Originally Published October 2022 [LinkedIn]

Fall is definitely here! The evenings are getting longer, bags of leaves are starting to appear at the end of driveways in the suburbs and pumpkin spice latte is once again ubiquitous. With the fall comes my favorite holiday, Thanksgiving - this weekend in Canada and six weeks later over in the US - and I appreciate the North American tradition of consciously taking the time to self-reflect and acknowledge the positive side of life.

Working in Supply Chain in the past few years it’s been easy to shy away from the positive - I’ve written before about the change of working in a world mostly unaware of Supply Chains to one that is hyper-focused on them. Global Supply Chains in 2022 have continued to face many of the challenges we have seen since 2020 and instead of the improvements many were anticipating, have faced headwinds of powerful external forces such as the continued effects of the pandemic, component and equipment shortages, inflation, military conflicts, labour strikes and a heightened cyber-risk environment. In this past year we have seen ocean freight times continue to spiral, rail yards static with congestion and ports at a standstill - it is extremely easy to be unthankful!

`Just another normal month in Supply Chain: Port of Shanghai congestion`

So what is the positive? Supply Chains are doing exactly what they are built to do - finding solutions and displaying resilience. I’m enormously proud of how resilient Dyson’s Supply Chain has been through a globally tumultuous year and I’m excited heading into Q4 watching our goods go out in volume over the peak holiday season. Our teams across the world haven’t stood still for a second in exploring and executing every opportunity to manufacture and move product faster.

I truly believe, and am grateful that it is part of our blueprint, that to be successful in Supply Chain we need to remain centered on the customer and putting our owners and partners at the middle of what we do. It is extremely easy when looking at a container of product to see it as a number on a spreadsheet, a data point on in-transit logs, or a number of pallet locations. I look at that container and I see the new Dyson owners attached to those machines, the Dyson owners who are investing in our newest technology, people who support out innovative brand and who have chosen us to be in their homes.

Another huge positive is the continued investment in our teams. I am lucky to work with incredible people - my team are phenomenal, they are subject matter experts whose intelligence, diligence and creativity inspire me every day and I do not take that for granted. Just yesterday we welcomed our newest team member into a Senior Demand Planning role as we continue to look forward and grow. It is now just a couple of weeks until we move into our brand new office at The Well and will be in a environment fitting for our purpose and ambition - the progress we are making drives us all forward.

The Well, Spadina Ave, Toronto

Dyson Canada will be taking the 22nd floor in just a couple of weeks!

Coming back to self-reflection I am thankful most of all to be where I am now. This has happened because of the opportunities and mentorship I have been fortunate enough to find and receive. Working at Dyson has given me and my family an opportunity to live and work in Canada, something we are all enjoying greatly, and a reminder that work/life balance is always critical.

This weekend in Canada, or in the US in a few weeks, I hope you too are able to take stock and I wish you a very Happy Thanksgiving!

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