Masters Insights Blog
April 2025 Roundtable Recap: Tariffs, Supply Chain Strategies, and Technology Innovations
Published in the Roundtable Recap Series – April 2025
Inside This Month's Roundtable
Over 80 supply chain executives and technology experts joined us at last week’s roundtable, which focused on the growing impact of tariffs and how supply chains are adapting in real time. The discussion highlighted the importance of acting quickly on what’s controllable—such as shifting sourcing, increasing safety stock, and rethinking network flows—while preparing for further volatility.
The discussion explored key themes such as:
-
“Ruthless Rationalization” with many organizations simplifying product lines and supplier networks to reduce risk
- Technology is playing a critical role, with tools emerging to support tariff tracking, scenario planning, and real-time supply chain adjustments
- Building long-term resilience into operations, recognizing that short-term moves must align with broader strategic goals
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Roundtable Key Takeaways
1. From Panic to Practical
“I think we should collectively panic for a few minutes, and then take a deep breath and move on to the practical applications.”
— David Warrick, fmr Head of Supply Chain at Microsoft
2. Resilient Supply Chain Playbooks
“We are taking the approach of reacting now on the ‘non-regrettable moves’ and being ready to trigger the tougher choices.”
— Douglas Guilherme, VP of Supply Chain at Hershey’s
3. Ruthless Rationalization
“This is the time to be ruthless—on product range, network, and engineering. If it doesn’t create value or simplify the problem, cut it.”
— Peter Gibbons, fmr Group President at 3M
4. Tech as a Force Multiplier
“We used to spend days recalculating tariff exposure in Excel—now we can model it and make supply chain decisions in 24 hours.”
— Mark Berlin, VP of Supply Chain, Casino Technologies
5. Short-Term Moves, Long-Term Strategy
“The fundamentals of a sound supply chain come down to one thing: how much are you willing to invest in resilience versus risk exposure?”
— Devrim Leonard, Head of Global Inventory at Google
Final Takeaways – Moving from Reactive to Resilient
1) Agility starts with clarity. Understanding your supply chain in detail—by tier, geography, and cost exposure—enables faster and smarter decisions.
2) Resilience isn’t free. Companies must make deliberate trade-offs between cost, complexity, and agility.
3) Culture and relationships matter. Trust, transparency, and shared playbooks across partners are what carry organizations through turbulent times.
“Despite it all, culture and relationships are what ultimately bring the most value and help you navigate uncertainty.”
— Anne Robinson, fmr Chief Strategy Officer, Kinaxis
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Our Masters of Supply Chain Roundtables are monthly, interactive conversations featuring senior supply chain executives, technology experts, and transformation leaders. Each session dives deep into the most urgent topics shaping the future of global supply chains—from AI and automation to sustainability, planning, and risk. Designed for current and aspiring end-to-end leaders, these invite-only events are your front-row seat to what’s coming next.
