196: Women In Supply Chain, Madison Mobley

In today's episode of Women In Supply Chain, I'm joined by Madison Mobley: a woman who's shaking things up in supply chain, through her advocacy and passion for diversity and inclusion within the industry. Having steadily climbed the ranks in the business areas of sales, customer management and HR at Dell and Proctor & Gamble, Madison decided to follow her heart – and when she joined Fairmarkit, a procurement tech start-up, in 2020, everything changed. Quickly spotting her unique combination of passion and talent, Fairmarkit believed in Madison's potential to change the industry, supporting her external ambassadorship roles and recently appointing her Head of Belonging, Inclusion, & Culture. Today Madison will be talking to us about her career so far, her passion for procurement and why honest and open conversations around diversity and inclusion are key. And she'll be sharing her experiences and words of advice with us all. SHOW SPONSOR: Apex Logistics are proud to sponsor Let's Talk Supply Chain's Women in Supply Chain podcast and blog series. Our leadership team actively works to empower an industry as diverse as our workforce with a focus on inclusion, and we're passionate about promoting the voices of women leaders to drive visibility around their achievements. Find out more over on the Apex Logistics website. IN THIS EPISODE WE DISCUSS: [07.00] Madison's background, and her journey from a sociology degree, with ambition to become a journalist, to a career in tech sales. "I joined EMC's tech sales boot camp – and the rest is history!" [10.58] How the experiences and opportunities for growth that Madison gained at Dell shaped her career. "Those years fuelled my appetite for well-roundedness. I was empowered to learn a lot." [13.40] How Madison ensured she stood out in the workplace, and her words of advice for being your authentic self. "More than anything else, knowing yourself and knowing where you feel most comfortable bringing everything that you are – those are the spaces that you're meant to grow in and influence others." [16.19] Why Madison made the jump from big business to tech start up. [20.24] What Madison loves about supply chain. "I can't say how much I wish I had been exposed to the art of supply chain fresh out of school – my perspective on business would have evolved so much quicker." [23.38] Madison's new role as Head of Belonging, Inclusion, & Culture at Fairmarkit. [26.52] Madison's experiences of racism and homophobia, her reflections on privilege and why she's so passionate about advocating, and making space for, underrepresented voices. [32.45] Madison's short and longer term goals for diversity and inclusion within the industry. [36.02] Why Madison chose to join the Let's Talk Supply Chain family. [40.12] What the future holds for Madison. "I'm arms wide open to whatever is meant for me." [42.26] Madison's words of advice for all the girls and women following in her footsteps. RESOURCES AND LINKS MENTIONED: You can connect with Madison over on LinkedIn or head over to Fairmarkit's website to find out more. Check out our other podcasts HERE.