Cornerstone Speaker Series September 28 2022

Supply Chain Innovation
Wednesday, September 28th
12:00 noon to 1:00 PM

Kristi Montgomery Vice President of Innovation Research & Development Kenco Logistics Services	Geoffrey Gates Senior Director of Data and Technology for Supply Chain and Support Services Cleveland Clinic

When we think of supply chain management as a discipline of managing processes, innovation in supply chain entails introducing changes to how we deliver products and services to our customers by rethinking the supply chain network, technology, and processes. Changes can introduce conflict and challenge. Join us as we discuss real-world innovation with Kristi Montgomery of Kenco Logistics and Geoff Gates of The Cleveland Clinic.

Moderated by Dr. Moonwon Chung.

About The Series:

The Monte Ahuja College of Business Cornerstone Speaker Series is where theory meets practice. Intended to be an interactive and engaging conversation led by faculty experts paired with forward-thinking industry leaders who share their knowledge and best practices for operating in today's ever-changing business environment.

Speakers: 

Kristi Montgomery

Kristi Montgomery is the Vice President of Innovation, Research & Development at Kenco Logistics Services. Kristi is also a dynamic explorer of strategic innovation that drives transformational change. She is the executive leader of Kenco Innovation Labs, a dedicated team focused on industry digital transformation and innovation, identifying over $50M in cost saving opportunities in the previous five years.  With 30+ years of logistics and supply chain experience, Kristi practices applied innovation, partnering with entrepreneurs, startups, and emerging technology companies to pilot solutions and deliver business value for the 200+ customers that Kenco serves in North America.

Kristi holds a BS in Organizational Management from Covenant College and is a Certified Specialist in Design Thinking and Innovation as awarded by the Darden School of Business, University of Virginia. Kristi is an accomplished facilitator of ideation and design workshops utilizing Strategyzer, Design Thinking, Lean Startup, and a variety of innovation techniques to focus on step-level change.  Kristi serves the industry speaking, participating as a panelist, and publishing articles promoting supply chain innovation.  She actively supports WERC, Chattanooga Technology Council, and STEM initiatives and serves in various non-profit organizations in her community.

Geoffrey Gates:

Geoffrey Gates is the Senior Director of Data and Technology for Supply Chain and Support Services at Cleveland Clinic. In his role, Mr. Gates leads a multi-disciplinary team with direct oversight of data management, procure-to-pay, technology deployment and innovation. Mr. Gates' direct reports support teams in both the US and UK.  

Mr. Gates' experience in healthcare spans almost 20 years, with expertise in supply chain management, hospital operations, process improvement and data management. He joined Cleveland Clinic in 2018 as a Materials Management Director and led the day-to-day operations for four hospitals in Ohio. 

Prior to joining Cleveland Clinic, he held multiple positions at Cardinal Health, including Operations Director and Process Improvement Consultant where he obtained his Lean Six Sigma Black Belt certification. 

Mr. Gates graduated from Purdue University with a Bachelor's Degree in Business Management and went on to obtain a Master's Degree in Global Supply Chain Management from Indiana University.