The Future of Supply Chain

This week, Mike Weisberg of Implement explains how AI is improving sales forecasting through trust, purpose, and accuracy, while reshaping the planner’s role, reducing inventory bias, and separating prediction from human judgment.

Download the ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠episode transcript⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

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In this episode, Mike Weisberg shares practical guidance on using AI in sales forecasting, including the right data foundation, six implementation dogmas, and explainable models. He also outlines how planners evolve into business partners and why judgment still matters most.
 
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Guest: Mike Weisbjerg, Partner, Implement Consulting Group
Mike is a Partner at Implement Consulting Group, where he has spent the last decade working at the intersection of supply chain planning and technology. He specialises in demand planning and AI-driven forecasting and decision making. With a focus on implementing demand planning solutions, Mike helps organisations move AI from proof of concept to production - with forecasts that planners actually trust.

Host 1: Richard Howells

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Richard Howells⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ has been working in the Supply Chain Management and Manufacturing space for over 30 years. He is responsible for driving the thought leadership and awareness of SAP’s ERP, Finance, and Supply Chain solutions and is an active writer, podcaster, and thought leader on the topics of supply chain, Industry 4.0, digitization, and sustainability.

Host 2: Oyku Ilgar, SAP  

Oyku Ilgar is a marketer and thought leader specializing in SAP’s digital supply chain and ERP solutions since 2017. As a marketer, blogger, and podcaster, she creates engaging content that highlights innovative SAP technologies and explores key topics including business trends, AI, Industry 4.0, and sustainability.  
 
She holds dual bachelor’s degrees in Finance & Accounting and English Translation, along with a master’s degree in Business Administration and Foreign Trade, specializing in marketing. With her background in digital transformation, Oyku communicates technology trends and industry insights to help professionals navigate the evolving business landscape.  

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Show Links:
Implement Consulting Group. Link
Article: Beyond accuracy: Six dogmas for turning AI forecasting into real business value

Supply Chain Management:  
⁠⁠SAP Supply Chain Management⁠⁠ 
⁠⁠SAP Insights: Supply Chain⁠⁠       

Follow Us on Social Media : 
Richard Howells: ⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠, 
Oyku Ilgar: ⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠      
SAP Digital Supply Chain: ⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠   
 
Please give us a like, share, and subscribe to stay up-to-date on future episodes! 
 
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Chapters:

00:00:00: Intro
00:01:06: Guest’s Introductions
00:02:05: Why traditional forecasting struggles in volatile markets
00:03:25: The three fundamentals: trust, purpose, accuracy
00:07:03: Which data matters most for AI forecasting
00:10:12: Why bad data should not delay AI adoption
00:13:26: The six dogmas for AI forecasting implementation
00:14:38: The evolving role of the demand planner
00:16:54: Measuring success beyond forecast accuracy
00:18:35: How can Implement help companies in this latest AI-infused planning era?
00:19:36: What is the Future of Supply Chain?
00:20:17: Outro

In this episode, we speak with Leroy Roberts about preventing supply chain failures through accountability, leadership under pressure, and the role of AI, clarity, and collaboration in resilient decision-making.

Download the ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠episode transcript⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

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This week, we talked with Leroy Roberts about leadership under pressure, supply chain disruption, and preventing failure through clear accountability. We discussed psychological safety, the balance between firm control and burnout, the value of AI in risk management, and why future supply chains depend on collaboration, partnership, and better decision-making.
 
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Guest 1: : Leroy Roberts, British Army veteran, Non-Executive Director, and Executive Adviser,  Team-Worth Solutions
Leroy Roberts is a British Army veteran, Non-Executive Director, and Executive Adviser specialising in culture and conduct risk in high-pressure, regulated environments. He works with executive risk owners, including CEOs, CROs, COOs, CPOs, and CHROs, to strengthen decision-making, accountability, and truth-telling under pressure. Leroy helps organisations reduce culture and conduct risk signals within 90 days through practical, diagnostic-led interventions that restore operational grip and produce measurable, auditable improvement. Drawing on leadership experience from the British Army and the Jamaica Constabulary Force, alongside board-level governance experience, he brings a grounded perspective on how leadership behaviour under pressure either amplifies or contains organisational risk. He is the author of The Risk Owner’s Reset and a contributing author to the international best-selling series Stand on the Shoulders of Giants.

Host 1: Richard Howells, SAP   

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Richard Howells⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ has been working in the Supply Chain Management and Manufacturing space for over 30 years. He is responsible for driving the thought leadership and awareness of SAP’s ERP, Finance, and Supply Chain solutions and is an active writer, podcaster, and thought leader on the topics of supply chain, Industry 4.0, digitization, and sustainability.

