Previous Events

“Transportation Problems and Optimization in Supply Chain”
Presented by Dr. Abiye Tob-Ogu, University of Sheffield 
Tuesday, December 2, 2025

We are pleased to welcome Dr. Tob-Ogu as a speaker at this event, where his expertise in sustainable operations, logistics, and decision sciences will offer insight into the challenges and opportunities shaping modern supply chain systems. This lecture will examine the operational challenge of optimization within supply chain management, highlighting how planning and transportation decisions intersect.

Dr. Tob-Ogu will explore factors such as transport modality, network nodes, and strategic objectives, demonstrating how each influences overall system performance. Case examples will further illustrate the complexities and real-world considerations involved in effective transportation decision-making.

Abiye Tob-Ogu, Ph.D. is a lecturer in operations management at the Sheffield University Management School in the UK, working within its Operations Management and Decision Sciences (OMDS) division. He holds a B.A. from the University of Bedfordshire and a Ph.D. in Management from the University of Sheffield.

Tob-Ogu’s teaching and research focus on interdisciplinary and sustainability-related challenges, especially in the domains of operations management, logistics and supply chain management, emerging economies, circular economy issues and the role of technology in transportation and supply chain systems. His recent work includes examination of hydrogen vehicle adoption in urban logistics and the externalities of road freight transport, underscoring his interest in sustainable transport and supply chain systems.

In addition to his academic research, Tob-Ogu is deeply committed to teaching excellence: he is recognized as a Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (HEA) and is designated by the Chartered Association of Business Schools (CABS) through the CMBE recognition. He leads key modules at undergraduate and postgraduate levels, including “Management Perspectives” and “Corporate Social Responsibility,” and supports students through supervision and mentoring.

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“Designing and Managing Supply Chains for Socially Relevant Products”
Presented by Dr. Prashant Yadav, Senior Fellow at the Center for Global Development and Affiliate Professor at INSEAD
Tuesday, November 25, 2025

Join us for an inspiring session that delves into how supply chains for socially impactful products differ from traditional ones — and the distinctive capabilities they demand. Discover practical frameworks for designing and managing systems that create both meaningful social value and operational excellence.

This talk connects theory with practice, offering insights relevant to students pursuing careers in global supply chain management, sustainability and development.

Prashant Yadav, Ph.D. is a senior fellow for global health at the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR). He is a globally recognized expert in healthcare supply chains and has published extensively on health product manufacturing, procurement, and distribution. Yadav’s writing has appeared in major print media outlets, including the Financial Times, The Economist, Nature, the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, and Foreign Affairs.

He has frequently appeared as a supply chain expert on NPR, BBC, CNN, CBS, and CNBC. His research has received best paper awards from prominent scientific bodies.

Yadav has held faculty positions at the Institut Européen d’Administration des Affaires (INSEAD), the Massachusetts Institute of Technology-Zaragoza Logistics Program, and the University of Michigan. He has also served as a lecturer at Harvard Medical School.

Previously, Yadav was the strategy leader for supply chains at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and vice president of healthcare research at the University of Michigan’s William Davidson Institute. He currently serves on the boards of various global organizations and social enterprises.

Yadav has provided expert testimony on multiple occasions before the U.S. Congress and other international legislative bodies on medicine supply chain issues. He has also been a member of multiple National Academy of Medicine Expert Committees and has chaired two expert committees.

Yadav earned a bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee, an MBA from the Foundation for Organizational Research and Education (FORE) School of Management, and a Ph.D. in Management Science from the University of Alabama.

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“Unlocking the Importance of Supply Chains”
Presented by Denise Allec, Vice President - Industry Global Strategy, NTT DATA, Inc.
Monday, April 14, 2025

Join us for an insightful session as we explore the far-reaching impact everyday business decisions have on a company’s supply chain, including the ability to meet customer demand, reduce operating costs, and enhance revenue. We will discuss the interdependencies between effective product design, optimizing inventory levels, improving order fulfillment and more. Learn the realities of what is behind today’s supply chain headlines!

This session will include an interactive CSR exercise challenging the audience to discern between proactive versus reactive social responsibility, as well as determining if actions are strategic.

Denise Allec is vice president of industry consulting, global strategy and innovation at NTT Data, Inc., a Japanese multinational information technology service and consulting company headquartered in Tokyo, Japan. She is a highly accomplished business and digital transformation leader with a track record of steering strategic and operational results at the C-Suite level with high ROI.

Allec's distinguished career includes stints as the vice president and chief information officer at Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals, director of information management at Bristol-Myers Squibb Company and several highly successful entrepreneurial endeavors in the management consulting field.

A recognized expert in business process improvement, Allec has volunteered her time to speak to Stillman School of Business classes as a guest lecturer on many occasions.

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“Beyond the Chain: Building Earth-Centered Sustainable Supply Networks”
Presented by Michael D. Ford, Principal, TQM Works Consulting
Wednesday, March 12, 2025

Join us for a thought-provoking session as we explore the evolution from traditional end-to-end supply chains (E2E SC) to Earth-to-Earth supply networks, highlighting the vital role our planet plays in every step of the supply process. From the extraction of raw materials to the ultimate disposal of waste, every supply chain has an impact on the Earth. This perspective emphasizes the urgency of adopting sustainable practices and proactive solutions.

This session will include an interactive CSR exercise challenging the audience to discern between proactive versus reactive social responsibility, as well as determining if actions are strategic.

Michael D. Ford, M.S.I.S.E., CFPIM, CSCP, CLTD, CTSC, CMQ/OE, CQA, CRE, CQE, ACPF, CPSM, CSSGB is an Earth-to-Earth Sustainable Supply Network Expert with TQM Works Consulting. He provides innovative solutions based on forty years of experience in retail, distribution, manufacturing, training, and consulting. His work history includes software implementation, business planning, inventory control, distribution planning, and corporate training. This includes a broad range of experience in manufacturing, from engineer-to-order to make-to-stock, as well as distribution, non-profits, service, and Department of Defense.

Ford combines his technical expertise with personal skills, to develop a unique outside-the-box approach to life’s challenges. He is a charismatic speaker who specializes in delivering training that is “edutaining.”

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“The Five Components of Supply Chain”
Presented by Olga Horoho, Director - SOIP/ Supply Chain, LIXIL Water Technology Americas
Wednesday, March 19, 2025

The session will explore the intersection of supply chain concepts and the use of advanced technologies to drive productivity and operational efficiency into the manufacturing and sourcing functions. Specifically, Horoho will discuss the steps involved in getting a product or service from its origin to the final consumer, reviewing supply chain's complex choreography of interconnected activities, starting with raw materials and manufacturers to logistics providers, warehouses, retailers and, finally, the consumer.

Understanding the supply chain is crucial in today's interconnected world, allowing businesses to optimize efficiency, reduce costs and improve customer satisfaction.

Olga Horoho is a supply chain director for Lixil Corproation, a Japanese based company who produces kitchen and bathroom products under the American Standard, Grohe and DXV brands. Prior to Lixil, she worked for leading corporations Union Carbide and Dow Chemical in a variety of logistics and customer service functions.

Horoho possess extensive expertise in worldwide supply chain and global logistics, specializing in navigating these processes with sophisticated technology-based approaches including daily use of the worldwide software leader in Enterprise Resource Planning, SAP. She holds a B.A. in Economics and an M.B.A., both from Rutgers University.