. And she mentioned this quote, leaders act and learn their way forward and you can too. And that's real. And it's so real. You know, I look back at what I didn't know a year ago, so maybe even a month ago and. But what we figured out and was every step the perfect one no, but the failures or the missteps teach equally, if not more than the successful ones. And then one last thing that Noha shared, really, at the end, she urged people, hey, get off the sidelines. Don't sit there on the sidelines and watch others change faster and build smarter and perform better. She invited folks to stop watching and join the race because it's not about company versus company. As she put it, it's about you versus you. And I think it's so true, especially in this era where our self learning, we can never sleep on learning something new every day. So a lot of good stuff directly to the planning expertise that you've really touched on. And then the kind of, the bigger picture that, that really resonated with me too. Your quick reaction to that and then I'm gonna get some of your key takeaways from the summit. Your quick, quick reaction first.

[A]

Yeah, no, I, I agree with you completely. I think the worst thing that you can do right now is sit on the sidelines. I think you need to start building your corporate skill set around applying artificial intelligence. And I think that supply chain is an ideal part of the business. It's a data rich part of the business and it's also one that has been metrics driven. And you know, I, I'm a big facts, not feelings kind of person. And if we can accelerate delivering those facts or looking at more multiple scenarios for the business, we're going to have greater confidence in the decisions that we're making. So it's not just about making decisions faster. It's making the best decision possible at the time that a decision needs to be made. And so we can't afford to, you know, spend weeks making decisions anymore because the ball is continually moving, if you will, down the field or up the field to use a sports analogy around that. So my, my advice is don't sit on the sidelines if you fail. Fail fast, learn from it and get up and start, you know, with another use case, another area of the business, another opportunity.

[C]

Well said. And I will you, I'll double down your sports analogy since today is game one of the College Football Playoff semifinal here in the states and you're talking about moving up and down the field from a, a football analogy. Well, when I think of that, your point about decision making and not just making them faster for some reason it, it the quarterback play jumped into my mind. If we, if we wanted to strengthen our passing offense, we don't want the quarterback just throwing more passes.

[A]

Kind of rpo. Yeah.

[C]

Versus we need more completions. We need more first downs and more touchdowns. And there's a great analogy. It's not about just making faster decisions to your point, to make them faster, we got to make them writer more often. I'm probably not using that. Great, great grammar, but okay. Corinne changing gears as we kind of come down the home stretch here and moving beyond Noha's wonderful perspective. You and me and Jake Bar, I know we already had a key takeaway session here in Denver, which we've gotten some feedback around, good feedback around. But I want to give you the opportunity, especially given one of your superpowers certainly is supply chain planning. What was some of your own key top two, three takeaways from Denver?

[A]

Corinne yeah, yeah. I'll start with a couple of them. And then I know we share one big one. And we've already talked a little bit about artificial intelligence here and the impact that it's going to have. Don't approach it thinking it's going to be perfect. It's not perfect. It's not perfect yet. It's not going to be spread like peanut butter. It's not going to be applied cookie cutter to every business or every use case. But there is magic in the technology and some really exciting things happening in this area and it's evolving very quickly. So get started now and be fearless. Being fearless was one of the themes of the opening keynote at the conference. And when we were talking and networking, we saw a lot of people. Scott, this is one I know you, Jake and I all shared that they looked more like that deer in the headlights than a fearless innovator or fearless transformation leader. But I think that, you know, it was just the awareness that so much was happening that they didn't know where to start. But what was your take on that?

[C]

I did. I loved it. I love that moment with you and Jake because it was a more it was a eureka moment for me because sometimes you're kind of around conversations or big themes and then it takes someone calling it out to say, man, that's right. It's been a big theme for the whole couple days. But you know, on a related note, to the zombie and the deer and headlights that probably, to be fair, all of us have in this really fast velocity of change and technological innovation, but AI fatigue. You and I spoke with Alex on the Buzz earlier this week around that, and they're kind of all related. But my take, since they're all related, you know, my thought is we can't ignore it because it's reality. But I also Believe it's a big leadership problem. And I'd argue that AI fatigue, which can produce those zombie moments, that deer and headlight moments. It isn't necessarily about too much AI. Right? It really isn't. It's about approaches to AI. Know how I use the word deliberate? When you're setting AI strategy, it can't be about too little progress, and the progress you do get way too slow. Strategies that are way too unfocused, untargeted. And all of that unfortunately comes with way too much hype. And we wonder why there's a little bit of a. Or maybe a lot of AI fatigue out there. And it's also no wonder why some organizations approached AI can feel to the team, like New Coke. You remember that, Corinne, back in the day, back in the 80s when Coke was rolled out and it was New Coke, it was going to be better than ever. And then at the end of the day, there was very little. It was not successful. Right. And they went back to Coke Classic.

[A]

Right.

