- Looking at the ongoing challenges of talent attraction, development, and retention as it relates to the next generation of female manufacturing professionals we need to succeed now and in the future
- Discussing, debating, comparing, and contrasting options in the New Normal of Work when we talk about:
- Supporting working caregivers
- Employee mental health programs
- Work-life balance
- Flexibility and moving away from one-size-fits-all thinking
- Maternity leave
- Post-maternity leave reintegration
- Quantifying the qualifiable: How can we best demonstrate the ROI of being an employer of choice for women and giving our workers and leaders the best options to grow both professionally and personally within our organizations?
- Offering actionable points every manufacturing leader can bring back and apply to their own companies
Moderator:
Darcy MacClaren
CRO, Digital Supply Chain
SAP America
Darcy MacClaren is a strategic global leader who has spent 30 years growing, differentiating, and improving businesses through technology transformation with a focus on supply chain. She has held various leadership roles at SAP over the last twelve years, most recently serving as the Senior Vice President of Digital Supply Chain and Industry 4.0 for SAP North America. Today, she serves as Chief Revenue Officer of SAP Digital Supply Chain, overseeing the global supply chain business.
With an emphasis on customer success, Darcy is responsible for driving risk resilient and sustainable Digital Supply Chain business, including the thought leadership towards solution portfolio investments, go-to-market strategy as well as overseeing core operations in pipeline development, demand management, and revenue growth. Darcy is committed to guiding organizations in their digital transformation journey through innovative technology including artificial intelligence and next generation business processes. She is passionate about collaborating with and empowering companies to elevate the strategic value delivered to their ecosystem. Her central focus is to help companies build resilient, agile, and sustainable supply chains.
Darcy is a true expert in her field, an active champion for women in supply chain, and a recognized thought leader. Recently named in Fortune’s Broadsheet newsletter for and about the world’s most powerful women, Darcy has also been featured in Supply & Demand Chain Executive’s 2022 Women in Supply Chain and as a 2022 and 2023 Supply Chain Pro to Know. Darcy’s expertise has been cited in The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, Bloomberg Radio, NPR, Protocol, SupplyChainBrain, and Supply Chain Quarterly among other supply chain outlets. She is a frequent moderator, panelist, and keynote speaker at major supply chain events. She is the founder of the Empowering Women in Supply Chain Network which is dedicated to improving diversity in the supply chain field and since its inception in 2020, has grown to over 800 members. Last year, she was awarded the SAP Diversity and Inclusion Award for her work with this group.
Before joining SAP, Darcy held several senior supply chain leadership positions at companies such as Blue Yonder, Infor, G-Log, (acquired by Oracle), and Hewlett Packard. Darcy graduated from St. Lawrence University in Canton, NY, with a Bachelor of Arts degree. She has an MBA from SUNY at Buffalo.
Panelists:
Amber Ficht
VP Business Excellence
Edwards Lifesciences
Amber Ficht, VP Business Excellence, has more than 20 years’ experience in the Medical Device Industry in Quality, Manufacturing, Engineering and Business Excellence. She has extensive experience driving lean transformations in manufacturing plants.
Becky Crane
Vice President, Manufacturing & Engineering
General Mills
Becky Crane has 20 years’ experience at General Mills working across the company’s end-to-end supply chain, in multiple U.S. and international locations. Highlights include plant manager at one of our largest facilities (Hannibal, Mo.), as well as standing up a global procurement organization in Switzerland as an expat. She’s known for leveraging her breadth of experience to build bold strategies and highly effective cross-functional teams to solve problems and create long-term advantage for our businesses.
Crane leads manufacturing, engineering and global safety teams with accountability for over 9,000 employees (approximately 30% of the company’s employee base). This includes responsibility over $1B in capital across the enterprise, standardizing processes and establishing strong business partnerships to enable advantaged agility and accelerate innovation. In less than one year, her team stabilized line performance, reduced open headcount to less than 4% (industry leading), while delivering the capital plan.
