Ep. 21 - Turning Geopolitical Chaos Into Supply Chain Resilience
Guest
Dr. Carsten Machholtz
Duration
32 minutes
Host
Justin Dillon
Geopolitical threats and trade instability are now priority one in the C-suite — but most companies still can't see the exposure inside their own supply chains.
Prof. Dr. Carsten Machholz — one of the few procurement academics in Germany — joins the show to vaccinate your supply chain against trade shocks, economic nationalism, and regional realignments. He and Justin unpack how shifting political priorities are rewriting sourcing strategy, why the balance between sovereignty and sustainability is harder than it looks, and how emerging technologies could help companies navigate the next decade of uncertainty. This episode is for anyone tasked with turning chaos into a plan.
In this episode
- Why geopolitical risk has moved from a footnote to the top of every C-suite agenda
- How economic nationalism, tariffs, and regional realignments are reshaping global sourcing strategy
- The growing tension between sovereignty and sustainability in supply chain decisions
- Why most companies still can't see their real exposure — and what to do about it
- What emerging technologies (AI, real-time data, supply chain mapping) make possible
- What today's disruptions mean for long-term planning in responsible supply chains
ABOUT THE GUEST
Prof. Dr. Carsten Machholz is one of the few academics in Germany — and across Europe — who specializes in procurement and strategic supply chain management as a research discipline. His work bridges the gap between academic rigor and practitioner reality, with a particular focus on how procurement organizations adapt to economic and geopolitical disruption. A frequent voice in industry conversations on supplier relationships, sourcing strategy, and the transformation of procurement under uncertainty, Carsten has contributed to leading procurement publications and podcasts including Procurement Unplugged and now The Responsible Supply Chain Show.
