In a prior posting, I alerted our readers to an upcoming speaking engagement where I will be speaking on a very important and timely topic at the upcoming APICS 2015 annual conference being held from October 5-7 in Las Vegas. This week, the conference agenda was finalized and I’m pleased with the line-up of timely topics and distinguished speakers featured at this year’s conference.

On Tuesday, October 6th, I will address the topic: Positioning Your Skills for the Future Needs of Supply Chain Management. The presentation is part of the Supply Chain Leadership educational tract.

As we have noted on this blog, multitudes of industry surveys as well as senior leadership conversations all point to a growing skills gap across multiple disciplines of supply chain management. Many supply chain leaders express frustration in their efforts to find talent with correct skills. Such skills include embracing the flood of new technologies making their way into supply chain business processes, understanding of global business cultures and facilitating organizational change. There are many facets to this challenge, both organizational and individual in scope.

In my talk, I will address the major technology megatrends impacting multi-industry supply chains and specifically their impact on multi-dimensional supply chain management business process and decision-making needs. I will further explore the supply chain professional’s future toolkit, how you must take the ownership for individual career management, and how tomorrow’s leaders can ensure that they are the right person, with the rights skills, at the right time.

Please consider attending the upcoming APICS 2015 annual conference and specifically attending my session. I can promise you a lively, interactive and highly educational interaction based on my observations and insights of industry supply chain business and technology needs.

Bob Ferrari, Founder and Executive Editor