Samia Kaci has led supply chain transformation from inside the system — not as a programme, but as a lived responsibility. Her frame: being implanted into a body that doesn't want you. This conversation is about what it takes to lead change when you're not starting from a blank slate — navigating resistance, winning trust, integrating AI without losing the people, and why humans may become the next bottleneck if leaders aren't deliberate about bringing them along.
WHAT THIS EPISODE COVERS
STANDOUT QUOTES
"It felt like I was a new organ being planted into a body that did not want me there. It wasn't just about fixing operations — it was influencing, negotiating, and coaching."
"Supply chain sits at the center. It's like the nervous system of the entire company. You're not just connecting with each function — you are connecting them to each other."
"I have a passion for AI — but I have to be conscious that not everyone is at the same level. Some of my team had worries. You can't drag them. You have to bring them."
EPISODE CHAPTERS
00:00 Cold open — the new organ, the nervous system, the bottleneck
02:00 Samia's introduction: Legrand, Schneider, and the supply chain career arc
07:00 Walking into a broken operation: diagnosis before prescription
13:00 Automation at scale: goods-to-person robotics and WMS integration
20:00 Cross-continental complexity: Europe to US transformation
26:00 Data quality as the silent killer: weights, dims, and the AI readiness problem
32:00 AI in practice: 8-hour response automation at Schneider Electric
39:00 Sustainability embedded into sourcing strategy — not a programme, DNA
45:00 Leading people through AI change: fear, trust, and the pace gap
51:00 Rapid fire + close