The New Rules of Global Supply Chain Strategy

Supply chains used to be built primarily around cost and efficiency. Abe Eshkenazi says that era is over. Today’s leaders have to balance AI, resilience, geopolitical risk, talent, cybersecurity, and a level of disruption that makes predicting what comes next nearly impossible. In this episode of Supply Chain Now, Scott Luton speaks with Abe Eshkenazi, CEO at the Association for Supply Chain Management (ASCM), about how the supply chain profession is changing. From what organizations need to get right before scaling AI, to the reshaping of globalization, the growing importance of optionality, and the evolution of the chief supply chain officer into an enterprise strategist, Abe breaks down the forces redefining supply chain leadership. Abe explains why AI success depends less on the technology itself and more on data, talent, governance, and strong processes; why globalization is not disappearing but being redrawn around resilience and regionalization; and why supply chain leaders can no longer focus solely on operations. He also shares how ASCM is preparing professionals for jobs that do not yet exist, what leaders can expect from CHAINge 2026, and why his book, “The Chain: Links That Bind Us”, starts the supply chain story with the consumer rather than the factory. Jump into the conversation: (00:00) Introduction (02:19) Meet Abe Eshkenazi, CEO of ASCM (06:09) AI adoption challenges: data, talent, and governance (11:35) Data ownership, the Google–Spirit Airlines deal, and cyber risk (14:18) The talent gap and career progression in the AI era (17:47) Globalization redrawn: tariffs, resilience, and a multipolar world (23:15) Semiconductors, TSMC, and the infrastructure talent gap (27:28) How the CSCO role has evolved into an enterprise strategist (32:06) What excites Abe most about ASCM in 2026 (39:10) Abe's new book: "The Chain: Links That Bind Us" Additional Links & Resources: Connect with Abe Eshkenazi: https://www.linkedin.com/in/aeshkenazi/ Learn more about Association for Supply Chain Management (ASCM): https://www.ascm.org/ Learn more about Abe’s book “The Chain: Links That Binds Us”: https://a.co/d/0a9PzJfV Learn more about our hosts: https://supplychainnow.com/about Learn more about Supply Chain Now: https://supplychainnow.com Watch and listen to more Supply Chain Now episodes here: https://supplychainnow.com/program/supply-chain-now Subscribe to Supply Chain Now on your favorite platform: https://supplychainnow.com/join Work with us! Download Supply Chain Now’s NEW Media Kit: https://supplychainnow.com/media-kit/ WEBINAR- SAP AI Inside the Supply Chain: From Silo to Orchestration: https://bit.ly/4bvpz6K WEBINAR- Labor Is a Margin Decision: How Reyes Coca-Cola Bottling Spent a Decade Making It Stick: https://bit.ly/4d4FauG WEBINAR- Operational AI in the Supply Chain: How context empowers agents and humans to operate side by side: https://bit.ly/4x7Vd2Z WEBINAR- You Can't Manage What You Can't See: Using Visibility, KPIs, and AI to Optimize Logistics Operations: https://bit.ly/4ql6iem Gartner Announces 2026 Rankings of the Global Supply Chain Top 25: https://www.gartner.com/en/newsroom/press-releases/2026-06-17-gartner-announces-2026-rankings-of-the-global-supply-chain-top-25 This episode was hosted by Scott Luton and produced by Trisha Cordes, Joshua Miranda, and Amanda Luton. For additional information, please visit our dedicated show page at: https://supplychainnow.com For YouTube: The content in this video, including all audio, visuals, and graphics, is the property of Supply Chain Now and is protected by copyright law. Unauthorized use, reproduction, distribution, modification, or re-uploading of this content in any form is strictly prohibited without explicit written permission from Supply Chain Now. For licensing inquiries or permissions, please contact us at production@supplychainnow.com © 2026 Supply Chain Now. All rights reserved.