Back from the 3rd Annual Supply Chain Risk & Resilience Forum in Amsterdam. It was a pleasure to reconnect with a truly international community of supply chain, procurement, risk, and resilience professionals who are all working on one of the most critical challenges of our time: Building supply chains that can withstand disruption while remaining competitive and sustainable. One of my key takeaways from the forum is that while digital technologies, AI, predictive analytics, and risk intelligence platforms continue to evolve rapidly, the real differentiator remains people and culture. Unexpectedly, many risk practitioners, including me, talked about it. ⚡In my presentation, I shared insights from 15 SCRM implementations and focused on three themes that consistently separate successful programs from those that struggle: ✅ Risk leadership, risk culture, and trust are not soft topics. They are THE foundation of effective SCRM operations. ✅ Digital & AI-driven capabilities can significantly improve risk visibility, proactive mitigation, and cost optimization. However, technology only creates value when it is embedded in decision-making processes and supported by strong governance. AI will not deliver results. Period! ✅ The predictive advantage comes ONLY from combining digital intelligence with human expertise. AI risk identification & assessment must seamlessly integrate with human judgment, experience, and collaboration to enable better and faster decisions. The conference also featured many thought-provoking presentations and discussions. I particularly enjoyed the perspectives shared by leaders from SAP, A.P. Moller – Maersk, FMC, Stryker, Amcor, Bekaert, Moody’s, Tesco, KION, etc. on all aspects of supply chain resilience, who shared practical insights and different perspectives on how they increase robustness and integrity of supply chains. The discussions around trust, transparency, multi-tier visibility, and data sharing were especially relevant for the challenges organizations face today. What became clear throughout the event is that resilience is no longer a capability that sits alongside operations. It is becoming part of an organization’s DNA. Building that resilience requires trust between partners, transparency across supply networks, and the right balance between human insight and technological innovation. 👉A big thank you to Leadvent Group for organizing such a valuable event and to Greg Schlegel and Jim de Vries for the invitation and the excellent moderation and discussions throughout the forum. Looking forward to continuing the conversation on how we can move from managing risks to building truly resilient supply chains. 👉RECOMMENDATION to my network: Attend the 4th Forum in 2027. It’s worth your time. There are not many other comparable platforms in the EU