Becky Crane joined General Mills in 2003 as a Distribution Management Associate at the Buffalo, N.Y., Flour Mill. Over the next 10 years, she held various roles with increasing responsibility moving around the U.S. in the process. Roles included Logistics Operations Planner (Minn.) for Yoplait, implementing a new planning system (Minn.), Logistics Manager (Avon, Iowa, and Buffalo, N.Y.), Operations Manager (Hannibal, Mo.) for Progresso Soup and Chewy Bars, and Supply Chain Development Manager (Walmart Sales; Bentonville, Ark.).
Crane stepped into two Plant Manager roles – first in Vineland, N.J., and shortly thereafter was approached to lead one of General Mills’ largest facilities in Hannibal, Mo. Continuing to broaden her experience, Crane embraced a unique opportunity as Director of Global Sourcing Packaging for Sourcing in Nyon, Switzerland. Upon her return stateside, Crane joined an executive leadership team, leading Supply Chain Transformation and Business Performance Management (BPM) for the North America Retail segment. Crane then stepped into an executive business leadership role as the Supply Chain Leader for the Morning Foods Operating Unit where she had accountability for the end-to-end supply chain.
Crane grew up in Golden Valley, Minn. and attended the University of Minnesota, Carlson School of Management where she holds degrees in Marketing and Supply Chain Management. She and her family currently reside in the Minneapolis.
Paisley Matthews
VP, BDS Manufacturing & Safety
The Boeing Company
Paisley Matthews is the vice president of Manufacturing and Safety for Boeing Defense, Space and Security and a member of the Boeing Manufacturing Operations Council. In these roles, she is responsible for ensuring the Defense, Space & Security production system consistently operates in an integrated, lean and effective manner.
Prior to these roles, she was the vice president of Operations for Bombers and Fighters (B&F) and also served as the St. Louis site leader. Matthews oversaw manufacturing, quality, cost, schedule and safety performance for the F/A-18, F-15 and T-7A programs. She was the lead Boeing executive responsible for working with the Defense Contract Management Agency across the St. Louis region to ensure that B&F programs met customer requirements. In addition, she chaired a cross-business and cross-functional team responsible for site-related activities across the St. Louis region.
Previously, Matthews was director of Operations for Phantom Works and Autonomous Systems, two other divisions within Boeing Defense, Space & Security. In that role, Matthews set the strategic direction for manufacturing, helped execute the One Boeing Production System and implemented cutting-edge production initiatives.
Prior roles included director of 787 Final Assembly at Boeing South Carolina, leading 787 Mid-body Program Management, site leader for 787-10 Business Operations and Program Integration leadership for the Space Launch System program. She first joined Boeing in 2002.
Matthews is a graduate of the University of Alabama with a Bachelor of Science in Management and the Florida Institute of Technology where she earned a Master of Business Administration.
Kelly Boyle
Vice President, Walmart Supply Chain Operations and Centers of Excellence
Walmart
Kelly Boyle is a seasoned Supply Chain professional with an impressive career track record of over 25 years. Beginning her vibrant career journey at General Mills, Kelly spent a decade honing her skills in the manufacturing facilities. During this period, she undertook multiple cross-functional assignments, leading teams across Business/Brand support, Logistics, Customer Logistics, and Global Sourcing. Her leadership at General Mills culminated in her overseeing the Natural and Organic Supply Chain end-to-end.
Transitioning to Walmart, Kelly’s initial role saw her spearheading the redesign of the Fresh Supply Chain. Her strategic input was instrumental in transforming the movement of highly perishable food from field to shelf, enhancing shelf life and ultimately customer satisfaction.
Progressing further, Kelly assumed the responsibility of ensuring Walmart’s entire food supply chain adhered to the Everyday Low Costs (EDLC) policy without compromising on customer needs. Her strategic foresight and leadership acumen were pivotal in balancing cost-effectiveness with customer satisfaction. In her current role, Kelly oversees the Supply Chain Maintenance organization and the Centers of Excellence for Safety, Quality, Reliable Operations, Continuous Skills Development, and Lean/Continuous Improvement. These centers aim to standardize processes and provide transformative tools to enhance Walmart’s Supply Chain operations.
Beyond her professional life, Kelly cherishes her personal life with her supportive husband, Ray, of 33 years and their three wonderful children: Sean (28), Caitlin and Jack (both 26). Kelly’s blend of professional expertise and personal balance make her a standout leader in the supply chain industry.
