Topic: Leading Through Supply Chain Disruption: Lessons for Finance Leaders

Speaker: Chris Gaffney, Managing Director, Georgia Tech Supply Chain & Logistics Institute

Presentation:

In today’s volatile environment, supply chains face constant disruption from geopolitical shifts, technology adoption, labor shortages, and evolving customer expectations. Finance executives are often on the front lines, responsible for balancing resilience and efficiency while ensuring the right capital allocation to support long-term competitiveness.

In this session, Chris Gaffney will share leadership lessons drawn from decades of experience in global supply chains and current applied research at Georgia Tech. Topics will include:

• The financial lens on supply chain resiliency and risk

• Aligning incentives across finance and operations for sustainable performance

• Practical case studies of disruption and recovery

• The role of data, analytics, and AI in shaping next-generation supply chains

• Key questions CFOs and finance leaders should be asking their supply chain counterparts today

Speaker’s Bio:

Chris Gaffney is Managing Director of the Georgia Tech Supply Chain & Logistics Institute (SCL), where he leads executive education, applied research, and industry engagement. He also serves as Edenfield Executive-in-Residence in the Stewart School of Industrial and Systems Engineering at Georgia Tech.

Prior to joining Georgia Tech, Chris spent over 25 years in global supply chain leadership roles with The Coca-Cola Company, Frito-Lay/PepsiCo, and AJC International. He has deep expertise in supply chain strategy, operations, resilience, and talent development. Chris is also co-host of the Supply Chain Careers  podcast, where he helps professionals at all levels navigate and thrive in the evolving world of supply chain management.