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Show Links:
Link to the book: amazon.com/dp/B0GMS2G361
 
The Culture and conduct scorecard: https://pro.speakerhub.com/speaker-feedback/?qr=e9a16245-4ab1-4c63-81e7-ce225d9e5372

Supply Chain Management:  
⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠SAP Supply Chain Management⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ 
⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠SAP Insights: Supply Chain⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠       

Follow Us on Social Media : 
Richard Howells: ⁠⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠⁠, 
SAP Digital Supply Chain: ⁠⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠⁠   
 
Please give us a like, share, and subscribe to stay up-to-date on future episodes! 
 
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Chapters:

00:00:00: Intro
00:01:00: Guest’s Introductions
00:01:59: Staying in control during disruption without micromanaging
00:04:07: Accountability gaps and early warning signs
00:07:40: Building a safe environment for constructive challenge
00:11:08: Using AI for risk management with human judgment
00:13:26: Accountability without burnout in volatile conditions
00:19:20: Leadership under pressure during COVID logistics
00:22:56: ''The Risk Owners Reset'' book
00:25:55: What is the Future of Supply Chain?
00:27:12: Outro

In this episode, PwC’s Moritz Kramer shares practical GenAI use cases in supply chain planning, from decision support and scenario analysis to data harmonization, productivity gains, and guided decision-making with humans still in control.

Download the ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠episode transcript⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

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This week, Moritz Kramer of PwC explains how GenAI is moving supply chain planning from static analysis to real-time, decision-centric support. He covers data readiness, black-box transparency, productivity uplift, and why AI will augment planners rather than replace them.
 
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Guest 1: Moritz Kramer, Director Integrated Business & Financial Planning, PwC GmbH WPG
Moritz is a Director with over 10 years of experience shaping and delivering business‑led supply chain transformations for international organizations. He works across the full transformation journey—from defining strategic direction to translating vision into execution—covering SCM strategy, operating model innovation, organizational and process design, and the implementation of advanced planning solutions, like SAP. His work is driven by the ambition to build resilient, intelligent, and future‑ready supply chains, leveraging digital and AI technologies where they create clear business impact, while keeping a strong focus on value, scalability, and sustainable change.

Host 1: Richard Howells, SAP   

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Richard Howells⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ has been working in the Supply Chain Management and Manufacturing space for over 30 years. He is responsible for driving the thought leadership and awareness of SAP’s ERP, Finance, and Supply Chain solutions and is an active writer, podcaster, and thought leader on the topics of supply chain, Industry 4.0, digitization, and sustainability.

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Show Links:
PwC

Supply Chain Management:  
⁠⁠⁠⁠SAP Supply Chain Management⁠⁠⁠⁠ 
⁠⁠⁠⁠SAP Insights: Supply Chain⁠⁠⁠⁠       

Follow Us on Social Media : 
Richard Howells: ⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠, 
SAP Digital Supply Chain: ⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠   
 
Please give us a like, share, and subscribe to stay up-to-date on future episodes! 
 
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Chapters:

00:00:00: Intro
00:01:30: Guest’s Introductions
00:03:04: Real value of GenAI in supply chain planning
00:04:24: Scenario exploration and natural-language responsiveness
00:05:12: Productivity uplift and automation of manual work
00:05:53: Bridging business and IT with GenAI
00:07:45: GenAI as the “black box” explainer
00:09:42: Data readiness for GenAI rollout
00:11:24: AI for data harmonization
00:13:36: AI replacing or augmenting people
00:20:20: Biggest implementation obstacles
00:23:46: Future trends for AI and GenAI
00:27:09: What is the Future of Supply Chain?
00:28:31: Outro

In this episode, we speak with Adi Sharoff of BrainBox Consulting Digital about why business networks are the invisible backbone of supply chains. We discuss B2B friction, supplier onboarding, touchless automation, AI, and how procurement teams can move from manual execution to forward-looking value creation.

Guest: Adi Sharoff, Managing Partner, Brainbox Consulting
Adi Sharoff is a seasoned business leader, entrepreneur, and investor with over two decades of experience in digital transformation, procurement, and enterprise technology. As Managing Partner of Brainbox Consulting, he leads global initiatives across SAP Ariba, SAP Business Network, Concur, and BTP-driven automation programs. With a strong track record of delivering large-scale transformation projects across APAC, Europe, and North America, Adi is passionate about helping organizations modernize procurement, enhance operational efficiency, and drive sustainable business growth. He is also actively involved in strategic advisory, practice development, and building high-performing global teams.

