Supply Chain Media launches Top 26 SCM Directors in the Netherlands

It’s time for a Top 26 SCM Directors in the Netherlands, Supply Chain Media thinks. The new ranking replaces the election of the Dutch Supply Chain Professional of the Year award. According to initiator Martijn Lofvers, the introduction of this new Top 26 ranking reflects the fact that the supply chain management discipline has matured and each director’s achievements are easily measurable.

Supply Chain Media and BLMC have been organizing the annual Supply Chain Professional of the Year award since 2008. Edwin van der Meerendonk, Vice President European Supply Chain at Disney, was the first professional to receive the award and Henri Colijn, Senior Director Operations at Harman International, was the most recent winner. An independent jury, consisting of former winners and Professor Jack van der Veen, chose the winners based on assessments in combination with peer voting.

The ranking of the 26 best supply chain executives in the Netherlands is an extension of the annual Top 28 Supply Chain Executives in Europe, which Supply Chain Media has been compiling in collaboration with Inspired-Search since 2015. For the Dutch Top 26 ranking, Supply Chain Media, BLMC and Inspired-Search will each do part of the necessary research into the 60 candidates.

Four parts

The ranking is based on four-part analysis. The first part comprises financial analysis of each supply chain director’s company or division. BLMC will analyse revenue growth, inventory turns, cash conversion and the return on capital employed (ROCE); this result accounts for 30% of the total score.

For the second part, Inspired-Search will examine the responsibility of each candidate, their span of control, geographic scope, complexity of their organization and supply chain, as well as supply chain maturity. This component also carries a weighting of 30% of the total.

The third part assesses the supply chain director’s personal visibility in terms of published interviews, keynote presentations, guest lectures and LinkedIn profile and activity. Supply Chain Media will research this aspect, and is also arranging and analysing the peer voting by Dutch academics and previous participants in the Supply Chain Professional award. These two components each account for 20% of the total score.

Criteria for supply chain directors

To be considered for the Top 26 ranking, a supply chain director must work in the Netherlands and speak the Dutch language. He or she must have been a permanent employee of a company in industry, wholesale, retail or e-commerce with an annual turnover of at least €50 million since 1 January 2020 or longer. They may have global geographical responsibility, but only if they work at companies with a turnover of €2 billion or less. Supply chain executives working at larger companies are eligible for the Top 28 Supply Chain Executives in Europe instead.

The Top 26 Supply Chain Directors in the Netherlands ranking for 2021 will be officially revealed during the new SCM Directors Event, which is based around the theme of ‘Leadership by direction’. Film director Martin Koolhoven, known for the film Oorlogswinter, will share some of his storytelling secrets with the participating supply chain directors to help them further improve this essential skill.