Breaking stereotypes as a woman in the supply chain -By Katrina Valle, Logistics Lead South Vietnam, Mondelēz International

"Wow! Really?" This is the usual response from people who hear that I've worked with the same company for more than 11 years and the only one I've been in since graduating from university.

For me, though, it's not so surprising because I honestly feel that time flew so quickly, probably because the journey I've been in was so dynamic and exciting. Some fast facts for you reading this -I graduated in 2009 from the University of the Philippines with a degree in BS Industrial Engineering and shortly after graduation I joined Mondelēz International under the Graduate Trainee Program (now called Edge Stars).

In this 18-month program, we were given the opportunity to do high-impact projects across Sales, Marketing, Finance, Human Resources, and Supply Chain. As an engineering graduate, I knew that at the end of the program I would eventually be assigned to Supply Chain. But I recall there was a time after my stint in Marketing that I did consider if this was the 'right function' for me. I guess that's why I loved and am proud to be part of that program - it exposed me to different functions, some of which I was not skilled at or even comfortable with, and it gave me a broader perspective on the functional interdependencies (like how gears are attached together and make a machine work).

Taking women empowerment to new heights at Mondelez International

As initially expected, I chose to move into a landing role in Supply Chain after the program. Many people think that the Supply Chain community is male-dominated. I guess that's true in many parts of the world. In Mondelēz International, I feel that women are empowered to grow in this function. A great example of this is Sandra MacQuillan, our global supply chain leader. Within Southeast Asia, we also have many examples of strong, talented, and awesome women across the Supply Chain.

Looking back at the past years, I am also thankful for the strong learning and development platform we have in the company that has enabled me to develop my technical and leadership skills. I am grateful for many opportunities to move across subfunctions and geographies in Mondelēz. We have an abundance of friendly leaders with who you can connect, learn, and have coaching or mentoring sessions. There also isn't a shortage of stretch projects that you could take to build your overall capability and to give you the right exposure, which will help you progress in your career. I guess all of these put together has brought me to who I am today, a Supply Chain woman leader, breaking stereotypes and crushing mental barriers every day.

What does it take to be a woman supply chain leader?

Through the years of learning and career growth, my personal life also progressed, and I became a wife and a mother. A typical question that would come my way is how to balance work and life especially since being in the supply chain seems to be a high-stress job. For me, it’s not just about balancing but coming to point of realization that work and life are somehow integrated – and you find the best model that works for you, your family, and your work. I appreciate Mondelez International for being very supportive of working moms. My personal experience on this is having enough maternity leave and being able to pump milk in lactation rooms in many office locations (even during business trips). After my maternity leave, I was given the opportunity to expand my role to handle more categories and markets which attests to the fact the women especially mothers are given equal opportunities for career growth. 

I have recently moved to Ho Chi Minh City as the Supply Planning Lead of the Vietnam business. Prior to this, I have led multi-category, multi-country supply planning operations across Southeast Asia, and even briefly managed Japan for some months. I was part of a business turnaround and have led projects on process strengthening and systems implementation. I have built teams from scratch and am extremely proud of that more than anything else. I am sharing my story with the hope of inspiring others to become a woman in the supply chain, just as others before me have inspired to take on this journey. What does it take to be a woman supply chain leader? Drive, courage, collaboration, initiative, empathy, and humility come to mind. I guess there's no formula, but all of these coupled with a growth mindset will help you achieve your career goals!

If you are a woman in Supply Chain who is keen to explore opportunities in Southeast Asia, visit careers.mondelezinternational.com