Host: Richard Howells, SAP  
Richard Howells has been working in the Supply Chain Management and Manufacturing space for over 30 years. He is responsible for driving the thought leadership and awareness of SAP’s ERP, Finance, and Supply Chain solutions and is an active writer, podcaster, and thought leader on the topics of supply chain, Industry 4.0, digitization, and sustainability. 

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Show Links:
Brainbox Consulting

Supply Chain Management:  
SAP Supply Chain Management 
SAP Insights: Supply Chain       
 
Follow Us on Social Media   
Adi Sharoff - LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adi-sharoff-a14870187/
Richard Howells - LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/richardjhowells/
SAP Digital Supply Chain - LinkedIn:  https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/sapscm/

Please give us a like, share, and subscribe to stay up-to-date on future episodes!

In this episode we sit down with Bernhard Kowatsch, Director of Global Accelerator and Ventures at the UN World Food Programme (WFP), to talk about humanitarian logistics and how digital tools and AI are transforming decision-making.

Download the ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠episode transcript⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

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In this episode we sit down with Bernhard Kowatsch, Director of Global Accelerator and Ventures at the UN World Food Programme (WFP), to talk about humanitarian logistics and how digital tools and AI are transforming decision-making.

Bernhard explains that acute hunger has risen from 85 million pre-COVID to over 318 million due to conflicts, extreme weather, and economic shocks, increasing supply chain complexity across 120 countries using thousands of trucks, ships, and aircraft.

The WFP uses AI for real-time and forecasted food security, and its Scout optimization tool to balance cost and speed across procurement, warehousing, and routing, saving $6M in 18 months and targeting $25M annually.

He describes responsible AI, human oversight, prioritization by vulnerability, last-mile constraints, and WFP’s Munich Innovation Accelerator model and partnership needs.
 
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Guest: Bernhard Kowatsch 
Bernhard Kowatsch is the Director Global Accelerator and Ventures at the United Nations (UN) World Food Programme (WFP). Since he created the Global Accelerator in 2015, it has become one of the Worlds biggest impact startup accelerators, offering 18 annual programmes.

Prior to starting the Accelerator, Bernhard co-founded the award-winning ShareTheMeal app that crowdsources funding for WFP and has delivered over 300 million meals for hungry children worldwide. His previous experience includes creating WFP’s Business Innovation Unit and working as a Project Leader at the Boston Consulting Group (BCG).

Host: Richard Howells

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Richard Howells⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ has been working in the Supply Chain Management and Manufacturing space for over 30 years. He is responsible for driving the thought leadership and awareness of SAP’s ERP, Finance, and Supply Chain solutions and is an active writer, podcaster, and thought leader on the topics of supply chain, Industry 4.0, digitization, and sustainability.

Host 2: Sin To

Sin brings over 15 years of experience in the digital media and technology industry – primarily in marketing, business development, thought leadership, and editorial. At SAP, they ensure that SAP's supply chain solutions are properly visible with a focus on future trends and sustainable innovations as part of the Thought Leadership & Awareness Supply Chain Team.

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Show Links:
SAP Digital Supply Chain: ⁠www.sap.com/scm⁠
 
World Food Programme Innovation Accelerator:  https://innovation.wfp.org/
World Food Programme Innovation Accelerator 2025 Year in Review: https://innovation.wfp.org/year-review-2025
World Food Programme Hunger Map: https://hungermap.wfp.org/food?w=ipc-phase-3

Follow Us on Social Media : 
Bernhard Kowatsch
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bernhardkowatsch/
 
Richard Howells:
LinkedIn: ⁠www.linkedin.com/in/richardjhowells⁠
 
Sin To: 
LinkedIn: ⁠www.linkedin.com/in/sin-to-5334208⁠
 
SAP Digital Supply Chain:
LinkedIn: ⁠www.linkedin.com/showcase/sapdsc/⁠
 
Please give us a like, share, and subscribe to stay up-to-date on future episodes! 
 
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Chapters:
 
00:00:00 Introduction to Future Supply Chains and AI Vision for WFP
00:38 Humanitarian Logistics Intro
01:42 Meet Bernhard Kowatsch
02:35 Crisis Drivers and Hunger Surge
04:46 Scale and Speed in Emergencies
06:16 Planning Under Uncertainty
09:18 Digital Supply Chain and Responsible AI
12:01 Making AI Work Scout Savings
14:34 Prioritization Access and Last Mile Tech
18:43 Innovation Accelerator in Munich
22:30 Partnering with WFP
24:17 Future Supply Chain Wrap Up