[C]

Well, to prevent our teams going back to how work's always been done, we can't roll out New Coke. We've got to roll out a much smarter, deliberate, intentional approach. So that's what prompted my mind as I heard you reference those moments. Any other takeaway do you want to share overall?

[A]

Yeah. Yeah, Actually two others. So one was this theme of touchless manufacturing. And it came up both in NOHA session where she gave an example of one of The Gartner Top 25 that has really seen some vast improvements in the ability to do touchless manufacturing planning so to plan their manufacturing operations. And then there was also a case study. And some of the case studies at the Supply chain planning summit were really good. One of the best ones I heard was from Kraft Heinz, and they talked about a touchless manufacturing planning process. But what I loved was the recommendations were so practical and they. I wrote this down and I wanted to share it with everyone. The speaker said we needed to go from fighting the solver to improving the model. And I see that so often where companies will do a management override or they'll plug data in instead of fixing the process or making sure that the process is modeled correctly or that the data is the right data to inform the model to produce the plan. They'll do overrides. You can't automate something you continue to override. You can't automate something that you're plugging with spreadsheets. You can only automate when you've got a good, well defined process. And so I thought this theme of touchless manufacturing planning that came up a couple of different times is really one we need to pay attention to.

[C]

Yes, well said, Corinne. Well said. Just like you can't automate my golf game. Bogeys, lots of exceptions, out in the woods way too often. But who knows? AI is making strides. I'll tell you what, hour by hour.

[A]

Let's go one more if we have time.

[C]

Yeah, Corinne, we got time.

[A]

One more. One more. So there was a session, and it was about the planning revolution. And since we're talking about supply chain planning here, I thought it was really appropriate. And it is the rise of AI agents and supply chain planning. And this was delivered by Gartner analyst Jan Schnook. And this room was packed. I mean, it was standing room only. And he outlined a very pragmatic approach to employing agentic AI, which, you know, my simplistic description of agentic AI is taking both the thinking and action and automation. So taking a workflow of decisions, small decisions together that impact the overall plan. But that Gartner is predicting that by 2033 that there will be 15% of agentic AI deployments are going to be fully autonomous. We are currently at less than 1%. I think that 15% by 2030, I think that they are sandbagging us. I think that number is going to be at least twice that. So 30% or higher from an autonomous perspective. But Gartner's number right now for 2033, for full autonomous activity in a process, for a specific process, that. That's going to be 15% by year 2033.

[C]

Yep, I agree with you. And there's two points that folks kind of take from your. Your takeaway there take for your takeaway. Number one, I think it'll be more aggressive than that based on what we're talking about earlier, where we don't know what will be unlocked next week, much less next month, next year. So that velocity we're seeing is going to be faster, no doubt. And number two, that leads to the risk of those laggards that don't get on the train. The gap of competitive disadvantages between those companies that do lean into what's possible today and make life easier and more achievable for not just their planners, but they're all their team members versus those that cling to. I love Coca Cola Classic. I love Diet Coke. I'm not picking on it, but analogy comes to mind. Folks that cling to that Coca Cola Classic formula, how business has always been done, which has been successful, but it's changing. It is changing and changing. It's like the forward pass has been invented today and there's still teams that run the triple option, but those that find truly success and championships that run the triple option, they're not very prevalent and I'd rather take my chances via science versus via serendipity. All right, so Corinne, one more quick thing and then we're make sure folks know how to connect with Corinne and we're going to share a great resource, a timely resource where it's not recency bias. And once y' all check it out, you see what I'm talking about. But one more thing that really rolled up into a greater theme that I think all of us are being impacted by. Corinne, One of the CEOs I interviewed at the summit there in Denver. And folks, you can learn a lot more about these interviews we had at the Resource Hub, the brand new resource hub at supply chain now.com and you can see the the written rundowns of many of these interviews. Well, he shared. EY McKenzie Their research shows that large scale macro disruptions will have accelerated dramatically. I feel that in my bones 100 years ago such disruptions, according to the research, occurred every five to ten years. Fast forward to today, they happen three to five times per year. Those are macro disruptions folks. And those numbers, given how they're couched under that macro disruption umbrella, they don't necessarily capture the headaches, tariffs, regulatory changes and so many other headaches that are involved in our day to day. So in my view that's just reason number 4236. We can't continue to cling to business as usual in our supply chain planners that are critical, talented parts of our ecosystems. The billion dollar question is how can we better use modern, innovative, truly AI driven technologies. Not AI labels slapped on technology here and there, but the BNLA question, how can we use modern day technology to give them time back? And Corinne and Noha both mentioned empower their decision making abilities faster, better, more confident and more writer all the time. Yes. Bad grammar and all three. All that sound good.

