6 - My Journey

Welcome to the sixth episode of our brand-new show, Blended.

Blended is all about opening up conversations and giving the mic to all of the underrepresented voices in our industry – women, the LGBTQIA+ community, people of colour, those with disabilities, whether they’re visible or hidden, and many more.

Today in Episode 6, ‘My Journey,’ I’m joined by a group of amazing supply chain professionals who are opening up and sharing their personal stories with us – their experiences of being a woman, a person of colour, an indigenous person. And they’re going to really shine a light for us on how those formative experiences have impacted their lives and careers, and made them into the person they are today.

 

IN THIS EPISODE WE DISCUSS:

[00.34] Introductions to our Blended panellists.

Devon – Founder of SheNative, Entrepreneurship & Business Skill Development Facilitator, Coach & Mentor Shay – President & Managing Partner at Allegiant Logistics Mike – Founder of Procurement Foundry and Managing Partner of AMPlify Resources Group Tzvete – Investment Banking Analyst Adeola (Addy) – Director of Additive Manufacturing Solutions at Desktop Metal

“Diversity and inclusion is more than a catchphrase. It’s direct action and opportunities for people that look like me.” Shay

[09.23] How Devon’s experiences drove her to shine a light on the common traumas of indigenous women and found SheNative, to inspire and support others.

"Indigenous women are some of the most disadvantaged women in Canada - we're five times more likely to go missing and to be murdered; we're 3% of Canada's population, yet 30% of the prison population."

[16.51] Shay’s ‘rags to riches’ childhood, and how that journey shaped the woman she is today.

“Starting a business will expose a lot of your trauma, and people don’t always talk about that.” Shay.

[22.53] Why Mike’s experiences led him towards helping others and creating Procurement Foundry, a community for people in the industry to come together, learn and grow.

“The people that are willing to expose their backgrounds and do a deep search into themselves to figure out where they came from, can ultimately say ‘now I know who I am today.’”

[30.04] How Addy’s experience of growing up in Nigeria instilled her with an intense desire to succeed.

“Since I started my career, I was always the only woman, and the only black person – there was never anybody who looked like me.”

[41.43] Why Tzvete’s multicultural upbringing and ambitious parents, as well as her desire to inspire her younger sister, were the key to her success.

“Being in such an international culture at a young age opened my perspective and showed me that there are so many different types of cultures and customs - and it taught me how to adapt.”

[50.20] The panellists reflections on young people in business.

Lack of encouragement, low self-esteem and the importance of mentors Experience, knowledge, opportunity and giving the benefit of the doubt Inspiration, influence and visibility of positive role models Access to the right networks and communities

[1.06.11] The panellists take a closer look at diversity and inclusion.

Conferences: a lack of diverse speakers, financial drivers and the emphasis on job titles Looking at diversity at a team level The issue with big business ticking diversity and inclusion boxes without truly committing to change The downstream impact of supplier diversity Barriers to becoming a diverse supplier, eg issues with long term sustainability, scaling and access to capital

[1.15.20] Creating meaningful change.

Find your niche and be the best at what you do Build something for yourself, outside of the corporate environment The importance of diverse investors The importance of mentorship for diverse SME’s

[1.22.19] The panellists sum up their key piece of advice from today’s discussion.

Diversity and inclusion only makes your company better: hear and respect their voices – Addy Put your money where your mouth is – engage with, and invest in, diverse businesses – Devon Just start – Mike Be aware – Tzvete Don’t be intimidated and once you’ve reached your destination, go back and carve out that path for others to follow – Shay

 

RESOURCES AND LINKS MENTIONED:

You can connect with Devon, Shay, Mike, Addy and Tzvete over on LinkedIn.

Check out our other podcasts HERE.