Global supply chain forum holds inaugural meeting

This June in Paris, two internationally ranked universities will bring together world-class industry and faculty leaders to discuss global supply chain issues, opportunities and best practices.

The inaugural meeting of the Global Supply Chain Forum, scheduled for June 28-29, is a collaboration between the U.S.-based University of Tennessee, Knoxville, and ESSEC Business School (Paris and Singapore).

Spokesmen noted that UT Knoxville’s internationally ranked faculty members include some of the most-published academics on supply chain. ESSEC is a leading European business school and a world leader in
executive education with expertise in logistics and supply chain.

“When we started talking to our collaborating partners, we agreed to create a Forum that offers something truly distinctive in global supply chain management,” said Shay Scott, director of the Global Supply Chain Forum. “The Forum is the only supply chain meeting that convenes in five different strategic world locations. This gives attendees an opportunity to learn how supply chain issues are managed around the globe while networking with peers from different countries and regions.”

Subsequent Global Supply Chain Forums will take place in North America, Central and Eastern Europe, Asia and Latin America. They will be held in collaboration with UT Knoxville and the Instituto de Logistica e Supply Chain (ILOS) and the Central European University (CEU) Business School in Budapest, Hungary.

ILOS specializes in supply chain management and evolved from the prestigious COPPEAD Graduate School of Business in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; CEU Business School offers one of the top MBAs globally.

“We believe collaborating with a select group of internationally renowned institutions creates a unique opportunity for each academic partner to bring its strengths, capabilities and points of view to the Forum discussions,” said Ted Stank, Bruce Chair of Excellence in UT Knoxville’s College of Business Administration Department of Marketing and Logistics.

The Forum will be a mix of presentations, breakout sessions and networking events.

“We’ve moved away from a traditional format to something more interactive so participants have more of an opportunity for open dialogue,” Stank said. “We’ve found that some of the best learning comes from talking to colleagues and engaging in informal benchmarking.”

According to Philippe-Pierre Dornier, head of the department of operations management for ESSEC Business School, “as multinationals extend their supply chains, they often become more complex and costly and less responsive. Our Forum speakers are innovative supply chain strategists from global companies. This makes the Forum an ideal setting for executives who want exposure to best-in-class practices that will enable them to optimize supply chain performance while mitigating risk.”

According to spokesmen, the global focus of the Global Supply Chain Forum will be evident in the Global Supply Chain Executive MBA launching in February 2012 by UT Knoxville and its academic partners. As one of the only executive MBAs to focus on global supply chain issues, the 16-month Global Supply Chain EMBA offers a “campus” that stretches across four continents and is taught by an internationally diverse world-class faculty.

“We understand the challenges of global supply chain management and are developing opportunities, such as the Global Supply Chain Forum and Executive MBA, to help leaders bridge the information gap,” continued Stank.

To learn more about the Global Supply Chain Forum, visit http://www.theglobalsupplychainforum.com or call +1-865-974-5311 in the U.S.

To learn more about the Global Supply Chain Executive MBA, visit http://www.theglobalsupplychainmba.com or call +1-865-974-5001 or 1-800-486-3622 in the U.S.

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