[A]

Yeah, I think that sounds wonderful. I would say more correct. But we're also so one of the things that AI is doing for us is it is not only giving us a better range of the plan, but it's giving us better granularity so we can go deeper and have more precision, more. We can look at channel performance, we can look at customer needs, we can look at market dynamics. These are things that many supply chain Practitioners have strived for, for decades and it has been attainable, but it's been hard to get there. And technology now that is in the marketplace and coming to the market is going to do that for us faster again so we can make more precise decisions or more, more rapid decisions with greater confidence. So not just the broad themes, but also kind of the deep precision that we've looked for.

[C]

That's right. Well said, Corinne. Very a lot of supply chain poetry in today's discussion. But Corinne, really quick before I share this great resource, new initiative for 2026. How can folks, if they want to connect with you on anything you shared here today or your upcoming event schedule, maybe they meet you in person or you name it. How can folks connect with you current?

[A]

Yeah, the best way is through LinkedIn. Really. It's, it's a great way for us to connect. We can converse there, we can schedule time or share ideas. So we'd love your feedback on today's discussion or on maybe topics that we should dive into in the future.

[C]

Please do. We'd love your feedback. Your feedback, folks around the world. Your feedback drives so many of our programming tweaks or new programming or adjustments on old programming topics. Speakers, you name it. We'd love to have you keep the input coming. Okay, so Corinne, you helped us speak of, you know, things we acted on last year. Late last year, you helped us get a great new series off the ground, all focused on the Never Normal series. Now, worked on this a lot. You hosted a great panel in September. It featured five dynamos from across supply chain, right? Rock and roll star, CSCOs. And you name it, it was incredible. Got a ton of feedback around. So we're like, you know what, we're pretty smart around here and when we get good feedback, let's do that again. So thanks to Corinne, Jake and the team were able yesterday to kick off a sequel to this Never Normal series. I featured these, this trio of dynamos right here. And I'm assure you probably can't see their names and titles. We had Mario Morai, vice president, integrated planning with Sam's Club. We had Rodrigo Alponti, senior vice president, Global supply chain with STADA Group. And we had Mike Gomez, vice president of supply chain North America with Perfetti Van Mel. Now, really quick on that last one, if you love Airheads, which is one of my favorite candies, that's the company, Perfetti Van Mel. They make lots of candies. That's one of the things him and Mike and his team produces. So folks, we had a lot of feedback just in the last 24 hours. And Corinne, as I shared with you pre show, one of our dear longtime fam members, I'm not calling him out, but Chuck, dear friend from the up city of South Carolina, been in Supply chain for a long time. He emailed me right this, this panel yesterday and said that's the best one he's seen of all time. And we had other feedback along those lines. So here's a good news, Corinne, all of y' all out there, you can go check out the on demand replay of that session right there. You can go check out the session from September that Corinne hosted. We've got blogs under the Resource hub that will give some key takeaways from Corinne Session and many others. And again, as always, let us know what you think. Don't take what we say. We'd love to hear from you here today, Corinne. I'm give you the last word and then we're going to sign off here today.

[A]

I'd just say it's chapter two. Let's add another chapter and keep these conversations going because that the panel that you put together was fantastic. They had great recommendations from their own career and what they're seeing and the problems that they're solving in the future and how they're motivating their team. So it's a great listen. I highly recommend it.

[C]

I'm with you maybe to your Chapter two mentioned. Maybe we'll treat it like Star Wars. We'll have sequels, we'll have prequels, we'll have dozens of installments. But it really is, it was that good and I probably walked away. I pick on the number 17 a lot, but I had about 27 pages of really been there, done that perspective. Corinne Bursa, as always, it was great to get in a couple shows with you here this week and of course a great in person event in Denver. Many, many more to come. Thanks for joining me here today, Corinne.

[A]

Thanks. It's great to be with you and share time with Noha, but also to be with this community of movers and shakers that are making supply chain happen around the globe.

[C]

That's right. Helping to make supply chain a great place to be, right?

[D]

Yes.

[C]

All right. So big thanks to Crin Bursa. Big thanks as we all enjoyed Noha Samara, the one and only senior director, global supply chain at Gardner. Big thanks to Amanda and Trisha behind the scenes helping us to keep up. We stand on their shoulders from a production standpoint. So hopefully you enjoy this conversation, folks. But you know, the homework. Take one thing. Noha and Karen offered up so much actionable perspective. Take one thing, do something with it. It's like what Mike Gomez posed to us yesterday. What are you going to do about it? It's a great call to action. It's about deeds, not words. That's how we're going to drive transformation, continue to drive transformation for our people in our industry. And on behalf of the whole team here at Supply Chain Now, Scott Luden, challenging you. Do good, get forward, be the change that's needed. We'll see you next time. Right back here on Supply Chain Now. Thanks, everybody.

[B]

Join the Supply Chain now community. For more Supply chain perspectives, news and innovation, check out supply chain now.com subscribe to Supply Chain now on YouTube.

[A]

YouTube.

[B]

And follow and listen to Supply Chain now wherever you get your podcasts.