Suki Altamirano: Supply Chain Journey, 'Owning It'

Women In Supply Chain™ leadership are transforming the industry when it’s needed most during endless disruptions that have only exacerbated over the last year, rattled by climate change, geopolitical tensions, and an all-out tariff war. The same rinse-and-repeat approaches don’t apply anymore, and that means that fresh perspectives and diversity in thought are increasingly important.

On the policy front, there may be some good news as we enter peak season. The U.S. doubled tariffs on imports from India to 50% at the end of August; however, there may be some relief on the way. The current administration may remove 25% of the penal tariffs after November 30th, with trade discussions ongoing. U.S. goods imported from India totaled around $87.3B last year, according to the United States Trade Representative (USTR). That’s a big chunk of the total bilateral trade between the U.S. and India at $128.9B. You might think of clothing goods made in India, but trade between the two countries goes far beyond that. Critical imports of goods from India include electronics and electric equipment, pharmaceutical products, precious stones and metals, machinery, and nuclear reactors and boilers.

The United States and China are still in a temporary tariff truce, suspending steeper tariffs on Chinese goods until at least November 10th—spurring more companies to frontload shipments moving into the holiday season. The Trump administration has signaled that it may be amenable to extending the pause further as the nations work to negotiate. Ongoing trade negotiations between the U.S. and other countries bode well for global supply chains that have experienced historical disruptions over the past months.

Market volatility underscores the importance of having a diverse range of thought in supply chain. It’s time to innovate and bring together new voices from different backgrounds with different perspectives and knowledge sets—including women’s. Because with the industry all but upended by the “new normal,” just 26% of Women In Supply Chain™ leadership is simply not enough.

At Let’s Talk Supply Chain, our Women In Supply Chain™ series is more than a call to action; it’s a movement. There’s a growing workforce of Women In Supply Chain™ who see and approach things differently, and have new strategies and flavors of leadership. Our Let’s Talk Supply Chain Women In Supply Chain™ program, blog, and podcast series showcase the importance of greater gender representation. This month’s featured leader knows all about the importance of allyship in lifting women’s voices.

We are proud to feature Suki Mulberg Altamirano, the Founder & Principal of Lexington Public Relations. For over two decades, she’s crafted storytelling into bold campaigns to drive brand authority, visibility, and credibility, winning awards along the way. Lexington PR was hailed by the American Business Awards with its gold Communications/PR Agency Merit Award for 2024. She is a published author and earned a Bachelor of Science in Communications and Media Studies from New York University.