Even through the current supply chain disruption, women leaders are making their mark by building the chain back—stronger. At Let’s Talk Supply Chain, we know anything is possible when women empower each other. That’s why each month we’re proud to highlight female trailblazers who are fiercely changing the face of supply chain.
We introduce you to the thought leaders you need to know now, share their stories, their achievements, and what they want you to know about shattering gender barriers everywhere in supply chain. Read on for career advice, and the inspiration you’re needing right now.
This month, we’re proud to highlight Joselina Peralta. Joselina has over two decades of industry experience and is the vice president of global supply chain & procurement operations at Troy Corporation.
She earned her master’s and bachelor’s degrees from Pontificia Universidad Catolica Madre y Maestra PCUMM and she completed Leadership Studies at Columbia University.
Where did you get your roots in supply chain?
My roots started at home with strong role models in leadership: my Dad an Airforce General and my Mom—ahead of her times—a hospitality industry executive. It can’t be overstated—my parents are my heroes. At our dinner table, they always encouraged us to ask questions, think-outside-the-box without limitations, and to challenge the status quo. Meeting the moment and resistance with replies like what if, what about, let’s play it out, going deeper and looking and asking for more.
Early on I learned how to evaluate and factor differences in viewpoints. Navigating limiting beliefs and understanding when there was no room for buts. Challenges can drive creative thinking, problem-solving, collaboration, and negotiation skills. And I learned early on the value of how you treat your team and business partners—clients and suppliers—like family.
There are no mistakes. Life and work give us experiences and opportunities to learn and grow. To “walk the talk” you need to be accountable and open to constantly improving. I was blessed to be raised by phenomenal role models who instilled core values that have shaped my career.
After achieving my bachelor’s and master’s degrees in Economics, I was ready to make deals, that’s when I discovered my passion for procurement and all things supply chain. I get to work on my passion every day.
How have your mentors along the way influenced your leadership style?
My mentors saw my potential and actively invested in my professional development—believing in me and opening doors and opportunities. These professionals and their generosity play a huge part in who I am as a leader. I believe in investing in people, developing talent, and empowering the next generation. I believe in paying-it-forward—unleashing potential in others is in large part of my mission at work.
My first mentor gave me the best career advice—teaching me the importance of active listening. “There’s a reason why we have two ears one mouth,” she said. “Do the math.” And I will never forget that.
What’s different about supply chain now than when you started?
It’s constantly evolving—challenging you to combine human qualities, deepen partnerships, orchestrate market dynamics (social, geo, political, weather, and disruptions) with people, processes, and systems.
When it comes to your internal forces, more than ever, now it’s about versatility, adaptability, and integration at the speed of information. You need to synthesize valuable insights to execute timely decisions with precision and accuracy. Leveraging the building blocks of value chain and blockchain can help you achieve supply chain resiliency while understanding the compromises and tradeoffs with internal and external impacts. That means aligning your value proposition to gain market share and create more opportunities that ultimately translate into efficiencies and increased transparency to build trust and consistency.
What values have fueled your success and results for those around you?
Always put people first—not only is this a core value of mine—it’s part of my life’s purpose. Developing talent, coaching, and mentoring is incredibly rewarding. Because when you invest in people you reap the benefits tenfold.
Be authentic. Staying true to who you are while having a genuine interest in connecting with others and learning about them is critical to establishing trust and rapport. It shows them that you’re open to other points of view without judgment. Bringing your true self to work promotes lasting relationships on every level—with your team, clients, business partners, and shareholders.
Be versatile. Our world is always changing. It’s pivotal to find value and opportunities in every situation every day—even your toughest challenges. This growth mindset keeps me sharp without being limited by attachments to single concepts. Instead, I embrace information in a way that’s as multi-dimensional and multi-disciplinary with broad-sweeping insights to empower collaboration and positive outcomes.
Be brave. Have the courage to speak up; to be first; to be different; to take risks. Keep launching forward while also knowing and understanding when to take a step back to master the latest lessons learned.
Why is gratitude so important to you professionally?
I am a true believer in sharing positive feedback and expressing emotions authentically and in real-time. There’s no standard approach to giving thanks. From saying thank you to showing it with a gift, a card, or a letter. Gratitude channels positive vibrations that make a lasting impact. As Maya Angelou said, “people will never forget how you made them feel.”
What other words do you live by?
- “There are no limitations to what we can do or achieve together.”
- “Life is a journey, not a destination. Let’s make it count.”
- “Life is too short, don’t sweat the small stuff.”
As a Latina woman in supply chain, what do you want the community to know about diversity and inclusion?
Everyone brings something unique and valuable to the table—whether that’s points of view, experiences, ideas, beliefs, or insights. No one is an island. Embracing diversity is about acceptance, inclusion without prejudice, expanding our perspectives to understand a universal truth: there is a big, broad world with space for everyone to thrive, learn and collaborate from each other—together.
Growth and evolution are rooted through incorporating diversity with different schools of thought and by constantly challenging the status quo.
What’s your favorite part of supply chain?
Cultivating collaborative relationships—at all levels—and finding solutions that ignite innovation and enable supply reliability and customer loyalty.
What’s your next goalpost or challenge?
There are so many. I want to continue expanding collaboration with like-minded professionals, innovative organizations, and business partners. I’m constantly trying to challenge the status quo to level up entrepreneurial mindsets, quality standards, value generation, and supply chain transparency. Post-COVID-19, there are going to be ample opportunities to cross-collaborate across industry sectors—globally.
I’m also looking to work with forward-thinking organizations that empower inclusion and embrace bold, creative leaders to help them propel their organizational mission and channel success through culture, technology, financial and operational excellence.
Meet Our Sponsor
This Women in Supply Chain™ feature was made possible by our sponsor, Apex Logistics. Apex Logistics International Inc is deep rooted in diversity and culture, led by our own “Woman In Supply Chain” CEO, Elsie Qian; these values are why we partnered with Let’s Talk Supply Chain for the Women in Supply Chain™ series. Apex is recognized as one of the fastest growing Top 25 airfreight forwarders in the world, with a network of over 2500 global employees in more than 70 countries.
About The Author:
Naomi Garnice is the Director of Marketing for MicroAge where she leads the marketing team and creative strategy. Naomi has been a content marketer for 14 years and is passionate about creating engaging content that matters. Throughout her career in marketing for technology, healthcare and supply chain organizations, Naomi has advocated to highlight female thought leaders in male-dominated industries.
