Awards
there are universities that offer programs . There are colleges that offer programs in supply chain and people are making it a conscious decision to make it their profession and I think that ’ s great .”
Birkett is also active as an instructor for SCMA programs . She has served on boards and committees both at the national and provincial levels , including terms as president of the SCMA Ontario board and chair of the SCMA national board .
Gray has worked in the supply chain management field for almost 40 years . He is at Manitoba Hydro International , and was most recently a department manager at Manitoba Hydro . He has also worked with companies in East Timor and Saudi Arabia in the area of supply chain management . As part of his current role , Gray helped establish procurement operations for East Timor ’ s state-owned electrical utility , and took on the challenge to develop and mentor the middle management of the Saudi Electric Company .
I THINK THAT COMPANIES NOW ARE STARTING TO REALIZE THE VALUE OF SUPPLY CHAIN MANAGEMENT PROFESSIONALS .
Gray has been an advocate for the supply chain profession and an active member of SCMA in various roles on boards , committees and acting as an instructor for its programs .
“ LouAnn and Glenn have embodied the professionalism and dedication to continual improvement required for supply chain management in a fast-changing world . Their passion for the profession and their active contribution to the success of our association has benefited all our members greatly ,” said Mike Whelan , chair of SCMA ’ s national board .
The Ascendant Award , given to Daaca , is for an individual who early in their career demonstrates the characteristics of a strong , innovative and creative leader , dedicated to the supply chain profession .
Daaca , who graduated in 2014 from the University of Manitoba with a Bachelor of Commerce ( Honours ) degree , is a procurement specialist for Manitoba Housing .
“ It ’ s been overwhelming the response and all the messages on LinkedIn and all the people reaching out to me . It ’ s been very overwhelming in a good way . It ’ s exciting news and I ’ m very honoured to receive the award ,” said
Daaca , who serves as a director on the SCMA Manitoba board and is a candidate in the Supply Chain Management Professional designation program .
“ It ’ s an interesting time to be part of supply chain management . I think that companies now are starting to realize the value of supply chain management professionals . The jobs that are available are growing and even the roles for supply chain management professionals are growing . So in terms of it being an important part of the economy , the opportunities for supply chain professionals are only going to grow from here . I can ’ t see us getting any smaller . People are finally starting to understand the value of supply chain professionals within their organizations ,” she said .
Medbuy Corporation captured the Supply Chain Excellence Award , which recognizes an organization that leverages strategic supply chain management to enhance its competitive advantage .
The Medbuy Clinical Product Risk Rating Tool is a proprietary risk assessment tool , created by the company to anticipate the potential risk of a product to health-care providers and their patients , and drives the organization ’ s sourcing strategies . The tool has been shared throughout North America . More than 149 requests for proposals and 612 contracts for 28 member health-care organizations across Canada have already benefited from Medbuy ’ s innovative tool , which in turn has reduced the risk of patient harm from supply disruption or product failure .
“ It is an honour to be recognized for our contributions to the field of supply chain management , but even more importantly , we are proud of the positive impact we have made on our member hospitals and the patients they serve ,” said Tom Warner , interim CEO of Medbuy .
“ We developed the Medbuy Clinical Product Risk Rating Tool to contribute to the health-care supply chain as a whole and assist health-care organizations with addressing risk within their sourcing processes . This ultimately benefits the patient as health-care providers improve their ability to deliver higher quality and safer care . Receiving industry recognition of this significance helps us share this important tool with others .”
Warner said that effective supply chain management is critical to an organization ’ s success and plays a central role in determining its competitive advantage within today ’ s economy . Not only does effective supply chain management enable organizations to reduce and optimize costs associated with products and services , but it improves revenue performance as well by driving competitive pricing , improving quality , and reducing time and cost to market .
26 • SUPPLYCHAINCANADA . CA • SCMA