Rutgers Business School: Paving the ‘Road to Supply Chain Leadership’

This year, Rutgers is enhancing its major with the official launch of the Road to Supply Chain Leadership Program.

The genesis of the program came over the summer when Jeff Hermann, president and CEO of Hermann Services, and Art Certosimo, senior adviser at Broadridge, both graduates of Rutgers Business School and members of the business school’s Board of Advisors, discussed the need for a special program that would help undergraduate business students find good jobs and have successful supply chain careers.

Building on Rutgers Business School’s established Road to Success programs that include pathways to Wall Street, Silicon Valley, and consulting, a new Road to Supply Chain program was conceived. By the Fall, Sundar (Sandy) Raman, assistant professor of professional practice, and Lian Qi, professor and chair of the supply chain management department, put together a program outline and secured sponsorships from nine different companies, including Hermann Services, Bayer, Bristol Myers Squibb, Colgate, Estee Lauder, Panasonic, Pfizer, Shiseido, and Unilever.

“The program will benefit students in a number of different ways,” said Raman. “First, it will broaden their thinking and outlook from learning about the supply chain to how to apply what they learn to solve “real-world” business problems and challenges.”

“With the help of RBS and industry mentors,” he said, “it will help them conduct a self-assessment of their capabilities and areas for improvement for a successful career in the supply chain.”

A key element of this program is continuous assessment of the progress each student is making towards achieving the program’s objectives.

The students will be offered additional coaching and mentorship in areas where they need to develop further.

Raman explained that “soft skills” training would improve communication, critical thinking, problem solving, interpersonal and leadership skills. In addition, by collaborating on client projects, students will learn how to deal with business leaders, teamwork, data analytics, making presentations and good project management. Finally, by attending seminars, conferences and case competitions, students will develop a deeper understanding of the supply chain. “All of this will be offered at no cost to them,” he said.

Raman and Qi have already received assistance from several student leaders in developing the program:

• David Rampersad, Program Management Lead
• Akshita Chaudhary, Marketing & Communications Lead
• Krish Shah, Recruiting & Admissions Lead
• Jinson Buri, Program Launch Lead
• Jakub Ksiazek, Summer Course Design Lead

Even though the program is in its infancy, its leaders have a strong plan to promote and grow it, starting with recruiting highly talented and diverse students. Raman and Qi also plan to strengthen their partnerships with sponsors and implement a high-quality and effective program. The sponsors will help support the students and offer networking, mentorship, and in-person learning opportunities to further students’ education.

Learn more about the Road to Supply Chain Leadership program on Rutgers Business School’s website: https://www.business.rutgers.edu/road-to-success/supply-chain-leadership.