310: Women In Supply Chain™, Grace Sharkey
Grace Sharkey is a writer, podcaster, and self-described freight tech nerd with a background in international relations. She began her supply chain career at the 3PL Fifth Wheel Freight, where she was instrumental in its growth and quickly rose to the position of Chief Strategy Officer. Now a prominent voice in media, Grace is passionate about making freight technology understandable and creating educational content for the industry. She is a strong advocate for empowering women in leadership and has started initiatives like "Shark Start" to provide mentorship and opportunities for others.
In today’s episode of Women In Supply Chain™, I’m joined by Grace Sharkey – writer, podcaster and self-confessed freight tech nerd.
Grace started her career as an account rep at Fifth Wheel Freight, a 3PL consistently honored on the Inc. 5000 list of fastest-growing private companies in America. Over her time with FWF, Grace honed her skills in roles across sales, operations, business development and strategy, before deciding to pivot in 2021, when she joined FreightWaves. Utilizing all of her supply chain knowledge, Grace thrived as a writer and, earlier this year, also became the host of popular radio show, FreightWaves Drive Time on SiriusXM.
Today Grace will be talking to us about her career so far; her love of freight technology innovation; making the leap from brokerage to broadcasting; and why supply chain was built for women. Plus, she’ll be sharing her experiences as a woman in supply chain, as well as her words of advice for all of the women following in her footsteps.
SHOW SPONSOR:
This Women In Supply Chain™ feature was sponsored by Sifted.
As a business dedicated to empowering confidence within the shipping industry, we’re proud to support Women In Supply Chain™. Sifted is the leading logistics intelligence software, that combines insights with expertise to empower bigger, smarter shipping decisions. As growth and disruptions present ongoing challenges for supply chain leaders, thousands rely on Sifted to set their businesses up for success. Learn more about Sifted here.
Grace’s career journey, from a degree in international relations and affairs to supply chain, and why the two are so well suited.
How a fundraising role led Grace to a start-up 3PL, and why she fell in love with supply chain.
Grace’s growth and success at Fifth Wheel Freight, and what she learned along the way.
Grace’s advice for people that might be eager to give supply chain a try, but are worried they don’t have the right education.
Why Grace chose to pivot her career in 2021 and take the leap across to media to join FreightWaves, as a writer and host.
As a writer and host, one question Grace wishes people would ask her.
Why Grace founded The Shark Start, and why helping others is so important to her.
Grace’s thoughts on why we are still not seeing enough Women In Supply Chain™ leadership roles, and her advice for how we tackle the problem.
Resources & Links Mentioned
- You can connect with Grace over on LinkedIn, Twitter, or Instagram.
- If you enjoyed this episode, why not check out another woman in media, Marina Mayer. In episode 245, Marina talks all about her role as editor-in-chief of Food Logistics and Supply & Demand Chain Executive, as well as her views on mentorship and experiences as a working mother.
- Check out our other podcasts HERE.
