Real-World Lessons in Supply Chain From Industry Leader Denise Allec

As part of the Stillman School’s Spring Distinguished Lecture Series in supply chain management, Denise Allec, an accomplished business and digital transformation leader, presented a lecture titled “Unlocking the Importance of Supply Chains” that invited student participation and explored real-world applications.

With a career spanning companies such as Xerox, Deloitte, Bristol-Myers Squibb and Boehringer Ingelheim, Allec shared insights from her extensive experience in manufacturing, consulting and corporate IT. She is currently vice president of industry consulting, global strategy and innovation at NTT Data, Inc., a Japanese multinational information technology service and consulting company headquartered in Tokyo, Japan.

Allec structured the event in a game-show-style format, posing questions to students throughout the evening and offering cash prizes for correct answers. Topics included supply chain fundamentals such as definitions, inventory turns, customer fulfillment rates and real-world case studies. Students Kabir Ansari, Aidan Joyce and Christian Hui took home top honors.

“I enjoyed answering questions and discussing current trends and disruptions in supply chain, especially those relating to trucking, tariffs and job creation,” said junior Christian Hui, president-elect of Seton Hall’s Association for Supply Chain Management student chapter, which assists with event planning for the Speaker Series.

Top quiz master Kabir Ansari, an information technology management major and part of the University of Westminster exchange program, added, “I’m glad I attended this presentation as it broadened my business knowledge and gave me insight into how vital supply chain is.”

Ken Jones, M.B.A., instructor in Stillman’s Department of Computing and Decision Sciences, introduced Allec as his former colleague at Bristol-Myers Squibb. “The students greatly benefited from learning from Denise about various elements of the supply chain, such as product design and inventory turns, the discussion of several ‘ripped from the headline’ topics, top employment opportunities in the supply chain function and particularly the opportunity to win some fantastic prizes,” he said.

The event also marked a special moment for senior Amelia Carson, outgoing ASCM president who has been involved with the organization for the past three years. “It has been an honor to serve ASCM in my time at Seton Hall, and I am grateful to have had Denise Allec as my final speaker event as president,” Carson said. “She was fun and engaging and had extensive knowledge on many supply chain topics. The students gained invaluable insights from her that they can carry with them as they advance in their careers. It's exactly what I wanted to provide the Seton Hall community with!”

Allec encouraged students to embrace any opportunity to get involved in an organization, highlighting the value of learning by doing and being present. “I cannot stress enough the importance of hands-on experience,” she said. “I don’t care where you start — you could start in the proverbial mail room at a company — but through osmosis, through listening, through asking questions, through observing, you will learn so much about a company and an industry as long as you're there, observing, being part of it and seeing what's happening.”

Using examples from her consulting work, including a watch manufacturer’s struggle with responsiveness and over-customization, Allec illustrated how interconnected departments — such as marketing, sales, procurement and logistics — all contribute to supply chain performance.

She also addressed several current challenges impacting global supply chains, including the strategic control of the Panama Canal, international tariffs, trade imbalances, labor shortages, COVID-era disruptions and the environmental costs of global shipping.

Her overarching message was that supply chain knowledge is powerful and increasingly essential in today’s business world. With a wide range of roles available across industries, Allec encouraged students to explore careers in the field, emphasizing the lasting impact they can have on business success and global systems.

Categories: Business, Nation and World, Research