CARGOCONNECT-APRIL2026 - Flipbook - Page 84
Panel 5
Women Driving Strategic Partnerships & Alliances
“As more women take on leadership
roles, there is also a growing responsibility to support and encourage the
next generation of women entering
the sector. Creating awareness,
providing mentorship and building
con昀椀dence among young professionals
are essential steps in ensuring that
they see supply chain as a viable
and rewarding career path and feel
encouraged to be part of its future
growth. Industry forums and leadership platforms that highlight the
journeys and experiences of women professionals play an important role
in inspiring others and strengthening representation across the ecosystem.
At the same time, it is worth re昀氀ecting on the way women leaders are often
described as “superwomen.” While intended as recognition, such labels can
sometimes create higher expectations or unintended pressure by suggesting
that exceptional performance must go beyond professional capability
alone. It is therefore equally important to recognise women professionals
for their competence, leadership and contributions in the same way as any
other leaders, reinforcing the idea that their success is based on capability,
commitment and impact rather than extraordinary expectations.”
“When it comes to negotiation, I believe
that relationships and collaboration
play a critical role in achieving successful outcomes. Traditional negotiation
approaches that focus primarily on
cost are no longer su昀케cient in today’s
business environment. Instead, it is
essential to adopt a collaborative mindset
by understanding the challenges and
priorities of suppliers and contractors,
especially when working from the client’s
perspective. E昀昀ective deal closure today is increasingly driven by value
creation rather than cost considerations alone. It involves evaluating what
partners bring to the table in terms of technology, innovation, sustainability practices and long-term operational support. This requires deeper
engagement with suppliers and contractors to identify opportunities that
strengthen organisational capability and improve overall system performance.
Procurement decisions, particularly in project-driven environments, are
rarely one-time transactions. They form part of long-term partnerships that
directly in昀氀uence business continuity and operational stability. Therefore,
building strong relationships and maintaining ongoing collaboration with
stakeholders is essential.”
“Cultivated meat companies typically
operate through close collaboration
with large food and biotechnology
organisations such as Nestlé, Jubilant
FoodWorks, and Merck, among others.
These partnerships enable access to
specialised infrastructure, technical
capabilities and integration within
broader production ecosystems. From
a distribution perspective, cultivated
meat products are still largely in
the research and regulatory approval stage in India and are not yet widely
available for direct consumer markets. At present, distribution primarily
takes place in the form of ingredient-level collaboration with large partner
organisations rather than through conventional retail supply chains. In
this ecosystem, distribution functions less as a transactional process and
more as a strategic partnership model. Instead of operating as a traditional
vendor–buyer relationship, cultivated meat companies collaborate with
partner organisations to jointly create value by improving product e昀케ciency,
sustainability outcomes and long-term innovation potential. As a result,
supply chain engagement in this sector is highly collaborative, integrated
and partnership-driven rather than linear or transactional in nature.
“Strong partnerships with suppliers
enable organisations to align procurement
strategies with wider business goals and
create mutual value. For meaningful
collaboration to take place, suppliers
and service providers must be able to
see sustained business opportunities and
future growth potential. This is where the
role of centralised procurement functions
becomes essential. Although it requires
signi昀椀cant coordination, data consolidation and cross-functional alignment, presenting aggregated and structured
demand to the market strengthens an organisation’s position and makes
engagement more attractive to suppliers. When suppliers recognise the scale
and continuity of demand, their senior leadership teams become more actively
involved in negotiations, which often leads to better commercial outcomes and
stronger strategic partnerships. Such engagement also opens opportunities
for collaboration beyond pricing discussions. It enables organisations to gain
insights into suppliers’ product roadmaps, technological advancements and
innovation capabilities, creating alignment on future business objectives and
strengthening long-term relationships that bene昀椀t both parties.”
DR RAKHI NAGPAL, VP– Supply Chain, JQ Sports (MODERATOR)
PARUL SONI, Chief Business Of昀椀cer, Clear Meat
84 | CARGOCONNECT APRIL 2026
UJVALA BORSE, Global Procurement and Logistics, LANXESS India
SUBHANJALI AVIJIT SANYAL, Group Head– Contracts,
Tata Power Company
